Musivate offers a fun and unique way to get your team laughing and having a good time to form a stronger bond. Molly Dyson finds out first hand what makes learning the ukulele so perfect for a corporate icebreaker. Musivate is the brainchild of Lorraine Bow, who learned to play the ukulele in 2007 and loved it so much she decided to teach others the instrument. The company offers corporate team-building exercises that can be built around a specific goal, such as filming a fun video message to send out to clients.
The ukulele lessons are ideal for a number of situations because your team can learn a song in an hour, or you can choose to go for a longer session with more tunes. In the past, companies have used Musivate as a team-building exercise and as an icebreaker at conferences and office parties. You can even split your team into smaller groups and show off your new skills to compete against each other.
Lorraine says playing music has been proven to relieve stress and keeps the mind sharp in the same way as learning a new language. This increases brain capacity and performance on cognitive tasks. Itโs also good for improving hand-eye co-ordination, which Lorraine says she can personally attest to as a person with dyspraxia (a developmental disorder that affects fine motor skills).
The ukulele makes the perfect instrument for beginners because itโs small, lightweight and only has four strings. People who have never played before will find themselves strumming away and singing along to their chosen tune within an hour. Plus, Lorraineโs style of instruction is gentle and encouraging โ she also teaches primary school children.
While Musivate is based in London, the company will travel on request and can provide up to 100 ukuleles at a time. You can also buy instruments to present to staff at the beginning of the lesson. Either way, your team will no doubt enjoy the experience of learning and singing together.
Tried and tested
Semone Kerr, who used to be a PA and is now the Operations Manager of PR firm Chameleon, organised a Christmas surprise for her team after her CEO heard about Musivate through a friend. After their lesson, the group performed the Jackson 5โs Santa Claus Is Coming To Town on their new ukuleles for the camera and used the video in its holiday email to clients.
โWe thought it would be a fun team-building exercise and the video made a great treat for our clients,โ says Semone. โEven though nobody knew what we were in for, Lorraine managed to get the best out of all of us and we were smiling and singing away as happy as can be.โ
Semone believes the lesson is so successful because it takes people out of their comfort zone. โIt really builds your confidence when you start out thinking you canโt do it and end up playing a whole song by the end of an hour.โ
Although Semone herself hasnโt been able to keep up with formal lessons, she still remembers how to play the song she learned and picks up her ukulele just about every day. โItโs in vogue to play now. Itโs great when you tell people you have a ukulele and they start bragging about theirs.
โThere are a few people in the office who have taken more classes,โ she adds. โIโm sure we all could benefit from keeping up with it, as it can help with concentration.โ
Semone concludes: โThe way Lorraine teaches is great and itโs such good fun. I would recommend her for any corporate event.โ
Musivate can tailor lessons to meet corporate needs. Prices depend on the length of the session and whether youโd like to buy ukuleles for your team members. Individual lessons are also available for all levels. For more information, or to organise your next event, visit musivate.co.uk
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