{"id":11584,"date":"2024-06-27T12:36:58","date_gmt":"2024-06-27T11:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/?p=11584"},"modified":"2025-06-06T15:40:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T14:40:15","slug":"building-a-community-its-what-we-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/2024\/06\/27\/building-a-community-its-what-we-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a community: it’s what we do."},"content":{"rendered":"

A question I\u2019m often asked, whether from colleagues, friends, my neighbours\u2019 endlessly curious granddaughter: What do you do, Dan ? What does the extra-curricular music department do; what\u2019s it all about ?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I would usually start by saying, well, we get lots of musicians together from both within the University and beyond, create ensembles, have a weekly rehearsal schedule, and give public performances each term. We have a small group of Music Scholars and Award Holders who take a prominent role amongst the ensembles, and it all comes to a glorious flourishing conclusion with our annual Summer Music Week festival, bringing many of the ensembles and performers together for a final time before the end of the year.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s all true.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not quite everything.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not perhaps what\u2019s the most important aspect of what we do.<\/p>\n

\"\"What I\u2019ve started saying instead, is that we build a community<\/em><\/strong>. Every year. From scratch. We\u2019re an extra-curricular provision, so entirely dependent on who walks through the doors of Colyer-Fergusson each September \u2013 students and staff alike. And some of our ensembles are also open to alumni and members of the local community, too. And our job \u2013 perhaps the most vital aspect of our activity \u2013 is to bring all these musicians together and build a community to which they can belong, in which they can participate.<\/p>\n

\"\"This is especially important when it comes to welcoming first-year and international students, people who might be anxious about being away from home, wondering how they will find a group of friends, how they are going to fit in \u2013 and for overseas students, even more so. For those who are worried about making social connections, about finding their feet, the music-making community here at Kent offers a ready-made opportunity to do all those things.<\/p>\n

\"\"And for students returning in their second or third year, who were involved the year before, it\u2019s a chance to get back to rehearsing and performing with the group of friends they made last year, and meet new ones. Music is open to staff, too; you\u2019ll find members of administrative staff or heads of departments sitting alongside students amongst the strings or woodwind sections in the Orchestra, or sat alongside them on the choral-risers each Monday night when Chorus meets. Along with external members of the community, who come from Folkestone to Faversham, from Whitstable to Wye, and elsewhere, all these musicians come together in the shared endeavour of rehearsing and performing, that creative odyssey that impacts so much on people\u2019s wellbeing.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"On my desk as I write, I have all the thank-you cards that we received a few weeks ago, from students who are graduating, for whom the recent Summer Music Week has been the final opportunity to be part of it all. Similar sentiments echo throughout: \u2018Thank you for making me so welcome;\u2019 \u2018the experience of making music here has changed my life;\u2019 \u2018being part of the musical community has been a rewarding experience for me;\u2019 \u2018thank you for creating such a nurturing environment;\u2019 \u2018thank you for making a safe space for everyone.\u2019 They talk of transformative experiences, opportunities that will stay with them for the rest of their lives, memories they will value, friendships formed.<\/p>\n