Manifesto 2012/2013

When looking back over the past 2 years at my musical experience, there is definitely a clear theme which has emerged throughout the work I have created, that is facilitating others in the act of making music, who may have not otherwise had or thought they were able to do so.

 

One particular point which has influenced my work greatly has been experiencing that anything and anyone can make music. From the beginning of the 2 years this has been an idea I have explored, from my ‘Pinball machine’ instrument, a game which anyone could play and make music with, to Lolatron, a track made completely from others laughter, to the Jam Cam Experiment, a project which explored making music with people from all over the world with varying musical expertise, through social medias.

 

Music therapy has also become a particular interest of mine over the 2 years, focusing mainly upon the use of music technology within the area, and in April of last year I developed an arduino based product, Sonar Voyage, which explored the realms of physical rehabilitation through music technology using sensors and sound.

 

I have learnt a great deal about myself as a musician over the past 2 years, my main interest is no longer getting on stage and performing to an audience but rather getting the audience up on stage to perform instead, I am now the conductor rather then the performer.

 

What I would like to achieve at the end of this year is to facilitate, conduct and run a project which enables people from all walks of life to take part in making music together, which is perhaps an activity they would have never considered doing themselves. I would like to run workshops in which I help people to create a musical piece using primarily ‘un-musical objects’ eg. everyday surroundings, nature, themselves, voices, laughter. I can then use music technology to ‘conduct’ the piece.

 

I hope to eventually go on to study my masters in Music therapy but until then I hope to go into the area of caring for people whether they be physically or mentally disabled or perhaps within a community and if I could bring my musical skills into it, well that would be rather wonderful!

The Power of Music Workshop

I am currently taking part in running a 10 week musical workshop at a residential home in Bristol, I am assisting my friend Laura Farage who is running the workshops as part of her course in Creative Arts Therapies.

Session 1: 8/3/12

8 attendees

• Introductions go around the circle, everyone introduces themselves and the music they like, it may be an artist or genre.
• Warm up – Boom boom clap. Got everyone doing 2 beats on their legs and a clap, this got everyone moving and made everyone less shy, we even had people singing along with ‘We Will Rock You’
• Everyone chose a instrument to play (these varied from Djembes, bells, shakers, tambourines etc.)
• Free improvisation
• Got everyone to play a 4/4 beat with their instruments and then built the dynamics up and down.
• I then set a beat on the djembe and everyone joined in with their instruments, we then built the dynamics up and down.
• Went around the circle with the Djembe, everyone got to experiment with the different tones of the instrument. This was and improvised part of the session, as one of the participants enquired about how to make different sounds on the Djembe so I took it around the circle to let them experiment.
• 2 participants then began their own beat without being prompted, everyone else joined in. This was a great bit of free improvisation which was not structured by Laura or I. Was great to see everyone getting into it by themselves and getting creative.
• Began the sing a long part of the session, everyone chose ‘Tie A Yellow Ribbon’ to begin with, we then went on to Amazing Grace and finished on When The Saints Come Marching in. Everyone particularly seemed to enjoy this part of the session. Group seemed energised, seemed to come alive.
• Laura then went around and asked everyone what their favourite songs were, took notes for future sessions.
• Tea and Coffee
• A Participant who is a very accomplished piano player then played the pianofor other participants, this seemed to really give him a purpose, he really enjoyed doing this and everyone enjoyed listening.
• End Session

 

Session 2: 22/3/12

8 Attendees

• Ice Breaker – Threw soft ball to different people in the circle, person who received ball would pick a question out of the bag questions varied from, favourite song, favourite place etc.
• Music Quiz – Had 12 songs on a CD played each song and participants guessed the name of song & artist. Each participant had a instrument which was their ‘buzzer’ they had to play when they knew the answer. This seemed to be particularly popular and everyone seemed to really enjoy it and get into it. It encouraged memory, everyone began reminiscing on what the songs meant to them and boosted self esteem, everyone would receive a point for each one they got right. Songs included: Abba, The Animals, Bobby Darun, Cliff Richard, The Beatles, Daniel O’Donnell, Elvis Presley, Frank   Sinatra, Jackson 5, Nancy Sinatra, Petula Clark.

• Pianist Participant then played, he had brought in a book of war time songs, everyone shouted out requests, everyone sang along with songs and again reminisced on war time memories.. Songs included: Goodnight Sweetheart, White Cliffs of Dover etc. Again participant seemed to really come out of his shell, it really seemed to give him a sense of purpose to play for the group, he seems to really enjoy it. Participant also mentioned that he has felt ill that morning but has come because he wanted to play the piano for us, gives him motivation. I also took photos of Participant as he requested, he wants photos he can get printed to show people.
• Tea & Coffee
• Laura played guitar, people joined in on their instruments again free improvisation, very creative.
• To close I played the guitar as people left.
• End session.

“It is this experience of control and emersion in sound, which can be such a powerful tool.” – Welcome to Soundbeam Video

Soundbeam

The most amazing thing about Soundbeam is that is over 20 years old. It was first created in 1989 and has continued to be developed and improved since.

The Facts…

Soundbeam is a interactive Midi system, which picks up movement and translates it to sound. It use’s a sensor to pick up movement and also has the option of foot-pedals to add extra sounds. The current version of Soundbeam offers, an in built sampler, inbuilt synth, inbuilt amplifier and inbuilt mini keyboard and offers a variety of samples.

Soundbeam was originally created to be used in dance as it would pick up on the movements taking place and translate them into the appropriate sounds and tempo. However it has since been developed to be used in schools and music and dance therapies.

 

 

The Implications…

What remains fascinating to me is that Soundbeam has existed for 23 years, granted it has not been used in music therapy for that amount of time but is has been in the area for some substantial time, and yet the further development of technology in Music Therapy still seems relatively unexplored.

For me this is extremely surprising, I’m not knocking Music Therapy as it stands, it is a powerful and life changing thing and theres no denying that the traditional techniques used work extremely well, however using technology’s available to us today we may be able to develop those techniques further or even create new techniques.

It almost seems to be that Music Therapy is afraid to move forward with technology incase these old techniques are replaced, well yes perhaps these techniques may be more effective or perhaps they will not, we will not know until we try them, and surely the main priority should be the development of Music Therapy to help people more, and if technology can help us to do that then great!

I will restate i am not disregarding Music Therapy as it stands, we have needed these traditional techniques and research to get to where are today, however now i think is the time to move forward. Think of it this way, Electronic music is now seen as the future of the Music Business however no one is say that to get to this conclusion we didn’t need The Beatles, The Beatles were crucial to this development. It is important to remember although music has been seen to have the power to heal since Ancient  Greek times, however it has only been a recognised profession for the past 50 years.

To go back to my initial point, Soundbeam shows the start of a exciting future for Music Therapy, Community Music and in fact any type of Interactive Music. With the inbuilt sampler people are now able to record their own sounds, whether it be their voice or them tapping on a table and then manipulate it using the sensors and foot pedals. The enables people who may have never been able to consider making music, the chance to be a music maker. Going back again to one of my favourite points, anyone can be a musician, and it is developments such as this which are helping this to become true.

 

 

Some things that interest me is whether programs such as Logic and Ableton Live could be used with The Soundbeam to enable more manipulation of sounds and perhaps usage of more samples.

I hope that the development of Soundbeam will help to further the use of technology within Music Therapy, but it is clear that it is a step in the right direction!

For more information on Soundbeam visit their website: Soundbeam.co.uk

“I discovered that the most interesting music of all was made by simply lining the loops in unison, and letting them slowly shift out of phase with other.” – Steve Reich

“A good groove releases adrenaline in your body. You feel uplifted, you feel centered, you feel calm, you feel powerful. You feel that energy. That’s what good drumming is all about.” – Mickey Hart

Taiko Drumming

Today i experienced my first Taiko lesson, it was extremely powerful in many ways and amazing fun!

We didn’t quite sounds like those guys however we did learn several different sequences. It was quite amazing just how powerful Taiko drums are. When we were all play the vibrations the drums were putting out when hit was incredible i could feel it building up in my chest like thunder about to sound.

The movement involved in the whole performance was very interesting also. It made me very aware of my body and how i was moving around which is actually great practice for any performer looking to develop there on stage presence. It was also a great release to be able to hit the drum with such force and move your whole body into the hit.

We also shouted phrases during different parts of the piece which again was a release as we had to really get into shouting them loudly almost with anger.

It is of course incredible how Taiko works so well and so powerfully when played in such numbers as you can see from above. It really is a great group activity also encouraging group activity and dynamics and discipline.

Dave from The Gwent Music Service who took the lesson also teaches in school’s around Newport and he was sharing his experiences whilst he was there and he said how it really did seem to have a calming effect on the children that played and also helped them to really develop there skills to focus.

Taiko used to be used during war as a communication tool but also to motivate the troops and help to set a marching pace. And i imagine it was rather off putting for the other side to hear this mass of powerful drums coming towards you.

I have looked into Taiko being used for Music Therapy however i haven’t been able to find any information on it being used at all. I feel that with the right group of people Taiko drumming could be very beneficial in a music therapy environment, as it engages the whole body, voice to shout, body to move with actions and brain to think about the drumming patterns so it really is very motivational. It is also a great release after that session although i didn’t feel particularly angry or emotional before going in a really felt better then i did before i went in, it felt as if a weight had been lifted! Taiko being a group activity could really benefit also as it could teach social skills or help to build on them.

 

 

“The knower of the mystery of sound knows the mystery of the whole universe” – Hazrat Inayat Khan

I’ve been experimenting with different ways in which i could use the techniques and skills i have learnt so far through Global Perspective.

I experimented with putting some song lyrics i wrote over a drumming pattern. These lyrics are quite punky and being mixed with almost African sounding drumming is quite interesting. It is something that i haven’t heard before so this is a new sound for me, i’m not quite sure if it works but i quite like the idea of mashing these different techniques and genres together.

This also touches on a discussion which we had in a recent lecture which was are we learning the true sounds of Samba/Taiko if we are being taught by a British teacher or Youtube video who has perhaps never experience the countries where this music originates from? Is it disrespectful that we think we can use these different styles and skills in our own music?

My opinion on the matter is that the likelihood is for a lot of us, it is currently not possible to go to the originating country and learn and experience first hand how to play these different styles however i think is better that we learn via British teachers and Youtube videos then not at all. So long as we respect the countries and traditions that these styles come from then i think that yes we can learn them, play and them and use them in our own music.

Drumming is the musical expression of this primal power. Rhythm is a means of organizing sound into specific energy formulas to harmonize the mind and body. Chanting, rhythmic breathing and drumming form an ancient technology for directly synchronizing the mind/body complex, creating conditions for psychological and physical healing”. – Layne Redmond

Global Perspectives

Our first Global Perspective workshop involved us taking part in a Samba lesson which was not only great fun but allowed us to use many different rhythms and work together with them. It certainly got my brain working!

What i’ve got from watching some videos online of Samba drumming from all over the world is the energy and vibrance that comes with it.

There are many different ways that i could take this module and i’m beginning to see this now.

Rhythm is a part of each and everyone of us that are living from our heart beats alone.

However i think its important to remember that in our Western Society we are brought up to believe that some of us are musicians and some of us are listeners. We are not led to believe that we can all play music. Like it or not the hierarchy of musician and listener still exists today in Western society. It is however less present is other cultures in which people are brought up to sing/drum/dance from a extremely early age. (The Singing Neanderthals – Steven Mithen)

And this is very true, i saw this particularly whilst volunteering at the Prospect Hospice over summer. Some people wanted to sing along other wanted to be purely a listener nothing more.

It’s no secret that drumming can be a great release physically and mentally and it can definitely be used in many different and interesting ways from therapy, education, relaxation through repetition, team building etc.

I really enjoyed putting my written Samba piece into practice today. Despite it not sounding like what i thought it might (as i expected banging on a table just doesn’t give the same effect) it was a lot of fun and a good learning curve. Controlling a drumming session is not as hard as i’d first thought however getting the drums sounding how you want is!

I’m gonna have lots of fun with this:)

A man isn’t poor if he can still laugh. – Raymond Hitchcock

Lolatron Presentation

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. – Victor Borge

Final Performance 

Lolatron

I decided to used Audio Visual to accompany my final composition.

Whilst i am interested in attempting to perform something like Lolatron live i was particularly interested in how laughter is often refereed to as contagious and seeing other people laugh often makes someone else laugh. So i decided to use AV and attempt to make it as interactive as possible.

I filmed many different peoples features (left eye, right eye, nose and mouth) whilst they were laughing. I then made a separate video for each feature using quick cuts, slow mo, sped up vid. I steered away from effects as i felt it wouldn’t work well for this piece and give it a tacky feel.

I then used Max MSP to cut up my screen into 12 different sections. In the top 3 i played back live footage of the audience watching the video/themselves laughing. I used a selected few of the remaining 9 screens to make a face shape using the vids of different features that i had made.

 

I got the reaction i wanted to receive from the performance, to make others laugh. A mixture of the song, vids and live feed helped to make the audience laugh either at what was on screen, themselves or what they were hearing.

Theres a lot of potential with this project and i hope to take it further after all laughter is the best medicine!

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. – Victor Borge

Final Performance 

Lolatron

I decided to used Audio Visual to accompany my final composition.

Whilst i am interested in attempting to perform something like Lolatron live i was particularly interested in how laughter is often refereed to as contagious and seeing other people laugh often makes someone else laugh. So i decided to use AV and attempt to make it as interactive as possible.

I filmed many different peoples features (left eye, right eye, nose and mouth) whilst they were laughing. I then made a separate video for each feature using quick cuts, slow mo, sped up vid. I steered away from effects as i felt it wouldn’t work well for this piece and give it a tacky feel.

I then used Max MSP to cut up my screen into 12 different sections. In the top 3 i played back live footage of the audience watching the video/themselves laughing. I used a selected few of the remaining 9 screens to make a face shape using the vids of different features that i had made.

 

I got the reaction i wanted to receive from the performance, to make others laugh. A mixture of the song, vids and live feed helped to make the audience laugh either at what was on screen, themselves or what they were hearing.

Theres a lot of potential with this project and i hope to take it further after all laughter is the best medicine!