SoundScapes
performance art, theatre, music, collaboration, imagery, space/place
WEEK 6 (June 11)
March Marsh - "Falling Into Calm" - In class performance
Inspired by images
Inspired by images
Some guiding ideas for Soundscapes:
- This is an interdisciplinary activity that combines visual art and music, but it can also be extended to include drama and dance.
- In your piece try to include: a pause, voice (singing, spoken word, sounds), and/or whistling, clapping, snapping fingers, stomping.
- Besides musical instruments try to include at least one found object or non-musical object (ex: rocks, crumpled paper).
- Also, some kind of movement - not everyone has to play an instrument, some members can dance or you can go with more subtle choreography such as having performers move around the audience, and so on. Also think about how performers will be spaced - they can be placed at different levels, close together or far apart from each other.
- Consider staging - where will you place the audience? Is your piece interactive - would you like your audience to close their eyes or participate in some way? Try to think outside of typical staging - you can place your piece outside, on a stairwell, or...? How do you want the audience to view your piece - looking up at performers, or from a bit of a distance?
- You are welcome to create performances for more than one landscape and to repeat or extend musical elements.
- Please create a name for your group and title for your piece.
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I found that the SoundScape performance was a very memorable and impactful experience. I think that this was one of my favorite learning experiences of the summer because it was playful, inspiring, collaborative, engaging, and required of us to be brave and experiment, but only to our comfort level. One fascinating thing about taking risks in a group is that the nature of the relationships with the other students determines a lot of the process and outcome. Some students I already knew and was friends with, while others were new to me, and I didn’t know what our relationship to one another would be. It is helpful as a teacher to have the experience of working in groups this way, and to be reminded of the myriad of complex layers that come into play with collaboration, communication and creative risk taking. I felt quite comfortable to stretch myself to play music in front of people since I have been learning to play music the last few years, but I wasn’t as experienced with the language of expression/performance with my body and my face. The musical props helped alleviate this stress and lack of experience greatly so that I could enjoy the experience, learn from others, and engage in learning with and about others in the process.
I loved the starting point of working from one or more images to create a performance. Having some guiding parameters laid out on a little piece of paper to take with us was really helpful. It was really engaging and exciting to be able to work, think, express and collaborate in a cross disciplinary way. And it was fairly seamless and natural. Sometimes when I think of the term cross-disciplinary connected to PLOs and education it has felt conceptual or forced, but this felt natural and exciting. I think most students would have some experience in at least on of the areas of either theatre, performance art, music, dance, visual art, or even play in general, that they could draw on as a comfortable starting point. I felt that since we started with the imagery, which I am quite comfortable with having explored visual art most of my life, it gave me the courage to branch out into the performative realm, which I have always wanted to explore more but been afraid to. For other students the music or performance might be the way ‘in’.
The most fascinating thing was that we were doing quite complicated things, but with relative ease and joy since there was so much play involved, and because the directions and preparation was laid out very clearly and we were given and good starting point to launch out from while the process and outcome was open ended. The criteria and guiding concepts were clear and direct, and it felt like the intention of the assignment (and teacher) was there to help guide us and give us some direction, while at the same time it did not seem to be based on a focus on summative assessment.
I think it was also helpful to have to have the audience say 3 things that they liked/noticed/appreciated and also guess what our imagery was about. This is an excellent way for the teacher and students to both participate in assessment. I think peer or self assessments and exit slips would be a great way to assess this project. Perhaps with some reflection on a few simple criteria points. And it would be appropriate for any age level since the instruments are very simple and accessible, but also allow for students with some more musical experience to engage their abilities.
Extensions could include adding other art forms in as suggested, like dance. I am thinking that for an adaptation it would be important to consider cognitive and physical ability. It would be helpful to include in the criteria sheet that the group should capitalize on what each students could already do and go from there, rather than feel limited by what they couldn’t, and to use it as an opportunity for creativity. For example if someone is in a wheelchair they wouldn’t be able to go down the stairs, but they could be pushed down a grassy hill or a ramp. This would be a good model for inclusion and a healthier way to notice and relate to the school and community space. It would be a chance to build self-esteem and relationships. And also it could validate spaces and aspects of the school that are sometimes ‘relegated’ to special education such as: the ramps, alternate (not main) entrances to the school or classrooms, elevators, automatic door openers, and special education rooms (which many people have often pointed out are often in the basement).