Thank You For The Music

by Jon Cook (Deputy CEO and Director of Operations)

Music is really important to me, on many levels. Its role in my personal wellbeing - both as a 'musician' (after a fashion) and also as an aid to relaxation, concentration and escapism - can't be overstated. I know I'm not alone in finding that music can unlock emotions and make me feel all the feelings in a way that not much else can. A soundtrack of some sort has become a regular part of my working day (as noted by my colleagues in the CoLab awards at Christmas!!)

At CoLab, we take the wellbeing of staff seriously and recognise the huge potential impact that working in our sector can have on your mental and physical health.

In addition to providing access to reflective practice, clinical supervision and an Employee Assistance Programme - alongside a progressive and flexible policy framework - we've really ramped up how we collectively identify opportunities to connect, relax and have fun as a whole Hub. We've got a book group, a walking group, a film club; we have regular 'hub breakfasts', themed quizzes, and even a building-wide 'duck hunt'!

So a few of us got chatting: what if we brought music into that mix, too?

Enter: The CoLaborators - the CoLab Band!

We’ve started meeting every Tuesday after work — open to anyone in CoLab, at any level of musical experience, just for the joy of making music together. After our last rehearsal, Kye from our Welcome Team said:

“Yesterday, for the first time in ages, I walked home not thinking about work… I was thinking about songs we could play!”

That really said it all.

The other week I overheard a client singing and playing Go Your Own Way in the atrium. Her voice filled the building. One by one, staff and clients gathered, harmonies emerged, a spontaneous drum part was performed on the reception desk and, for a moment, we were all somewhere else. It was joyful. It was unifying. It reminded me what music can do — for stress, connection, and collective spirit.

So I'm looking forward to the next CoLab band rehearsal - and loving the fact that I've played my guitar at home more in the past few weeks than I have in the last few years! And Go Your Own Way is definitely on the list of songs to practice at our next rehearsal!