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McKenzie’s Work Experience

Posted on by Emma Lines
The words McKenzie's Blog in a metal font in black over a white background sits on a selection of photos. First is of him putting stickers on a red keyboard, second is a pile of Figurenotes stickers and labels for packaging up, third is of three people sitting opposite each other, singing, and fourth is of him organising adapters into blue boxes.
21
Apr

McKenzie’s Work Experience

Bands, Figurenotes, Technology…

McKenzie Daykin came to us 17th April – 21st April 2023 for a week of work experience. McKenzie is already known to us as he attends two bands with us each week, and has drum lessons with Rebecca. During the week, McKenzie was tasked with a variety of things including some office based tasks, and hands on experience in our music sessions as well as attending his usual bands.

Here is what he got up to this week.

MONDAY

Worked with Bas, going through all iPads and laptops to make sure they are in the building and what cupboard they are stored in, on an app called Airtable. Continued to work with Bas after lunch, sorted cables and plugs.

Sat in with band Varifocals run by Lesley and Volunteer Paul and joined in with the band and played an instrument I don’t know how to play, the keyboard with Figurenotes notation.

Several blue plastic boxes are on a table. A pair of hands is showing sorting different adapters into their relevant boxes.  

TUESDAY

Came into the office and worked on packaging Figurenotes then went to sit in with the band Liveheart run by Lesley and then had my band session in the afternoon.

Colourful Figurenotes stickers on a table. Some are in cellophane packets. Also on the table are Figurenotes flyers and labels for the packs ready to package up.

WEDNESDAY

Came into the office and started working on packaging Figurenotes stickers then went to have my regular session with my school band from Dunedin, and then had my drum lesson with Rebecca, and after packaged Figurenotes magnets 

 

THURSDAY. I began the day by sitting in on the AMTC COURSE and I got to use midi to create my own song.

After lunch I had a sit in with Ali Gillies, I watched him teach 2 pupils of his who are disabled musicians and it was fascinating to see how he is able to use gadgets to help them make music they like. Then Bas tasked me of unstickering a keyboard and restickering it.

Image shows two hands and Figurenotes stickers being placed onto a keyboard manually. The keyboard is red.

FRIDAY

Emma tasked me to clean another keyboard in MS2 and resticker it. I helped Bas put equipment back into cupboards in MS1, then went to sit in with the singing group run by Katie Davies it was very fascinating to see how she can tell the difference between different pitches. Bas has asked me to do some cable testing in MS1 which turned out to be very fun. And to round up my work experience week I began to do some scanning on the printer but the printer would not cooperate. 

A group of three in a room. Two females, one in yellow, one in grey face their teacher in a stripey top sitting at a keyboard. They are all singing.

Overall My time working at Drake Music Scotland has been very productive and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, it’s really opened my eyes to the work life and shown me how to make people feel included and allow them to do the things they love. The staff have been wonderful and welcoming, I never knew how experienced they are at talking with people which have some form of disability and how patient they can be with them. It was interesting seeing how they use different techniques teach people with disabilities from stuff like Figurenotes to Brainfingers. 

I just want to thank the staff at Drake for making my work experience week comfortable and entertaining.