The Art of Coaching

A former Music Service Head shares his journey towards a new career in coaching

BY ALAN CAMERON

I’m a coach. Honestly. Funny how it all came about, but I’m now a coach. I started out as a music teacher in a Glasgow secondary school over 40 years ago. I was only 20 years old when I first faced a class and received a salary for doing so. I wasn’t really ready for some of what I faced, but hey I thought, life ain’t a bowl of cherries and it’s a job. Teacher training college never mentioned dodging projectiles...

The Head Teacher, on my day one said to me ‘Don’t worry about teaching Mr Cameron, just survive’. So I did. I played in a pop band outside of work and I used to bring in my Moog synth and other keyboards to my classroom in an effort to inspire the troops. We sang lots of songs, the boys would belt out ‘Football Crazy’ as if they were at a Rangers v Celtic match I took comfort in construing this as enthusiastic engagement. We listened to ‘Night on Bare Mountain’ and the ‘1812 Overture’ using Roy Bennett’s ‘Listening to Music’ series. And we clapped teas, coffees, coca-colas and even cream sodas. After a couple of years of this noisy fiery baptism I was summoned to the Education Offices in Glasgow. There I met a follicly challenged (impressive Kojak lookalike) gentleman, an Education Officer in a very large oak-panelled room with a vast, tremendous desk asking me if I’d be willing to transfer to a school on the south side of the river as I was ’surplus to requirements’ due to a falling roll I thanked him profusely, wondering if there was something I could sign before he changed his mind.

My next school (for 4 years) was a joy. I was part of a team of 3 music staff Students were generally polite and motivated. We had school bands and produced some fabulous musical theatre shows. Having started out in such a tough setting, this was now fulfilling. I’m still in contact with some pupils from this school, one a leading session saxophonist, another an X Factor star. My career had finally taken off in a positive direction. The subsequent years with local authorities included spells as Principal Teacher and as Head of two Music Services, in Glasgow in the 1990s and with Dumfries & Galloway from 2003-16. In Dumfries I was also a QIO (Quality Improvement Officer) with various generic responsibilities which included preparing school pre-inspection reports, organising head teacher appointment panels and conducting disciplinary investigations.

And I had a fabulous time devising and delivering a world-first instrumental lessons programme via video conferencing before we had the availability of broadband. We taught primary-aged kids in remote schools brass lessons over video-link from 2005 on a weekly basis. Warwick University conducted the evaluation of our work and gave us a 5 star report. This work was included as a Case Study in the UK National Plan for Music published in 2011. We were very much forerunners of the online music teaching we see everywhere today, significantly nudged forward in that direction due to the Covid pandemic.

In 2006 I took the opportunity to share our work at the ISME conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I met various music educators from around the world here and one, Matti Ruippo, a lecturer from Finland became a good friend. Fast forward to 2015, Matti invited me to share our online video teaching programme in person at a conference in Finland. And in Orivesi, Finland over the breakfast table I met and started a collaboration and friendship with Fredrik Posse, one of the co-founders of Soundtrap, an online recording studio, now used in schools across the world. In 2016 I formally joined the Soundtrap team as Education Adviser, and soon after found myself working for Spotify after they acquired Soundtrap.

Working with Spotify took me all around the world. I’ve met with teachers in Sweden (where Spotify is based), USA, Germany, Netherlands, Australia (several times), Thailand, UAE, South Africa and all across the UK. But In March 2023, the Soundtrap/Spotify fun came to an end for me. I, and many others in the company, had our contracts terminated. What would I do now?

Since 2016 I’d been travelling the world, meeting people, engaging in meaningful, purposeful conversations. I knew I enjoyed working with people and hopefully helping people develop and flourish in their careers. So I decided in early 2023 to become a coach. As you do. I searched for online coaching courses, checked out reviews and podcasts and decided quite quickly that this was what I should do. Sign up, take the plunge. What’s the worst that could happen? Yes, I might regret investing money in a course, but I’m sure I’ll find it interesting and challenging even if I don’t go forward with a coaching career.

From April to October 2023 I engaged in 2 full days a month of coaching training and learning, resulting in being awarded a Diploma in Coaching and Positive Psychology. The skills I’d gained throughout my years of working in the education sector were the bedrock of my capacity to coach others. The coaching diploma gave me additional skills and confirmed for me that this was something I’d love to be involved in.

I met Nel in the summer of 2023 at my local health club. In conversation it became apparent she was a course leader and mentor for an online Masters course in Educational Leadership. I asked her if she had any students on her course that might benefit from coaching. Almost immediately Nel said that her student George (not his real name) was lacking some confidence and was unsure about his next steps. She said that she’d check with him and see if he might be interested in coaching. As I was still a student on my own learning journey, I said I’ll not charge him if I could work with him. It will be part of my required hours to coach people to gain my qualification. And may be of help to him also.

I was introduced to Nel’s student George online. We had a ‘chemistry’ session where we got to know each other a little and gauge from his perspective and mine if this is a discussion we might take forward in a coaching format. He was keen to try this. We hit it off, and I looked forward to working with him. He shared his reasons for undertaking a Masters course and I listened as he described how he was in a place where he felt he was a bit ‘stuck’. He was happy in his role as Deputy Head but felt he had more to offer. ‘Is this it?’, he had thought to himself. He’d been in the same school for his whole career and had got to the point where he needed to think carefully about his next move.

In our first coaching session, I asked him about his goals in life. Personally, professionally He wasn’t sure, but had been keen on the idea of becoming a Head Teacher. In our first meeting I listened intently to his reflection on how he currently viewed his life. What was his present reality? What would he really like to do in life? What would be fulfilling? If he could wave a magic wand, what would life look like? He didn’t have answers yet for these questions and I gave him as much space and time as I could to see where his thinking might go. The next part of this is probably best described in his own words:

‘After completing my Master’s degree, I found myself at a crossroads in my journey as a school leader That’s when I was introduced to Alan, a leadership coach. Alan excels in establishing a strong and positive rapport with his clients, which immediately put me at ease. Through our coaching sessions, he employed various techniques that facilitated deep self-reflection, providing valuable insights into my practice and skillset. With Alan’s expert guidance and support, I gained the confidence to make informed career decisions and have now secured my first Headship. I look forward to continuing to work with Alan as my new journey begins’

I continue to meet with him on a monthly basis 18 months on from our first meeting. He is now happy to pay me for this service! I have several clients I see over an extended period of time; many people are looking for a coach who perhaps works with them for 3 - 6 sessions. So, what might you expect in a coaching session? And what is ‘coaching’?

Coaching is a managed conversation, with the coach responsible for that management. Coaching is focused on personal growth and professional development with a clear aim in achieving goals, changing behaviours, shifting perspectives, and overall self-improvement.

Every person and every situation is unique. However, many people have the same feeling at certain moments in life of being ‘stuck.’ Often individuals will say they’re not sure as to how they might move forward in a positive direction. At times like these, a personal coach can be very helpful in listening intently to the individual seeking to make positive choices, take positive actions and gain new insights.

There are many different coaching theories and approaches that can be adopted. In my training, I learned about Neuro Linguistic Programming, Cognitive Behavioural Coaching, Person-Centred Coaching, Psychodynamic Approaches to Coaching and Solution-Focused Coaching. However for me, my coaching approach can best be described as unlocking people’s potential to maximise their own performance.

We all like to be heard, or to be seen. The Zulu greeting ’Sawubona’ literally means "I see you." More than just a polite phrase, it carries a deeper meaning in recognising each person's true worth and dignity It conveys, "I see all of you your experiences, your passions, your pain, your strengths and weaknesses, and your future.” In coaching individuals I endeavour to give people a safe and reflective space. I aim to listen at least 80% of the time and ask questions directly in response to what the person I’m coaching is sharing. Coaching sessions can be of varied lengths. A typical structure for a 45 minute session will often start with some small talk e g about the weather, which can help to build rapport. Typically this will be followed by a formal introduction outlining and confirming contractual arrangements, a confidentiality reminder and the coach asking if they may take some notes. The coaching session often then begins with a question like ‘What would you like to talk about today?’

When the client has shared their thoughts in relation to the goal it is very important to paraphrase and summarise what the client has said. A good question at this point could be ‘Was that an accurate representation of what you said?’ Paraphrasing the information the client has provided needs to be reflected back accurately in order to ensure that the coach has fully understood all the key aspects the client has shared. The second reason for this is to allow the client to reflect on their own words through hearing their own narrative spoken out loud by the coach. This can have a profound effect on the client, often providing a new perspective on their thinking. A key skill required for effective coaching is the ability to listen well. You can always tell if someone isn’t really listening to you, it’s an uncomfortable feeling is it not? Too many people don’t listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply!

As a coach, you should give full and undivided attention to the client in genuine interest and curiosity. If the client takes a few seconds (or longer) to respond to a question, the coach should hold the space for the client allowing them time to reflect and respond when they are ready. The coach should demonstrate open body language, at times mirroring the client’s own body language, matching their energy and showing empathy. Empathetic listening would include listening for feelings, not just what is being said. A successful and effective coaching session will create results for the client.

A good coach will ask great questions at the right moments and be present at all times through listening actively, showing empathy and communicating non-verbally through good use of body language. Powerful questions can assist the client in triggering clarity and reflect on what they really want. The best type of questions to ask are openended. These questions should not just lead to a simple yes, or no Open questions could include ‘Why are you thinking this?’, and ‘How does that make you feel?’ It is important to ask questions directly stimulated by what the client is saying, always adopting a client-led approach. Suggestive questions, and ideas for solutions should not be offered to the client. An example of a good question to conclude the session could be ‘Would you like me to hold you accountable on this step you propose to take?’

I’ve gone into a fair bit of detail as to what a successful coaching session might look like. It is by no means exhaustive My experience as a manager in Music Services and as an education leader and manager has helped me become an effective coach. But I’m always learning and trying to improve. And listening much more than talking is definitely a key to success in coaching. If you'd be interested in learning more or you might be interested in a coaching session yourself, visit this link.