Cohesive Harmonies - #RKEFest23

Musicians Without Borders is an international NGO that uses music as a tool to build bridges in disparate communities in post-conflict zones. They also run short training programmes to teach others how to utilise their music leadership methodologies within their specific contexts.

While our collaboration existed on a small scale in 2021 and 2022, this academic year, we have begun a significant, year-long project that is being hosted by Leeds School of Arts. We have invited 25 music outreach facilitators from around the U.K. (and one from the Netherlands) to participants in four, weekend-long training sessions spaced throughout the year.

In between each training weekend, the participants are asked to run three workshops with vulnerable groups and keep a log book/video diary reflecting on how they have utilised certain elements of the previous training weekend. They are also put into groups so they can support each other either in-person or remotely throughout the process.

The first training weekend occurred last weekend with exceptionally positive feedback. Our participants are from a wide array of music outreach practices and bring exceptional experience to this project. From this 2023/24 project, the ‘Cohesive Harmonies’ project aims to:

1. Create a community of music outreach facilitators (oftentimes a very isolating profession);
2. Investigate how and what aspects of MWB’s leadership trainings are put into practice; and
3. Through detailed surveys, participant observation, and interviews, investigate how the communities these facilitators work with, in turn, benefit from the leadership trainings.

Ultimately, this project, through its trainings and associated workshops, investigates strategies to maximise music intervention effectiveness in building intercommunity trust.

Next year we have just confirmed another MWB training series which will take place in partnership with the Leeds School of Arts.