Some of you know me. I am often heard shouting about all things e-learning here at Kirklees Council but when I am not doing that I spend most of my time looking after my son’s band (managing is a far too grand a term).
I would never have guessed that in my mid 40’s I would be a roadie, booking agent, promoter and all round taxi. But the highs are worth all the time and stress, not to mention the money.
This group of 16 year olds have already been featured on Radio 1’s Annie Mac show and opened for Ash.
Because of my connections with the band I have now drifted into setting up gigs for under 18 bands in my local area which again is a challenge but very rewarding. Believe me, getting groups of teenagers to turn up at the right place, at the right time, with the right equipment is a project management task to rival any I have had at work.
What does any of this have to do with Learning Pool? Well, it’s all about making connections and sharing.
None of the work I do with the bands would be possible without Web 2.0 and social networks like MySpace. MySpace allows me to find young bands (and for them to find me), find venues, find events etc.
When it comes to promoting events the council are not too keen on people pasting posters around the town but with MySpace I can circulate posters to groups of people who, in turn, can put them on their pages or send them out. I can help new bands who aren’t so sure of how to get gigs, find rehearsal space or whatever because, if I don’t have the answer, someone in my circle of friends will.
And that’s also what I love about the Learning Pool ethos. If you have a question then it’s likely that someone out there has an answer and, usually, you get more than one answer. We are all in similar areas of work with very similar goals so it make sense to pool that knowlege.
As I said, it’s all about making connections and sharing.
Oh, and if your interested (or have connections in relevant areas) then my son’s band is called Minus Jack and can be found at www.myspace.com/minusjack.
Chris Allan
Kirklees Council
Learning Pool's Blog 