The Power of Performance in Participatory Projects

In November, as part of my work with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF), the team put together a performance at Stone Nest, a beautiful hidden-in-plain-sight performance venue on Shaftesbury Avenue! The performance featured participants with experience of homelessness, who had worked with orchestra members to create two new pieces, plus spoken word artist Errol McGlashen and talks from programme managers and course leaders at The Connection at St Martins, the programme's principal partner. An enthusiastic audience of colleagues and stakeholders from across the music and homelessness sectors came together to hear the result of two months of work.

This write up from cellist Juliet puclished on the ASMF website tells the story of how it all came together: The Power of Performance: Celebrating Creativity at The Connection - Academy of St Martin in the Fields

It made me reflect on the importance of having an end goal in participatory projects. The journey through a creation and rehearsal period can be quite unpredictable - not least when working with vulnerable people whose lives are turbulent and often challenging - but the result of putting in the effort to continue delivering week-on-week is so worth it. The pride people feel at being part of the the end result is in itself valuable: not just for the community members but the delivery team too. The feeling is heightened by everyone having committed and offered/recieved as part of the creation journey. Of course, so much of the great work happens during the weekly sessions that take place in the build-up, but whenever I'm involved in a project of this kind, I see it's the rallying together towards a culmination moment where the results of everyone's hard work really shines and the results, both personal and musical, can be seen.

I met with some of our performing participants yesterday who were still gleaming and wanting to share the recordings with people they know. It speaks to the power of having a 'goal' in projects such as this one and how important it is for people to have a record of their achievements. As we continue to build this programme, we'll keep looking for opportunities for our groups to perform and share their work, and continue to strive for innovative ways for them to do so.

Photo: Jon Rees.