Over the course of his musical life, John Stevens, the innovative drummer, composer and educator, developed a series of participatory pieces that enabled those with very different musical backgrounds and skills to engage equally in creative improvisation. These pieces are uniquely valuable as learning and performance pieces and as a potent way of running music workshops for mixed abilities and skills. They are rigorous and demanding, requiring participants to focus, listen and react to others in a heightened response to the music being made around them.


John co-founded Community Music in 1983 and was Creative Director until his death in 1994. During this time he trained hundreds of musicians in Search and Reflect techniques and dictated the manual of pieces that is still in print today. Community Music continues to use his pieces as the basis of our workshop training, music production degree and other courses.

The weekend will be facilitated by Robbie Knight, the resident Search and Reflect trainer at Community Music.

The course costs £50 (standard price) and £30 concessions* (for those claiming any benefit except child benefit) and includes lunch on both days.

Tickets can be booked here

*Those claiming concession rate will be required to provide proof of benefit on the first day of the course