The event was organised by CRAVE Music Agency, as the Polish partner of the consortium. Over two intense days, fifteen participants worked together during workshops dedicated to music management, promotion and content creation, and performance psychology.
What was the Pilot Lesson?
The Pilot Lesson was more than just a training session. It was the first practical test of the educational materials being developed within the MOTIVE project — a programme that will ultimately be developed into a practical toolkit and training model for young musicians from across Europe.
The Warsaw meeting allowed us not only to work with the project’s participants, but also to test in practice which elements of the programme best respond to the real needs of emerging artists working in today’s music industry.
Music Management
The first training block focused on how the music market works and the practical side of building an artistic career.
Participants learned, among other things:
- the roles and responsibilities of managers working in the music industry,
- the structure of the music market in Poland and abroad,
- revenue sources for musicians — from streaming through licensing to concerts,
- the basics of promotion, branding, and communication,
- topics related to concert organisation, riders, and tour logistics.
For many participants, this was the first time they had looked at music not just as a creative process, but as a full professional ecosystem.
Content Creation for Musicians
The second block was practical in nature and focused on creating content for today’s social platforms.
During the workshops, participants:
- created their own short-form video content,
- worked on scripts and editing,
- learned the principles of writing captions and thumbnails, and creating content for Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts,
- analysed the effectiveness and reception of the materials they published.
Strong emphasis was placed on building a consistent visual identity and conscious artistic communication — elements that are now an inseparable part of developing a music career.
Performance Psychology
The third block was led by dr Julia Kaleńska-Rodzaj, a specialist in music psychology. The workshops drew on J.J. Gross’s emotion regulation model and addressed mental preparation for working on stage.
Topics covered:
- dealing with stage fright and performance stress,
- maintaining focus during performances,
- techniques for working with energy and emotions,
- strategies for memorising repertoire,
- mental preparation for rehearsals and concerts.
For many participants, this was one of the most valuable elements of the entire meeting — especially because performance psychology still rarely appears in traditional music education.
After the workshops
The first day ended with a shared dinner at the Warsaw restaurant Siwy Dym, where participants could experience Polish cuisine and folk music performed live.
This was also part of the MOTIVE project’s methodology — getting to know local musical traditions not only in theory, but also through direct experience of culture and meeting music in its natural context.
What’s next
The Pilot Lesson in Warsaw was the first major stage in implementing the MOTIVE project’s Training Module. Further activities and workshop sessions are also planned in the other partner countries.
The materials and experiences gathered during these meetings will be used to create the final Practical Toolkit for Beginner Musicians — a practical guide and training model for young musicians developing their work on the European music scene.