1. Use music in your activities and bear in mind that is may be important to have a certain structure when matching your music with your non-formal education workshop (E.g.: there are normally few stages in terms of flow, also for music; 1. Warm up; 2. Contact with the main experience; 3) Integration of the experience (debriefing); 4. Getting out from the experience) There is usually a music that fits each of these phases. It is important to choose the right one according to the activities you plan.
2. Be aware of the balance between the use of music and its absence (or silence), keep in mind the so called “horror vacui” (fear to have moments of silence during the workshop). Silence can give a meaning and a value to certain moments/activities and vice versa.
3. Music can have a big impact in the group dynamics and it also can influence the emotional atmosphere in a group. It is important that the trainer/facilitator is aware of the potential of music and its impact at emotional level in the participants (e.: some people prefer not to use music during the evaluation time of the activity in order not to interfere with the inner process of the evaluation). Music is perceived differently from each person depending on various factors like personal experiences from the past, personal taste, person’s background, type of music, tonality, etc. Depending on what purpose you have with using music you may also consider that some emotional competence as a facilitator is needed (e.g.: a participant get very angry or sad after an activity where the music was the trigger, then the facilitator may have to intervene to check what happened to the person and eventually support him/her)
4. Music be used for very different purposes such as: to activate and energize the group, for body expression, non verbal communication exercises, to get to know each other (e.g.: musical autobiography) for singing and using voice, dancing and energizing, to break stereotypes, for fostering teamwork (also it can foster competition, depending on your learning objectives), for introspection and/or reflection moments, therapy or meditation.
5. It is important not only to use music but also to create music during a workshop. If participants can use some instruments to make it is very recommendable as it brings a added value to the learning process such as sense of belonging, feeling of connection (when all the group plays music), raise self-esteem in the participants, fosters creativity an many other benefits for the person/group who plays.
6. From a psycho-geography perspective you may want to consider the following aspects:
a) It is important to ensure that the tempo, style and volume of the music are the right ones for your activity/group.
b) - Ensure the venue has enough space (and no hazards) for the activity/movement, etc.
c) - Make sure that the lighting (in some cases a very low light can provide a feeling of safety for those participants that feel a bit shy about dancing or doing body exercise in front of the others) and temperature levels are appropriate for the activity.
7. If music has a remarkable dimension in your activities you may want to consider the possibility to use proper technical equipment such as good speakers that are at least 100 WATTS of power and includes subwoofer to make sure a minimum quality of sound.
8. Try to have a diverse repertoire of music of different kinds and styles in accordance to the diversity and taste of your group. In this sense, sometimes it is a good idea if you can find out the musical preferences of your group. For example, you could create a group playlist before they arrive to the venue of your workshop. Playing their music in different moments of the workshop could give them a sense of recognition and appreciation.
9) Last but not least:
It is recommendable that in general you use the music that moves you, the music that you like and do not use the music you will never listen to (unless you have a particular intention or learning objective in using those you don’t like).
Use your imagination and explore the potentials and the magic of music, it can bring an added value to your activities definitively.
