Charlotte Greensmith, Community Impact Coordinator - North, shares her experience attending her first co-creation project as part of our Darlington Hippodrome partnership

Earlier this month, I attended my first co-creation project since joining Orchestras Live. I had planned to sit and observe, seeing how Composer James Redwood and musicians from Royal Northern Sinfonia would work with participants to create a brand-new piece of music in just two days. However, as soon as I stepped foot into the room I was instantly invited to join in, and the next thing I knew, I had agreed to dust off my grade 4 violin skills following a 10-year hiatus! It was clear that no one was to be sat on the side lines.

Experiencing the co-creative process alongside the participants allowed me to see how each musician’s confidence gradually increased over the sessions, seeing them want to share their musical ideas as they became more comfortable with the creative freedom co-creation brings. Additionally, I was able to spend time building genuine relationships with the young people. This meant that despite the short time that we were together, I was able to gather valuable in-the-moment feedback from the participants.

Building deeper and more impactful relationships with the communities that we work with is a crucial part of my role, and playing alongside the participants allowed me to do just that. By participating in the co-creation process first hand, I have gained a vital insight into how participants connect with the experience, providing valuable learning to ensure that projects are always centred on the communities that we work with.

Although I won’t be able to attend every workshop in every project, it made me consider how we approach relationship building with young people. By showing my own musical vulnerability, the young people felt more willing to trust both myself, and the openness of the co-creation project.