The global odyssey is an annual event at Fountainhead. This is an event hosted by the Business Management  and Economics team. Through real life experiences of working, keeping stalls managing operations it cultivates our knowledge  beyond the textbook into real life knowledge. I was approached by the Global odyssey core team and asked to become the Band leader. The band practice was a long 2 month long pursuit where I had to plan the practices on a daily basis, manage all the gear, orchestrate the flow of the performances and make sure timely completion of work was being done. The event had two band coordination that meant I had to make sure there was coordination and communication between them and consecutively also perform myself.

LO1 IDENTIFY THEIR OWN STRENGTHS AND DEVELOP AREAS FOR PERSONAL GROWTH

Setting up the performances forced me to self interrogate into identifying avenues for self development and growth. It was clear that that  having streamlined communication between the band member, the two bands, the core team, the teachers and the school management team was perilous task one that seem impossible at first, although by putting in place tools such as creating dedicated google chat spaces where everything could be discussed enhanced the operations an the enhanced communication.

LO2  DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY HAVE UNDERTAKEN CHALLENGES, DEVELOPING NEW SKILLS IN THE PROCESS

I encountered numerous challenges in my role as a band leader, extending beyond mere performance. While I had prior experience in bands, navigating the responsibilities of leadership required a new level of self-management and social skills development. One significant hurdle was managing conflicting schedules among band members, venues, and teachers. Often, we found ourselves practicing with incomplete bands or in less-than-ideal spaces like cramped classrooms . Despite our best efforts, some challenges persisted, particularly regarding incomplete bands. Despite meticulous planning, we couldn’t always ensure all members were available due to classroom commitments. In response, we adopted a strategy of mixing and matching band members between two bands during practice sessions. This ensured that at least one band could rehearse effectively while keeping everyone engaged such solutions had to be implemented on daily or ensure productivity.

LO3 DEMONSTRATE HOW TO INITIATE AND PLAN A CAS EXPERIENCE

The process began with a meeting led by Pooja Ma’am, the event coordinator. We discussed the overall requirements for our performance, including duration, number of participants in each band, and other essential details. Due to a high level of student interest, we had to divide the responses into two separate bands. This decision was based on factors such as prior collaboration, skill level, and band needs. I then instructed each band to compile a tentative list of songs they were interested in performing. Once the lists were ready, I forwarded them to the teachers for approval. Additionally, I assessed whether the selected songs were suitable for the event’s atmosphere. After finalising the song selection, we had a total of 60 songs to prepare. Managing the performance of 50 songs across two bands required meticulous planning, from gathering interest forms to the post-performance wrap-up.

LO5 DEMONSTRATE SKILLS AND BENEFITS OF WORKING COLLABORATIVELY

Collaboration was integral in the event, collaborative effort was seen other than what already has been mentioned was the constant back and forth in week till the event where there was a constant flow of information between me, the event managers and the band. This included making long lists for the equipment and the stage requirements, talking to bands about final practices, last sets of song approvals, I wasn’t left alone to complete these tasks and was constantly through the collaboration  and effective communication that I was able to complete everything. Additionally, in the last week before the event, constant communication and collaboration are needed to finalize logistical details, like stage setup and sound requirements. This collaboration ensures that all parties are aligned and prepared to deliver a flawless experience