Lifemusic Practitioner Training

Lifemusic is an accessible and creative form of music-making for groups which is designed to promote well-being, enhance relationships, enrich lives and strengthen communities. It can be used by both musically trained and untrained individuals.

Training as a Lifemusic Practitioner is valuable continued professional development for teachers, music therapists, drum circle facilitators, group workers, community musicians, sound therapists, choir leaders, singers, counsellors, care assistants, activities coordinators, healthcare staff and creative therapists, to name but a few.

The key principles of Lifemusic are:

Everyone is musical
There are no wrong notes in music
Every sound has a meaning
Making music is an act of trust

Using a wide variety of simple instruments, participants create entirely original pieces of music based upon ideas, images, stories and feelings.

By the end of the initial training, participants will be able to:

Facilitate workshops according to the Lifemusic method.
Improvise fluently, both singly and in groups.
Initiate group improvisation through the use of Holding Forms.
Demonstrate musical skills relevant to community music making.
Communicate effectively verbally and musically.
Design and deliver projects which focus on the needs of specific groups.
Demonstrate some understanding of the theory of improvisation.
Demonstrate some understanding of the theory of Holding Forms.
Evaluate the work in terms of well-being, group awareness and community building.

Module One - September 19th 2015:
Introduction - A practical introduction to the principles and precepts of Lifemusic. Improvisation through Holding Forms. Skill sharing. Developing improvisations from the three platforms: interactional, structural, thematic.

Module Two - September 20th 2015:
Vox Anima - Voicework. Toning, attuning, overtoning, undertoning, chanting, calling, yoiking. Combining voices and instruments. Improvisation with voice and songs.

Module Three - October 17th 2015:
Playing with Apollo - More on Holding Forms. Working with the archetypes. Preparing for student-led activity.

Module Four - October 18th 2015:
Following The Muse - Facilitating a workshop. The Lifemusician’s toolkit. Ownership, autonomy and creativity. Letting go. Deep structure. Following the muse. Student-led activity.

Module Five - November 21st 2015:
Music, Health And Well-Being - More workshop techniques. Applications of Lifemusic in the community with specific groups. Evaluation. Measuring well-being. More student-led activity.

Module Six - November 22nd 2015:
Celebrating Time - Translating images, ideas and feelings into musical form. Connecting to time. Turning life into soul. Review of course. Sharing and consolidating experience. Celebrating time.