What makes Wildest Dreams unique?

Wildest Dreams operates in the field that we call ’aspirational education’
This means that whilst our work uses music and the performing arts to engage and inspire participants to express themselves in playshops and performances, Wildest Dreams’ real purpose is to raise people’s aspirations, to show them how to believe in themselves, to show them how they can achieve what they want to achieve – their Wildest Dreams.

Playshops and performances are led or facilitated by one or more of our ‘inspirationists’. An Inspirationist® is a unique, special person. Each is creative in one way or another, but they are chosen in the first instance for their friendly and optimistic attitude towards people and life. They are outstanding musicians, dancers, actors, and artists, but all are then rigorously trained in techniques designed to inspire and empower participants to do their very best in an unfettered environment of endless possibilities.

But this is only the start

Crucial to our ethos, and in order to bring about a sustainable change in the aspirations and self-belief of participants, Wildest Dreams’ inspirationists include specific games and activities designed to bring out latent talent, confidence and the motivation to succeed.

These activities are designed to transform the thinking of participants from negative to positive; to help eliminate self-limiting beliefs, the invisible barriers that stand in the way of achievement, fulfilment and happiness in people’s lives.
Critical to our practice is our inspirationists’ ability to bring real passion to their work. We believe that it is only through engaging our own passion that we will engage and inspire others to overcome their fears, to ‘go for it’, to challenge themselves and to achieve remarkable results.
And that is why each inspirationist® must develop a high level of skill in:

the art of inspiration

Every inspirationist is trained in how to enhance the processes of learning, through an understanding of multiple intelligences and NLP. As well as learning how to relax, we also employ exercises that wake up and engage the brain more holistically. And, as well as using tried and tested methods, we also test and absorb into our practice many of the latest innovations in the fields of psychology, personal development and education.

Why do we do what we do?

It has long been known that engagement in artistic or creative pursuits can build confidence and self-esteem in individuals, but ‘how’ this happens has been only recently realised.
Wildest Dreams’ work is driven by the quest to discover more about the processes of creativity that produce feel-good. What is it in our work that produces ‘flow’, or makes someone more confident about life?’
As with all human activity, the more we understand how something works, the better we are able to do it and the more consistent and beneficial will be our results.
The confidence that engagement in artistic activities can bring about doesn’t happen by some happy accident, by some invisible magic that is unique to the Arts. On the contrary, many of the processes involved have a very specific effect on our thinking and on our physiology. It is these processes that change our bodies’ chemical balance, thus altering our mental states and the way we think and feel.
We all know that it’s possible to deliver ‘artistic’ learning that is truly dull and uninspiring, just as it is possible to deliver maths or geography in a way that turns people off. We believe that passion is the prerequisite to effective engagement, and that is as true in geography as it is in music!

For Wildest Dreams, it’s the elements of human interaction that we are particularly interested in. And this is why we do what we do. We are striving to make the world a better place, a place where children can perform well and blossom because they believe in themselves and they have the confidence to explore, experiment, take risks and create. We do that by operating in an environment without judgement that is safe and non-competitive: this is very different, when compared with the rigours of curriculum, measurement and testing in school.
In an education system that still favours logical and linguistic competence, and barely recognises physical, personal, musical and other intelligences, the impact of our work is particularly relevant. It gives even those with limited traditional IQ the chance to excel, to be outstanding, and to demonstrate qualities of self-expression, self-confidence and self-determination.

Our Aspirations

Wildest Dreams aspires to be distinctive and remarkable in its aims and outcomes.
We are prepared to take risks and make mistakes in demonstration of our commitment to surpass what has gone before.
We aim to reach many more people with our message and practice.
We aspire to continuously challenge our own competence and practice, to increase the effectiveness and efficacy in all that we do and with everyone with whom we come into contact.
We aspire to reach the people who can benefit the most: often those for whom statutory education does little or nothing in terms of building aspiration, and those with the least opportunity for success in life, whatever their circumstance.

Our History

Wildest Dreams was founded by its now, Director of Adventures, QJ, in 1997 as the ‘City of Canterbury Symphony Orchestra’, a registered Charity whose mission was: to establish a new genre of classical and not-so-classical music and dance entertainment.
QJ picks up the story.
Originally, I wanted to challenge people’s perceptions of what a classical music concert was. People would say, ‘It’s boring and just for the toffs.’ What a dreadful word, and what a dreadful idea. Unfortunately, for many of the people I mix with, that sentiment seems as true today as it ever was. I wanted to get away from the penguin-suited, white-lit, visually bland presentation style, and move towards something more akin to a rock or pop concert in terms of excitement and sheer impact.

So, it was through a desire not to cater for the traditional, already well-served audience that the creation of a new genre of classical and not-so-classical music and dance became a total commitment.
I wanted to give people who felt excluded, a chance to experience high quality ‘grown-up’ music in a fun and exciting way. I wanted to transform their perception of that other world, that ‘posh’ world where their perception was, perhaps, ‘that’s not for me’!
And through this search, I slowly came to the realisation that the best way to establish an audience that really wanted to listen was to reach people before they’d had a chance to be ‘switched off’ – i.e. while they were still children!
Working with children has been life-changing for me; so much so that the entire Wildest Dreams’ philosophy is based on the difference we hope that we make in their lives: a transformational difference for the better. Perhaps these children will fall in love with various forms of self-expression, perhaps they will decide to choose music, dance or drama as their own artistic vehicle. But maybe, just maybe, they will learn even more about who they are and what they are capable of; making real discoveries about their true potential, and then be able to apply that belief in whatever life journey they choose.
So, we became Wildest Dreams because of our focus on children.
We have gone on to include many artistic genres in our work, often starting with what the children already relate to – but then taking them on adventures to different places: world music, classical, jazz – and then adding dance and drama!
Wildest Dreams is the realisation of my Wildest Dreams: An organisation dedicated to transforming people’s lives through music, art and self-expression.
Anyone can be Outstanding. Come with us, and discover that anyone includes you!

 

www.wildestdreams.org.uk
07905 329 731
PO Box 600
Canterbury
CT4 6NP

Registered Charity No. 1061213