Alex is our brand new Learning & Participation Intern who joins us for next few months and for the excitement of our upcoming Summer Festival. She tells us what she been up to during her first few weeks as a part of the Spitalfields Music team.
Despite having just passed the one month mark, the initial week of my Learning & Participation internship induction seems awfully far away. But I suppose that’s what happens when you join an organisation with less than two months to go before the annual Summer Festival…
For the most part, my first week was dedicated to getting acclimatised to the office and the upcoming festival events. In purposely withholding a wave of Learning & Participation tasks, I was free to explore the area, the ongoing projects with community members and neighbourhood schools, and ground myself in the vibrantly eclectic culture of Tower Hamlets. As a Canadian living in a new city, this was a perfect opportunity for me to integrate myself into a rich musical community, engage with some remarkable local residents, and familiarise myself in an amazing city.
Now, after five weeks of ongoing project sessions – some for toddlers, some for children with learning disabilities, some attended mostly by seniors, to name a few – I understand the breadth of involvement and presence that Spitalfields Music has in this community. Almost instantly, I became aware of the importance of catering to as many local music lovers as possible and offering anyone and everyone a chance to explore their creative potential, and every single project session I’ve attend has reinforced this objective.
Alex has been working with our all-women choir, Women sing East
In terms of my responsibilities, I seem to have struck a balance between shadowing various organisation members and managing specific Learning & Participation projects myself. One community choir in particular, Women sing East, is sort of my baby. Over the past month, I’ve overseen choir practices and cared for the singers, and during the Summer Festival concert itself, I’ll actually be project managing the event! I’m really looking forward to experiencing its full development – from initial choir practice to polished performance.
As we gear up for the annual Summer Festival kick off in a matter of weeks, the office is buzzing with energy. Everyone is busy, but ready and willing to dedicate their time and energy to producing the best series of festival performances possible. Everything that Spitalfields Music does – from office meetings to community workshop sessions to choir practices to festival planning – is grounded collaboration and interplay. I feel incredibly lucky to be involved in such a dynamic process.
Alex Lepinski
Learning & Participation Intern
