• Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance

Making Music with Others

Get an introduction to group music-making and the social contexts in which musicians participate.

5,124 enrolled on this course

A gathering of students with instruments
  • Duration

    4 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Understand how to make music effectively with others

This online course will help you reflect on your own music-making activities and the way you interact with other musicians.

Firstly, you’ll explore basic concepts in group music-making and the social contexts in which musicians participate.

You’ll learn about group music-making across a range of genres and the principles behind successful rehearsal preparation.

You’ll develop practical and communication skills relevant to a range of collaborative music-making contexts.

Finally, you’ll understand how to convey your own artistic identity through a range of music-making contexts.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 7 seconds ‘Music’s elemental; it feels very natural and brings me together with lots of other people to sort of share ideas that I’m passionate about.’

Skip to 0 minutes and 20 seconds ‘Making music with others’ focuses on the core skills required to participate in group music making. Have you ever reflected on what motivates you to make music, or why you would make music with others? Have you ever wondered how ensembles or bands rehearse? Or how you communicate musical ideas? These are some of the questions that we will explore in this course. We will look at the social contexts in which musicians participate and the principles behind successful rehearsal and performance preparation. Throughout the course we will hear from established musicians about communicative practices in various genres of music making. We will look at different methods for notating musical ideas, as well as music terminology that can help you communicate more effectively.

Skip to 1 minute and 8 seconds Finally, we will explore different platforms, both in the physical world and online, for sharing your music making with others. But, most importantly, you will reflect on your personal approach to music making, and you will take the necessary steps to begin making music with others.

What topics will you cover?

  • Social contexts of music-making
  • Principles behind successful group music-making
  • Effective rehearsal preparation
  • Individual and collective identity in group music-making
  • Communicative practices in group music-making
  • Music consumption in society

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Reflect on your own music-making practice in relation to the cultural and social contexts in which other musicians participate
  • Describe the principles behind successful rehearsal preparation
  • Demonstrate awareness of communicative practices in group music making
  • Explain how individual and collective artistic identities are conveyed in a range of music-making contexts

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for musicians who want to develop their skills in group music-making.

Who will you learn with?

I am a classical guitarist and a Lecturer in Music. I teach at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, the Royal Northern College of Music and the Open University.

I am a pianist and composer, teaching at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. I'm particularly interested in contemporary music and in new approaches to learning and teaching.

Who developed the course?

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is the UK’s only conservatoire of music and contemporary dance, providing specialist training to the future musicians and dancers of the 21st century.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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