Starting a national conversation
Client Context
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) convened a multi‑stakeholder meeting to explore the creation of a new network for music and dementia in Scotland. The ambition extended beyond a single event: the organisation was considering the long‑term potential of a national centre for music and dementia, and wanted to bring together practitioners, researchers, clinicians, policymakers and people with lived experience for the first time.
The Challenge
What began as a plan to form an advisory group quickly evolved into something broader and more complex — a potential national network or community of practice. The challenge was to design and facilitate a session that could hold multiple perspectives, introduce a sensitive strategic ambition and create enough structure to generate meaningful, practical outputs in a short space of time.
The group was diverse, with different roles, expectations and levels of familiarity with each other. The session needed to feel collaborative rather than directive, while still moving the conversation forward.
Core Question
How do we bring a diverse group together to explore a shared ambition, shape a potential network and generate clear next steps — without over‑engineering or losing collective ownership?
Our Approach
We designed a structured, highly interactive session that balanced clarity with openness. The process moved through three key phases: connection, shared understanding and exploration.
We used simple, accessible methods — paired conversations, visual prompts and small‑group work — to help participants connect quickly and contribute their perspectives. A strong visual design anchored the discussion, allowing ideas to be captured collectively and made visible in real time.
The facilitation focused on grounded, practical questions: what a network could look like, how it might function, what value collaboration could unlock and what role SCO should play. This ensured the conversation stayed tangible and avoided becoming overly conceptual.
We also created space to introduce the idea of a future national centre in a way that invited input, rather than positioning it as a fixed direction.
How We Worked
We worked closely with the SCO team to shape the tone, structure and flow of the session. The design reflected their ambition to convene rather than control — creating a safe, open environment where participants felt able to contribute honestly.
During the session, we managed the process end‑to‑end: guiding discussions, maintaining pace, supporting group work and ensuring ideas were captured clearly.
Contribution from Participants
Participants brought a wide range of experience from across music, healthcare, research and lived experience. Their openness and willingness to engage created a rich discussion, with strong interest in collaboration and shared learning.
Key Findings
The session confirmed a clear appetite for connection across the sector. Participants valued the opportunity to “join the dots” between existing work and saw potential in a network that could support collaboration, knowledge‑sharing and collective impact.
There was also a strong preference for keeping any future structure practical and grounded, with a focus on real activity rather than abstract vision.
Emerging Impact
The session provided SCO with a clear, collective view on the potential for a music and dementia network and how it might develop. It generated practical insight into structure, purpose and next steps, alongside a visible base of interest from across the sector.
Importantly, it positioned SCO as a credible convener — able to bring together diverse voices and create space for meaningful collaboration.
Why LEEWAY
We create structure where it’s needed and space where it matters. Our facilitation helps groups move from idea to action — balancing openness, clarity and pace so that conversations lead somewhere useful. For SCO, this meant turning a complex, emerging ambition into a grounded, collective starting point.