Have a large group of new participants that need to break the ice and get to know one another? Question Mingle puts a musical twist on a classic icebreaker and uses your participants’ love of music as the common denominator to bring them together. Print and cut the following questions onto strips of paper, put them in a hat, let participants follow the prompts and sit back and watch how music breaks down barriers!
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How to…
Print/cut questions into strips and put them in a hat. Use the examples below and/or think of your own!
Each participant chooses one question out of the basket.
Each participant finds a partner whom they’ve never met or haven’t talked to yet.
Both partners follow the discussion prompts on their papers.
Then all participants put their papers back into the basket, choose a new one, and find a new partner.
Continue this process until everyone has had a chance to talk to each other, or until time runs out!
Additional Resources (to print and cut into strips):
Find someone who plays in more than one band/group. Ask questions to learn more about each band/group.
Find someone who plays the same instrument as you. Talk about your influences and when/how each of you got started.
Find a partner. Talk about the last live concert each of you attended. Where was it? Who did you see? How was the show?
Find a partner. Talk about your first musical influences.
Find a partner. Each of you name your top 3 favorite artists/songs right now and why you like them.
Find a partner. Talk about a music teacher who inspired you and why.
Find a partner. Ask about a recent time they (or their band) performed live. Find out where it was, what it was like, and how it went.
Find a person who will be performing later tonight. Ask them how they’re feeling about it.
Find someone who writes original songs. Ask how they get ideas and about their songwriting process.
Find a person who plays in a band/group. Ask them to tell you about one of their band’s/group’s songs. Find out how the song was written and what the lyrics are about.
Find a partner. Talk about your earliest memories of enjoying music.
Find a partner. Each of you name your top 3 musical artists of all time.
Find someone who plays in a band. Ask the story of how their band got together.
Find a partner. Find an artist/song on each other’s phones that you’ve never heard of. Swap and listen.
Find a partner. Each of you name your top 3 vocalists of all time.
Find a partner. Imagine you are planning a party together. You can invite any 10 musical artists, living or dead. Who would you invite?
Find a partner. Talk about a musical artist, living or dead, who you would most like to see in concert.
Find a partner. Talk about the instruments each of you play and how you got started.
Find someone who writes song lyrics. Ask them to tell you their favorite lyrics from a song they wrote and what the lyrics mean.
Find a partner. Talk about how often, when, and where each of you gets together to practice or play music with your band or other people.
Use popular music trends to get your teen participants to tackle important social issues
Music and art have always been a great way to inspire thinking and get conversations going. Use the music your participants identify with to create discussions around issues that teens deal with every day and may have trouble addressing in a healthy way and safe environment. These discussions can help participants analyze deeper meanings from music videos, lyrics, or imagery used by popular artists in the Music Industry.
In addition, the hope is to achieve the following outcomes…
Teens feel comfortable to open up about their own thoughts/experiences related to current social issues
“Normalize” sensitive subjects, making it OK to discuss honestly
Set an example of adults/mentors discussing topics openly and constructively (especially if differing opinions are expressed)
Participants use concepts or topics discussed in their own original lyrics
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Note: Due to the mature nature of the topics/lyrics/media that may be viewed/discussed, this program is recommended for older teens. Also consider getting support from the community or additional staff members like a social worker, counselor, resource officer and/or nurse.
How to…
Carefully listen to the themes in popular music or what your teen participants are listening to
Collect relevant music videos, song lyrics, album art, or social media posts from music industry leaders/artists that depict current social issues, including:
Sexual Harassment/abuse
Depression/suicide
Race
Drug abuse
Violence/crime
Poverty/inequality
Etc.
With your teen participants, decide on the social issue topics that they would like to discuss each week
Establish discussion ground rules with teen participants, including:
Speaking one at a time
Be respectful of others’ views
With teen participants, watch relevant music videos or listen to song lyrics and facilitate an open discussion
Week 1: Example – Kesha
First listen to an older Kesha song like “TiK-ToK”
Without discussion, next watch “Praying”
Discuss and compare the contrasting themes in the two music videos, including:
Music video imagery and themes
Lyrics
Instrumentation, arrangement, and production choices
Being a performer isn’t the only option to work in the music industry
Do you have connections or friends in the Music Industry? Invite them to speak with your participants to help them understand their options when pursuing their musical goals/dreams. Expose participants to possible career paths in the music industry, help them develop a support network and networking skills and encourage participants to set career goals with practical steps on how to achieve them.
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How to…
Invite guests from different parts of the music industry or schedule field trips, including:
