Training the Community Musician 2022

We're delighted to announce that our third TTCM symposium will be hosted by Sound Sense member Bristol Music Trust at Bristol Beacon on 21-22 February 2022.

(Originally planned for June 2021, please note this event has been postponed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

This two day event is for all those involved and interested in training, mentoring and nurturing the development of community musicians and our sector.

Day one of the event will involve presentations, workshops and conversations exploring the theme: How do we prepare community musicians for the challenges of 21st century practice?

During day two, as in previous years of TTCM, we will embrace an ethos of provocation and inclusivity using use Open Space Technology to continue and deepen our conversations, facilitated by Elspeth Murray.

You can reach the TTCM team on info@soundsense.org to find out more. Further information and booking details will be available here very soon.

Let's get the conversation started: TTCM Conversations series

Why wait until February to start talking? In the lead up to our main TTCM event, we are producing a series of recorded conversations with community music practitioners and educators to deepen our understanding of the issues surrounding the training and development of community musicians. You can view these on the Sound Sense YouTube page. More conversations will be released leading up to TTCM in Bristol. Subscribe to our channel to be notified when there's new content to watch.

From intention to impact, and the skills required

20 and 21 September 2021, online via Zoom   

Join the TTCM team live online for this interactive event exploring essential and desirable skills for community musicians. Hosted by Jess Abrams (music practitioner and Sound Sense Chair) and Chris Gray (University of Aberdeen), we'll be sharing findings from the two previous TTCM symposiums in Aberdeen and London as a jumping off point for discussion and debate.

Training the Community Musician 2020

Sound Sense in partnership with University of Aberdeen, Edinburgh Youth Music, Sound Connections and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance

In February, Sound Sense and partners presented the second Training the Community Musician Symposium, hosted by Trinity Laban Conservatoire and supported by Thomas Deane Trust.

The sold-out event, the second in a series of four symposiums planned welcomed delegates from across the UK, Europe and the US. We were pleased to welcome a mix of practising community musicians, educators, students and researchers from the field.

Building on the themes that came out of the first symposium in 2019, the structure this year offered more formal symposium activities and presentations on day 1, followed by a day of Open Space Facilitation on day 2.

Delegates explored themes such as What are the desirable and essential skills of a Community Musician? What is the Community Musicians Duty of Care; to self and other? and Within Training, what is the balance between training the person and training the musician?

Download the full report here

Training the Community Musician 2019

The first of an annual series of gatherings, our Training the Community Musician symposium took place at the University of Aberdeen in February 2019.

We were delighted to welcome 50 delegates to the two day event, with people travelling from across the UK, Canada, USA and Israel to be there. Using an Open Space model, the event allowed participants the space and time to set the agenda and explore topics that mattered to them. The result was a powerful discussion space with plenty of room for networking and connecting with others in the field.

Download the full report here