Discovering Old Passions by Aliyah Wiggins (Plugin Project blog)

My passion has always been music. No matter what was happening, how I was feeling or where I was, I could always fluently access my emotions and thoughts through music. Knowing and developing my skill set in music helped to unlock my journey to community music thus directing me to work such as the Plugin project I am currently doing.

Working with participants through Plugin has reignited a flame in me that I didn’t know had gone dim. Over the course of this project, I have been challenged to create new music each session; writing new lyrics, producing new beats, using new approaches and really learning about how to navigate Logic in ways I had never seen. Though at times, things felt difficult due to limitations, it became a welcome challenge as we could try new things and go do homework for the next session to show participants that we hear and value their wishes.

The most rewarding and magical transformations began to occur in the sessions when the participants grew in confidence. One participant was a fantastic freestyle rapper, but would struggle to identify what he was saying. After some encouragement and reassurance he started to write out his lyrics before the sessions. From there, we could produce a sound that complemented the tone of the lyrics thus creating music that reflected his story and feelings. It’s wonderful to see how 1 hour can transform someone’s demeanour solely through using music as the catalyst.

This whole experience reminded me of my favourite quote, “One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain”

(Bob Marley - Trenchtown Rock). I was reminded of the power and comfort that music brings. I began writing more and exploring new challenges in the sessions by producing more with the guidance of my leader. I sang more and learned new genres. All I can ask now is, where can I use these new lessons next?