OK, it’s time to wrap up the series on The Power of Music.
First of all, I don’t want to keep you in suspense from my last post: the band did great. Our CEO can sing well, everyone played their part, we seemed to gel at the right time. It wasn’t perfect, but our goal was not to be perfect; our goal was to have fun, surprise some people, and help them have fun too.
Some of the surprises: our HR lead was instantly a huge fan! Several usually stoic, non-demonstrative types actually had a visibly great time. The weather cooperated, the dunk booth and food trucks were a big hit, but the REJX were the favorite of the event. Several people bought band t-shirts, they were so taken with the group.
Don’t get me wrong, we’re not giving up our day jobs, in fact there’s a small chance that was our only gig. But we came away from the experience with a firm conviction that music changes things. It changed our relationships, changed how our co-workers see us, and brought fun into a company gathering. That’s the power of music.
To bring this back around to what these blog posts are about: a few days after my company event, the Chime In staff conducted a team building experience. This marked the first full-up, paying gig we’ve had in a while, and the 18-employee company got to see how making music can change their relationships. They knew each other pretty well (although some hadn’t met in person before then), and didn’t have any crushing problems as a team, but they worked at something they hadn’t done together before: making music.
They were one of the best groups, musically speaking, that we’ve ever had do the exercise. They got through four songs in less than two hours, had a great time, and most importantly they understood and saw the value in tackling a difficult problem together. From data analyst to executive staffer, they got to learn a new skill and apply the learning to their jobs. Here’s what their CEO had to say:
“Chime In is a clever approach to team building and a lot of fun! Phil brings it home by not only teaching the technique, but clearly demonstrating how teams work together well. His delivery is as well-structured and the pace is perfect. We went from knowing nothing about hand bells to playing a song we could actually recognize in just an hour. Success!”
There you have it. That’s the power of music!
Rock on.
– Phil
