Is the young person smiling as they are engaging with the process? Remember that if they’re not smiling this doesn’t mean that they’re not enjoying themselves, and likewise if they are smiling and laughing this might also be with nervousness or a disruptive playfulness. As a music leader your instinct is to respond positively to an individual who is smiling when you lead them because they’re showing an empathy and a positive engagement with the process – just try not to discount other, less obvious, signs of enjoyment within a group.

There are many ways to observe listening that can be applied in many different contexts.

Listening takes time. However the key question is: do participants listen when you give them instructions? This is crucial to everything that follows. One musical exercise that can help spot if young people are really listening is to ask them to listen to a repeated rhythm played solo and then find a rhythm that fits with this and join in. Try observing how many participants wait – and listen – before joining in.

Is the young person moving his/her body with the music? Is s/he tapping her foot, is s/he nodding his/her head? Is the person playing by physically moving his/her body? Is the person watching what the leader (or others) are playing and focusing clearly on them, even when all around them seems chaotic?

Individuals can commit to a process in a number of subtle and more obvious ways. Body language and eye-contact are two of the more obvious ones, but some of the more subtle ones can also usefully be observed, e.g. noting individuals who:

• make a ‘mistake’ and then readily work to rectify and change it
• try things out which might be quite complicated, but then persevere until they are sorted out, and
• offer ideas towards a piece or process

Asking the group to suggest ideas and then observing who responds is one way to notice those who are self-confident and happy to offer creative responses in front of the group.

However not all of these responses will be confident or immediately evident, so an inclination to explore might be better observed by noting.

• how individuals play and ‘play with’ their instruments,
• how they might find a different way to contribute (the first to use the voice, for instance, in a group improvisation) and
• how they might – when you first offer them an instrument – take an unusual one or try out many different techniques and approaches as soon as they’re given it.

Observing those leading can be done in a number of ways. Noting those who volunteer to start a piece/process is, perhaps obvious, but it’s important, as it denotes a confidence and, usually, an understanding. However, it’s also important to observe those who lead more subtly, from within the group. This can be seen in those who keep their own part going while assisting others (sub-leading if you like) and those who lead changes within a piece once it has begun.

Memory in music is a crucial ingredient but, in a one-off session, how can you observe it?

One way is through using call-and-response songs and games where there is one part where the call and the response. Try to immediately note who grasps these cues after they are taught and then return to them at the end to see who can remember them. If working over two sessions, then repeat the games/songs the following day/week and see who has musical recall.

This is a difficult facet to unequivocally define from a group context. However, there are examples of individuals being expressive which can be observed through:

• the way they explore a new instrument when given it for the first time (e.g. the hand chimes)
• how they use their body when asked to create a body rhythm
• how they respond verbally when asked a question about an exercise and
• how readily they’re able to create a short solo (e.g. 1 bar) within a structure.