CoNNeCTioNS
T h e N e w s l e t t e r FALL 2015
o f
M u s i c f o r P e o p l e $5.00 ISBN 1076-2485
The Art of Improvisation
Music - Making
SUNY, Fredonia, August, 2015
IN THIS ISSUE:
Mary Knysh - Letter from the MLP Chair
Jeffrey Mehr - Release, Large and Small
Tracey Dillon - Wildacres
Raychl Smith - Selections from Interveiws of Leaders within Music for People
Lynn Miller - CD Reveiw: Leaning to Fly by Neil Tatar
Irene Feher - Sing a Different Tune and Improvise,
There are “No Wrong Notes” and No “Poor Pitch” Singers
Cover Photos Credit: Roger Davis
Who we are... Music for People was founded in 1988 by two visionary classical musicians, David Darling and Bonnie Insull. Music for People (MfP) is a nonprofit organization that promotes self-expression through music improvisation and the creative arts. MfP was founded on the belief that music is a natural creative expression available to everyone. All styles of music are celebrated, and players at all levels of experience are welcomed. We formed a network in 1986, became a nonprofit organization in 1988, and created a training program in 1991. MfP has over 100 certified graduates of our Musicianship and Leadership Program in the United States, Canada and Europe where they present programs for schools, community groups and businesses. Bonnie Darling: Office Manager Breanna Metcalf-Oshinsky: Event Coordinator David Darling: Artistic Director (Emeritus) David Rudge: Teaching Staff
CONTENTS Page 4-5: Mary Knysh: Letter from the MLP Chair Page 6-7: Jeffrey Mehr: Release, Large and Small Page 9: Tracey Dillon: Release, Large and Small Page 10-12: Raychl Smith: Selections from Interviews of Leaders within Music for People Page 13-15: Irene Feher, Sing a Different Tune and Improvise, There are “No Wrong Notes” and No “Poor Pitch” Singers Page 15: Lynn Miller: CD Review Page 16: Calendar (Back Cover)
Jim Oshinsky: Teaching Staff Lynn Miller: Teaching Staff Mary Knysh: Musicianship & Leadership Program Chair European Program Chair Ron Kravitz: Teaching Staff Music for People PO Box 397, Goshen, CT 06756 860-491-3763
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We want to hear from you! Submit news, poems, articles, pictures, suggestions and advertisements to MfP:
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About Connections...
Music for People’s newsletter, is published two times a year. We welcome articles, interviews, quotes, poems, vignettes and other tidbits of wisdom relevant to music, creativity and improvisation. An average feature article in Connections is approximately 1,200-1,500 words. Please include a 2-3 sentence author biography. A photo or drawing of the author or the work-in-action is great. Please include credits for photographers and artists. If you are sending someone else’s material, please secure written reprint permission from the publisher, author or artist and send it to us with the manuscript.
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The Emily Metcalf Scholarship Fund was founded after her
passing in 2008 to honor Emily’s many contributions to Music for People. As David Darling’s first professional cello-playing improvisation student, Emily was among the pioneer group whose experiences shaped Music for People’s training program. She was an early graduate and staff member of the Musicianship and Leadership Program, where she was responsible for creating the Musicianship Track and a Children’s Program. Her many mentees and colleagues recall her kind heart and her capacity for deep listening and presence. In the time since her passing Music for People has seen an outpouring of loving remembrance in the form of generous donations. The Emily Fund has been used to support the musical and pedagogical development of deserving individuals within the Music for People family, and to bring in new faces. Through the Emily Metcalf Scholarship Fund, we have made contacts with performers (fittingly, including a cellist and violinist), drum circle leaders, music therapists, and teachers of preschool music (at Music Together, which was another activity close to Emily’s heart). We hope to sustain the fund and honor Emily’s legacy for many years to come. Nominations continue to be sought for new scholarship candidates who have not yet experienced an MfP event, and anonymous support is regularly offered to MfP attendees. Requests for scholarship information can be sent to the MFP office.
TYMPANUM Return to Child
Music for People’s Guide to Improvising Music and Authentic Group Leadership written and compiled by Jim Oshinsky
“Return to Child shows how to practice improvisation individually and collectively, how to teach such practice, and how to encourage it to flourish in the world.” - W.A. Mathieu, author of The Listening Book and Harmonic Experience Return to Child is packed with a lifetime of personal learning, growth, and leadership skills.” - Arthur Hull, author of Drum Circle Spirit “Return to Child contains a wonderful set of recipes for musical teamwork, and for finding the right balance between structure and spontaneity in free improvisation. Bravo!” - Stephen Nachmanovitch, author of Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art
Order Return to Child: http://www.ReturnToChild.com
David Darling, cello Jane Buttars, piano duets freely improvised at the moment of recording Music that moves from the dramatic and virtuosic, the peaceful and playful, to moments suspended in time Each piece is a journey, imagined and created step by exciting step. Their focus is so intense that it snatches you and demands your full attention. Creative dance teachers– here is a gold mine. ---Barbara Figge Fox, NJ Arts Reviewer
CDBaby.com or Amazon.com
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Letter from the MLP Chair Mary Knysh
As another autumn season approaches, the Music for People community is looking forward to entering our 30th year of sharing this amazing work in the world. I can still remember the first time I met David Darling and experienced this creative play. I felt as if I had discovered my people for the first time and knew I had to be a part of this. For the past 25 years, I have been most honored to continue to be actively engaged in spreading MFP across the globe. David Darling has given us a most incredible body of creative work to share and I thank him and each and every one of you for your continued engagement and support. I have experienced and believe in the transformative power of this work. My commitment to carry the joy of music improvisation to all ages and communities has brought me all over the world to guide and mentor others. As you know, the Musicianship and Leadership Program staff has changed over these past 30 years; each evolution bringing us new focus and energy. This fall I will step into the organization as the MLP Chairperson. My goal is to work with the MLP staff in order to support a Musicianship and Leadership Program that meets the changing needs of our community, a program that inspires our members to carry this work out into their lives and communities in new and innovative ways. I am very curious about creativity and the process of transformation, both on a personal and an organizational level. Over the past several years I have been exploring reference points that capture the essence of optimal, positive change and growth. As we move forward as an organization, I hope you will consider these steps as a roadmap to our future. LISTEN: Everything that we do in MFP (and life) requires us to become completely present and listen. David always reminded us to honor the silence and to see it as our friend. It truly is in the silence that we can discover or rediscover the depth of possibility. In a quiet and reflective state of mind, so much of the beauty that lives within is revealed. I believe that this active form of listening is truly the way in which we can connect to the genius that lives within each of us. CONNECT: Once we have taken the time to listen and become in tune with our deep inner resources, we naturally want to reach out and connect with others. Life is always so much better when we can share the experience. When I consider the beautiful structures that David shared with us over the years, they were always based upon listening and then connecting with that which lives within. One quality sound (take a breath-connect and share your sound) is a perfect example of the simplicity of taking a breath and the extraordinary sound that can emerge, effortless perfection! COMMUNICATE: I have always felt that one of the most profound aspects of the MFP creative work is the way in which complete strangers could embark upon an ensemble experience and immediately be in complete and direct communication with one another through their music. Music is one of the most powerful forms of communication available to human beings and yet there seems to be so few places to access and explore it in our lives. Not only can we share with others on a deeply profound level, but we also have the unique and incredible opportunity to listen to others as they share. COLLABORATE/CREATE: As in any process, once the basic foundations are in place, (listening, connecting and communicating) we can begin to collaborate and create together. It has been a stunning gift to witness all kinds of ensembles creating together over the years! Ensembles that include a range of experience levels from beginner to professional can sit down together and embark upon an exciting musical adventure together. The results are always fresh and new, never to Page 4 - Fall 2015 Connections
be recreated again in exactly the same way. This is music and life at its best, always innovative and alive with each new moment. INSPIRE: In the midst of this creative process, we cannot help but discover new ideas and find inspiration from both what surprisingly emerges from ourselves and from what we are hearing and responding to in others. It brings me back to the mantra that David shared with me the first time I met him. The sheer WONDER of it all, to be amazed at all this beauty. It is this very inspiration that has kept me coming back to this work year after year that has truly changed my life in more ways that I can even know! TRANSFORM: At the end of the process is the transformation that takes place within each of us. We walk away from the experience and gain new perspective concerning ourselves and those around us. We begin to trust the fact that the only thing we can really count on in life is that life is always changing. Although that sounds perplexing and somewhat precarious, we can become comfortable with improvisation, change and this creative process and move ahead in life knowing that opportunity, growth and wonder are always as close as the next breath. So join me in taking a breath, bringing our hands up high in the air and releasing to the next phase of our MFP organization, believing in the profound power of transformation and this brilliant body of work lovingly gifted to us by David Darling so many years ago. Warmly Mary Knysh, MLP Chairperson
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Release, Large and Small by Jeffrey Mehr Anyone who has attended an MfP workshop has learned the release. It’s simple, and we do it so frequently during the workshop, we might pay less and less attention to it as the workshop progresses, or even forget to do it at all. Yet I have found the release essential—not only for playing music or relieving those backstage butterflies, but also for coping with complex situations outside of music making. A trick that helped me take the release out of the MfP workshop and into the world was learning to do a “compact release.” First, though, let’s recall the standard release. Jim Oshinsky addressed the basic MfP concept of Release in his book, Return to Child (Return to Child: Music for People’s Guide to Improvising Music and Authentic Group Leadership, Music for People, Goshen CT: 2008, 2nd ed.). My experiences so far support what he presented. Depending on who is teaching the release, you will find variations, and my way is no exception. To “make it my own” I’ve filtered the MfP instruction through my own experiences with dance and Taijiquan. This is how I release: 1. Prepare— (This takes only seconds.) For a moment I stand evenly weighted, soles relaxed as if they are suction cups. My arms relax at my sides. I let my neck relax and stretch it as if a hook is gently pulling my head up. I am aware of both the top of my head and the soles of my feet. I feel balanced— ready to release. 2. Release—I take one full breath, breathing in through the nose, then out through the mouth. a. While I breathe in, I sink and scoop with my hands, as if I am gathering and molding something. I imagine I am fusing all my anxieties (someone will hear me, I’m not good enough, my teacher told me I couldn’t play in tune, all the other musicians are so much better than I am, I don’t know what to play)— shaping them into a beach-ball-sized lump. I raise this imaginary beach ball as high as I can and smoothly proceed to b. b. Time to breathe out. I exhale sharply and heave the beach ball up and away. Escape velocity! The lump disappears into the universe, and the negative and distracting stuff from which I fashioned it go too. All that’s left is me, open, curious, eager to see and hear what new things will happen next. Why release? In my experience, the release is the simplest, most effective way to scrub away expectation, hope, and fear, and to land squarely in the present moment, aware of my fellow musicians and what exciting music might happen next—distracted by nothing else. Every time, solo or ensemble, I am careful to release just before I play. If members in my ensemble seem reluctant, as I release I look around and make eye contact. Invariably the others smile, look at each other, release with breath and gesture, and we go on to enjoy the surprises that improvising truly in the moment provides in great number. But wait, there’s more! We can extend our musical experiences into our lives at large. In his book, Jim calls this “Full Spectrum Living.” I keep a journal. And the entry for each day pretty much starts out reminding myself “Release, release, release!” Yesterday: I accompany Foundations of Dance Therapy, an undergraduate class taught at a local university by my wife, a dance/movement therapist. But today my keyboard is making whooshes and electrical staticky sounds and not performing the way I need. The students are finishing with class discussion. Soon I will need to get music out there to support the energy of movement, and not distract the students with bleeps and blorps. I grow more and more aggravated, feeling the press as sand rushes through my inner hourglass. I can almost feel my brain knotting up, my stomach turning. I can’t think. That’s when I remember. Page 6 - Fall 2015 Connections
Release! Clear. It’s just me and the equipment now. A few tweaks on the cable connections and the amplifier, and problem solved. Today: I update my budget. The money flows out like water, but only flows in like peanut butter. As I often feel around finances, a knot of confusion and helpless inability to balance things tightens like a compressing spring in the pit of my gut. I need to earn more money. Release! What can I do today? Smile. Say grace. Network. Learn something new. Help someone. Write this article. Retouch some pictures for a friend. Read a white paper from a prospective client. Practice. Release again! Look out the window—it’s sunny with that autumn light I love. A woman with sunglasses walks her dog along my front sidewalk. As I look beyond the screen of my laptop, my eyes almost breathe a sigh of relief. Ready for the “compact release” I mentioned at the start? Turns out the release doesn’t require large movements, although that is how it is normally taught. When I reduce the size and range of my movements outside my torso, yet maintain the stretch and rotation inside, I can release almost anywhere without attracting unwanted attention. Here’s how. When I do a standard, large release and I focus on breathing in, I feel my chest hinge a little like a book as my shoulders stretch out my arms to scoop together that beach ball of bad stuff. But I can do all the inner stretching without moving my arms so much. Similarly, to throw away the beach ball when I exhale, I can open my chest hinge and let my shoulders move just as before, without moving my arms much, and I get the same feeling of expansion and sending the bad stuff into orbit. Now you try. Do a standard release. Enjoy it. Feel the bad stuff wash away with your exhale. Do another. This time, tune in to what’s going on inside your torso—your shoulder joints rolling forward and then up and back, your chest hinging inward and then opening as your arms gather, stretch, push away, and lower to your sides. Finally, keep your arms down and your outside quiet. Do everything inside the same as before. Feel yourself gather as you inhale; then feel the release as you exhale. It works! I can release pretty much anywhere—on a walk, in line at the supermarket, waiting for a bus. Whether I do a large release, a compact release, or a release anywhere in between, I always feel my weight centered, my senses clearer, and my feet more solid on the ground afterward. And I smile. Jeffrey Mehr, M.A., is completing his apprentice level in the MfP Musicianship and Leadership Program (MLP). He consults in Rochester, New York, with his wife, Dr. Danielle Fraenkel, at her business Kinections. There, away, and abroad, Danielle, a board certified dance/movement therapist, and Jeffrey continue to explore the psychotherapeutic method they have been developing, LivingDance~LivingMusic™. Connections - Fall 2015 Connections - Page 7
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Wildacres Article by Tracey Dillon The Musical Bill of Rights was a touchstone of the 2015 Music Improvisation Harvest satellite workshop at the Wildacres Retreat Center in Little Switzerland, NC this past September. It was a wonderful recapitulation of everything we love about MFP and more. Overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains, the views from Wildacres are reminiscent of a Maxfield Parrish landscape: silhouettes of trees in the foreground, lush mountains beyond and rosy sunsets at dusk. Under the watchful eyes, ears and hearts of the staff of Harold McKinney, Alison Weiner, Christy Clavio, Rob Falvo and Jane Buttars, the opening session began with a Faculty Bundt Pan Ensemble leading into a “participant-go-round” of introductions in the form of call and response; and then some movement to help work out the travel kinks. In addition to several pianos, a keyboard, divine cello and violin and native flutes, our group of 30 had a cranking contingent of brass- three trombones (eh hem), 2 trumpets, 2 saxophones and a tuba. We also had a variety of instruments not commonly in attendance: a drum kit (that was a very colorful addition), an amazing human drum kit (Rob), a bassoon, a fine melodica quartet, mbira extraordinaire, angelic voices, a didgeridoo and a concertina. There was lots of ensemble playing on day 2 by way of Group A and Group B workshops with the theme Playing Our Way In. One of those workshops began by exploring a variety of random techniques for passing and throwing small soft balls beginning in a very orderly fashion and building to a crescendo. This became our study and model for passing and transitioning in ensemble. The afternoon electives were hard to choose between: Improvising Chamber Music, Exploring/Improvising with the Voice, Jazz and Beyond, and Integrating Music & Poetry. As Jane Buttars wrote, “The final session was one of the most heartfelt, generous, spontaneous MFP times ever witnessed, filled with high quality music making. We are blessed with such a wonderful method David Darling has given us!” Hear Hear!
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Selections from Interviews of Leaders within Music for People by Raychl Smith The following statements were taken from interviews with Music for People leaders. This interview data will be used to describe Music for People in a community music study targeted for publication in the International Journal of Community Music. The purpose of this study is to describe the evolution, purposes, practices, similarities and differences among two inclusive musical learning communities (Music for People and Creative Motion) and a third system (InterPlay) that uses music as one of its three modalities, alongside movement and storytelling. These three communities encourage any person at any level to express himself or herself through music-making. The intention of this study is to investigate pedagogical and philosophical approaches within these communities and explore how these ideas might be transferred to K-12 school settings. Interview with James Oshinsky, Music for People, August 2015 Smith: If you had to describe Music for People to someone who had never heard of the organization before, how would you describe it? Oshinsky: Music for People is a community where folks from many different musical backgrounds come together because they share a love for improvising, and they recognize that improvising is more than an intellectual skill. It is play. It is spontaneity, it is social interaction, it’s a way of being with other people and having fun while also making what could sound like serious art music. But it doesn’t have to be serious... it’s just that the depth of the connection among the people is immediately translated into the impact of the music. So when people connect deeply, the music is deep. You don’t have to get there through a painful process, you can get there through an exhilarating process or a meditative process. And that’s Music for People. Smith: Do you see certain people attracted to the organization? Could you think of certain characteristics of people that you see attracted to Music for People workshops? Oshinsky: Yes and no, because our group is really very diverse. It is certainly diverse in terms of the musical traditions they come from. We have classical people, jazz people, rock people, people whose main instruments include folks instruments and ethnic drums. People whose instruments are odd avant-garde type stuff that they have invented themselves. You get a little bit of everything. If there is a common element to the people, it is openness. Smith: If you had to get at the essence of Music for People in just a few words, what would that be? Oshinsky: We used to have a subtitle to the organization. It used to be, Music for People, music improvisation for self-expression. And self-expression is one major aspect of it, but that doesn’t take into account the social connection. We are a community music organization like a lot of the drum circle people are community music organizations. We are open, we are welcoming. You see here at a workshop like this we have 9-year-old kids playing with symphony people, playing with folk musicians, playing with jazz musicians, in the same quartet, and the music works because they are all capable of listening and blending as well as asserting their individual identities. And so you get self-expression and social connection. That is what the organization is about. Smith: The theoretical framework we are using for the article is from a community music theorist, Lee Higgins, and he talks about “safety without safety.” Creating a safe space where people are able to take risks and overcome fears.... Oshinsky: The phrase I heard at a poetry workshop many years ago was “There is dignity in risk.” So that you really respect even the small risks people take. The other thing I guess I didn’t mention about Music for People, and it is very central, so it should come up sooner in any mention of the organization, is the dedication to relentless encouragement and the absence of criticism and judgment. What makes Music for People the polar opposite of music school is that the major mode Page 10 - Fall 2015 Connections
of feedback is positive celebration, looking for what there is to compliment in an honest way, rather than perfectionistic emphasis on what tiny things might have been wrong or not to the momentary standard of whoever is setting himself or herself up as judge. There is plenty of room for high standards without devastating criticism. It is not as though if you give up criticism you lose all your standards. Music for People has been founded on positivity and encouragement as a way of creating safety. One thing you know if you are coming to a Music for People workshop is that you are not going to get singled out and criticized. You are not going to have to worry from the outside whether you are good enough. That means we could all examine together our inner issues that we have internalized over the years that we are not good enough. And that is certainly a path to flow and more wide-open expression. Interview with Mary Knysh, April 2015 Smith: How would you describe Music for People to someone who has never heard about the organization before? Knysh: Music for People is an organization that uses music improvisation to develop leadership skills, musicianship skills, and communication. Smith: If you just had to get at the essence of what the organization is all about, how would you describe it? Kynsh: We use music as a medium for self-expression, for communication, for a better understanding of how to be with others in sound and in relationship, which in turn creates stronger communities. When I think about capturing the essence of what we do I always think in four categories: leadership, non-verbal communication, team building, and creative problem solving. The latest brain research that has come out from Harvard cites four things that need to take place for neuroplasticity, for actual growth in the brain, at any point in your life. The four things are: making music, movement, creative play, and numinous experience. Our motto is “return to child.” We learn through play, so that’s at the core of everything that we do. And numinous experience (this is very Music for People) is anytime you step outside of your self and you become a part of something greater. It is when the group lifts you into a whole other experience. And music is a beautiful vehicle for that, and Music for People is a perfect place to be lifted outside of an ego, or performance. It is not music for the sake of performance, it is music for the sake of human development and potential and growth. Interview with Patrick Whitehead and Alison Wiener, October 2014 Smith: How can we cultivate this kind of environment in schools? How can we get this to students at an earlier age so it doesn’t—it feels like here, we have to strip away some of the things that we’ve had done to us in the past. How can we nurture principles of Music for People from the very beginning and not have to strip things away? Wiener: I feel like I have an opportunity to do that as I am teaching privately. Every kid is different—they have different strengths, they have different interests, and I meet them where they are. How can I make this person successful so that they want to come back to the piano for comfort and joy? It’s a creative challenge for me. Whitehead: I teach a lot of private students, and ever since I’ve come to Music for People, I’ve adapted the approach in my private lessons. We do improvisation, one-on-one, with the trumpet. Most of the time the kids love it. I also have a non-judgmental approach to teaching. There is a kinder, gentler way to say things to a student to nurture their good qualities and bring forward what they need to develop. Music for People has helped me to articulate those nurturing qualities. continued on next page
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Interview with Jane Buttars, June 2015 Smith: Do you find any challenges to participating in Music for People? Buttars: In the beginning the big challenge was just having the courage to participate. And it wasn’t the group… the group was wonderful. But I think it’s hard for a lot of people to let go and not be critical. It’s hard to accept the basic premises of Music for People, which are wonderful. We are so trained to put ourselves in little boxes, “you can be this, and I can’t be that.” When I went to my first workshop, I was a trained pianist, but I also sang. I sang for years in choirs and so forth, and I also danced. But I thought of myself as a pianist, and that was it. I couldn’t even sing, you know. Well, at Music for People you are asked to express yourself in any way you can. And I noticed that people were picking up different instruments. They were picking up shakers and things like that. And they were singing. And I thought, “oh, I can do that!” And so I ended up doing all of those things besides the keyboard and accepting that you are a musician first, and you are an instrumentalist second. You are a musician with a beautiful sound in your heart. And it comes out of your voice. I learned that I am defined as a musician and not as a keyboard player. Smith: If you had to get at the essence of Music for People and encapsulate in into just a few words, what would those words be? Buttars: Community, connection, inclusion, celebration, transformation, openness, and creativity... you get the message I guess. Full interview transcripts are available upon request. Contact:
[email protected] Raychl Smith is Assistant Professor of Music Education at East Carolina University. Dr. Smith haspreviously served as Program Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Minnesota State University Moorhead and Instructor of Music Education at Elon University. Prior to teaching at the collegiate level, she taught in the public schools of North Carolina as an elementary general music teacher, elementary choral director, and middle school band director. Dr. Smith has presented research at regional, state, and national conferences on Creative Motion pedagogy, innovative approaches to facilitating free improvisation, community music making, and music education and social justice.
[email protected]
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Sing a Different Tune and Improvise! There Are “No Wrong Notes” and No “Poor Pitch Singers” by Irene Feher I can't carry a tune in a bucket! I've always wanted to learn how to sing, but I don't think I can. These are common reactions I hear when I tell people that I teach singing. They then react with puzzlement and hope when I tell them they can learn how, but have not yet had suitable opportunities to do so. Is it not surprising that so many among us, including a large number of musicians (!), are unable sing? We love to listen to vocal music, watch TV shows about singing, and go to concerts, yet the mere thought of singing a song inspires dread for many among us. In an attempt to support my belief that we all have the potential to sing, I will present some recent research on the causes of poor pitch-singing, my own ideas on how the environment has contributed to the existence of those causes, and how we can use vocal improvisation to nurture and develop our natural singing ability. At the International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and sound research (BRAMS) in Montreal, Canada, Sean Hutchins and Isabelle Peretz conducted multiple studies which enabled them to define the main causes for poor pitch-singing, which include any one or combination of the following factors: perceptual deficit, memory deficit, motor deficit, and sensory-motor mismapping. A perceptual deficit is the inability to hear a pitch or melody and reproduce it with the voice or on any instrument. (Hutchins & Peretz) I believe that aural perception for music-making is an ability that we all possess to a certain degree and we can choose to develop it as much as we want. Just about all of us are able to recognize familiar songs that we hear on the radio, and we have also experienced earworms, songs that get stuck in our head. We must work from that ability as we learn to listen more closely and vocally interact with what we hear. Music programs have required courses in "aural perception" or "ear training". In these classes students are required to take musical dictation (write down the notes and rhythms they hear). Many talented musicians, myself included, have struggled with this particular task because our minds are so filled with anxiety and self-doubt that we are unable to effectively listen to and retain what we have heard. This leads me to believe that in the majority of cases, perceptual and memory deficits can result from a mind that is distracted by fears or self-defeating thoughts, which occur if an aural perception exercise is too challenging. Just as we can learn to see and identify brush strokes in paintings, we can learn to hear musical detail. Group improvisation using call and response is an accessible, spontaneous, and interactive activity that keeps us in the moment of music making. As one playfully engages in call and response of short, simple and rhythmic melodic phrases, one learns to maintain a physical state of readiness and an open and focused mind, so one can hear, retain and imitate what they have just heard. “Sing what you play” is a more contemplative exercise that one can engage in alone. It must be done with patience and love. Start by playing one note on your instrument, then two notes and so on. Play and then sing each note with intention and feeling. Don’t rush! Allow yourself to hear what you have just played in your head and then sing it. If you are not sure whether you sang the right note, play it again on your instrument, and sing along. If you are still not sure, record yourself doing the exercise and listen to your recording. Ask a fellow musician to practice with you and cheer you on as you find your way. A motor deficit is the inability to vocally reproduce what one hears. In other words, one is able to play a melody that they hear note for note on their instrument, but they cannot sing it. (Hutchins & Peretz) This is the most common cause of poor pitch singing (Hutchins & Peretz) which I believe is the result of a lack of experience with singing. For example, many “natural singers” have grown up actively singing among family and friends without any fear of judgment. On the other hand, children who have been told they cannot sing, or whose parents are afraid to sing do not have the same opportunities to practice and develop their singing abilities. Many people have described embarrassing school experiences when they were told to stop singing because they were unable to sing along with the rest of the class. Sadly, there are a vast number of inspired music teachers who all-too-often unknowingly give out singing tasks that are beyond the capabilities of some children, and it is those children who continued on next page Connections - Fall 2015 Connections - Page 13
quickly become discouraged and often stop singing altogether. (Welch) This would also explain why there are fine musicians who simply do not sing at all. Graham Welch, a professor of music education has conducted extensive research on singing and vocal pitch matching development. He outlines four key stages that children go through as they learn to reproduce songs. In a nutshell they are: 1.) Chant-like singing within a narrow speech range; 2.) gradual expansion of the vocal range and growing ability to reproduce the general contour of a given melody, a sense of tonality starts to appear within individual phrases; 3.) Individual pitches of melodic phrases are mostly accurate with occasional tuning problems when singing outside of the usual vocal range; and, 4.) Accurate and musical reproduction of a simple song in a given tonality. (Welch) Whether a child moves through these stages depends on his/her actual singing experience. It is evident that it would be challenging for a teacher to teach a class to sing a song in unison if all of the children are at different stages of vocal development. (Welch) Singing a song is a complex task that requires a number of skills. Group improvisation, on the other hand, provides a place for every voice, even for those who never moved beyond the first or second stage of vocal pitch-matching development. For example: singing an ostinato, repeated phrase, to create or enhance a groove, expanding one’s vocal range by sliding the voice up and down against a drone; or, being offered the opportunity to offer a pitch for others to mirror gives everyone, regardless of their level of singing experience, a chance to share their voice with others. In an environment where there are no wrong notes, or pre-defined musical expectations, a sensitive facilitator can help people develop the skills that they will eventually use to sing songs. In my vocal workshops, I have witnessed people beam when they suddenly find themselves spontaneously belting out a hook of a favorite tune. Sensorymotor mismapping is the inability to accurately imitate what is perceived. More specifically, one has trouble differentiating between timbre and pitch and is unable to reproduce the sound one hears. (Hutchins & Peretz) I believe this phenomenon has been caused in large part by our reverence for the recording industry. We choose not to sing because we can’t compete with the enhanced “air-brushed” voices of our favorite artists’ studio recordings. There is also an inseparable link between the signature vocal timbre of a recording artist and his/her hit song. For example, when one thinks of the songs “Billy Jean”, “Papa’s got a brand new Bag” or “Cry Baby”, one will instantly hear the voices of Michael Jackson, James Brown and Janis Joplin. These factors can have a tremendous effect on how we might intuitively go about singing a hook from one of those songs. Often when trying to reproduce a desired sound, we unknowingly interfere with the delicate and complex actions inside the larynx that are responsible for accurate pitch production. Having a musical voice can feel like an impossible feat when we first try to imitate a sound in an untreated acoustic environment such as a classroom or backyard. Many people give up singing because they are unable to comfortably meet what they believe should be a good sound, which is in fact a conception of a polished commercial recording perceived from a third person perspective. To meet this kind of expectation is an impossible feat without a professional acoustic setting or electronic amplification. It is important to know that when we sing, we do not hear ourselves the way the rest of the world hears us (think of how shocked you are when you first hear a recording of your voice). For this reason, vocal improvisation in a very live acoustic environment such as in a large hallway or in the shower is a rewarding way to explore your voice, because you can hear it more easily as it reverberates. Learning how to sing is particularly challenging because we are unable to see or feel the instrument we are playing, the vibrating source of which is the larynx. The larynx sits directly on top of the trachea and its primary function is to protect the airway. Inside the larynx is a complex system of muscles that can produce varying pitches - over which we have absolutely no direct control. Our two vocal folds (vocal cords) are about the length of our pinkie fingernail and are controlled by musical thought. Through imitation, we subconsciously learned to use this instrument in tandem with our mouth, tongue, lips and jaw to articulate speech sounds. I believe as we improvise, we can learn to sing in the same gradual way that we intuitively learned to speak. We all possess the ability to sing. Let go of expectation, and get to know the voice you have. Start with a note that comes to you naturally, master that note. Find it on your instrument and create a drone. Slide/siren your voice up and come back to that note, then slide your voice downwards and come back to the note. Try another note that comes to you, and slide your voice up and down again. Slide a little at a time, you will gradually be able to slide farther away and find your way back. Try different vowels, and combinations of notes, create your own little tune, repeat it lovingly, like a Page 14 - Fall 2015 Connections
mantra, you will find it very relaxing. Find a resonant space to vocalize in, accept and love the voice you have right now, listen, define your intention, and sing one quality sound after another. Babble, or repeat a word, and discover rhythm. Play with words and discover accents. Imitate instruments. When singing with others, listen to how your voice reacts with the other notes, if it seems out of place, slide very slowly upwards or downwards and listen to the effect. Follow your desire to resonate with others. Watch and observe how experienced vocalists sing and try to sense what they are doing. If we compare singing to recreational sports, we don’t need to be pro athletes to enjoy the benefits of playing a pickup game of soccer or baseball. With this in mind, let’s turn off our stereos and sing a different tune! Sources: Hutchins, Sean Michael & Isabelle Peretz (2012) excerpt from, A frog in your throat or in your ear? Searching for the causes of poor singing, in Journal Of Experimental Psychology: General, 141(1): 76-97 Welch, Graham F. (2006) Singing and Vocal Development, in G. E. McPherson (ed.) The Child as Musician: A Handbook of Musical Development. New York, NY: Oxford University Press: 311-329
A Mentor in the Musician Leadership Program at Music for People, Irene Feher (D.Mus Vocal Pedagogy and Performance) teaches singing classes at McGill and Concordia University, and gives group workshops for singers of all levels called “Eusing!”
CD Corner with Lynn Miller We are so fortunate to have so many amazing musicians in our community. It is always exciting when a new CD emerges. Creating a CD is truly a transformative process.
Learning to Fly Neil Tatar, guitarist/pianist, is a graduate of the Music for People Musicianship and Leadership Program who currently serves as Music for People’s board president. In his new CD Learning to Fly, Neil “winged in” inspiration from memories of life experiences, meaningful moments and changes that shaped his world. Each composition came from the heart expressing personal life stories. He wrote 9 compositions of smooth gliding music with jazzy colors on the piano and guitar. Neil also spread his wings by orchestrating and leading some of the world’s finest musicians into the compositions. Neil was joined by Paul Winter Consort member Eugene Friesen on cello, Jill Haley on English horn, and bassist Tony Levin, who has performed with Peter Gabriel and King Crimson. Noah Wilding added ethereal voice and Premik Rusell Tubbs, soprano sax, has performed with Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin. Other musicians include: Jeff Haynes, percussion, Charles Bisharat, violin, Michael Manring, bass and Grammy award winning guitarist, Will Ackerman. How did Learning to Fly take flight? After Neil’s first award winning CD, Where Did the Time Go (2013), with cellist David Darling, Neil contacted Will Ackerman, guitarist and founder of Windham Hill Records. Will expressed immediate interest in Neil’s composing and playing after listening to his CD, and they subsequently had some email exchanges and phone calls before they met face to face. They both felt a strong creative connection, and the evolution of a CD evolved. During the process, Will had high standards and expectations, yet was completely supportive. Working along with Tom Eaton, the highly acclaimed sound engineer at Will’s Imaginary Road Studios, they produced “Learning To Fly”. The recording process was demanding and highly detailed but the results were well worth the effort. Neil wrote and arranged his music to include 9 different instrumentalists on the album. The theme of Learning to Fly, portrayed beautifully through the music, is about coming to a new turn in the journey of life. Neil has aviated that turn, flown from the roost and is now soaring through this magnificent CD. Lynn Miller is a music therapist and staff member for Music for People. www.Spiritarts.us Connections - Fall 2015 Connections - Page 15
CALENDAR OF IMPORTANT DATES Oct. 9-11, 2015
Adventures in Improvisation Stony Point Center, Stony Point, NY Musicianship & Leadership Program - October Core Workshop
Oct. 23-25, 2015 MLP Switzerland Program
Kientalerhof, Kiental, Switzerland
Oct. 24, 2015
Satellite Workshop Rhinebeck, NY Monica Lewin Presents Wabi Sabi Music
Oct. 24, 2015
Satellite Workshop Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY Joelle Danant Presents Music Improvisation for the Soul
Feb. 12-14, 2016 Adventures in Improvisation Immaculata University, Frazer, PA Musicianship & Leadership Program - February Core Workshop April 29 - May 1, 2016 Adventures in Improvisation Stony Point Center, Stony Point, NY Musicianship & Leadership Program - May Core Workshop June 24-26, 2016 Improvisation Camp Immaculata University, Frazer, PA Musicianship & Leadership Program - June Core Workshop July 31 - Aug. 5, 2016 Art of Improvisation
Music for People P.O. Box 397 Goshen, CT 06756 USA ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
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SUNY, Fredonia, NY