MURAs professionals in the teambuilding and facilitation space, we have the opportunity to run exciting, out of the box activities that bring teams closer together while allowing for meaningful ideas to arise. But before an idea makes it to the execution stage, we need to also explain the why for each activity.
We have recently started offering an entirely new type of offering that centers around music. Offering everything from harmonica to rhythm activities (drum circles to full-fledged interactive performances), with some exciting new activities to come, Focus has truly stepped into the realm of music.
But you might be asking yourself: How does music actually help a group bond? Can you really deliver messages via music? Can my team still do this even if they are musically challenged? And most important of all – why music?
Without getting too much into the research, allow me to share with you some important outcomes from co-creating music together:
- Stress reduction and employee burnout:
While it is well known and widely accepted that music has the ability to change your mood (think about listening to your favorite songs versus listening to a song that makes you sad), did you know creating music has the ability to reduce your stress as well? Making music can actually reverse some of our body’s stress marker genes. When groups or teams come together and make music, the mood of the entire group can swing upwards, resulting in a mood change that can last for weeks after the activity along with reducing employee burnout. - Exercise and energy:
Music making is physical. Sounds like a simple enough statement – yes, you physically drum with your body, using your hands and moving to the beat – but it is physical on a physiological level as well. The physicality of making music increases your heart rate, makes us breath more deeply, and can give your body a surge of energy. - Self-expression:
As children we were often encouraged to dream, imagine, and create. But as adults we sometimes suppress this side of our spirit. Communal music making creates the space for self-expression in a safe, group environment. Team off-sites and sales meets are the ideal platform for your employees to mix and mingle; music making allows for a new form of sharing something personal about yourself with those around you. Music is its own language after all – who needs words? - Group support:
While making music by yourself has its own set of benefits, making music as a group goes above and beyond those, allowing for camaraderie and support to develop into a healing space for groups (such as corporate teams, school children, etc.) and a platform for personal expression. The feeling of harmony and connectedness created from group bonding through co-music making permeates the group and goes beyond the musical space to real life spaces, like home and the office.
So now you know the facts and ideologies behind using music in corporate spaces. However there is one answer to the “why music” question that I failed to mention: FUN! It’s not easy to avoid having fun when you’re making music with your teammates, busting out of your comfort zone, and exploring something entirely new. What are you waiting for? Try it out today. We’ll let the music speak for itself!
