On 10/02/2020 I met with Rob to discuss the session. I wanted to learn more about the two groups, what they had done in the previous sessions and what their main goal was. Rob explained how the Highbury group are diverse with some non-verbal members and wheelchair users. I felt this was important to know as it allows me to be inclusive when we develop the project. He explained that initially, some of the Creative School pupils were hesitant to communicate with the Highbury Trust group. Previously, the two groups had recorded themselves saying positive and negative words about themselves and others which Rob made into samples. The reason he has done this is so they can be used in the final project, a collective composition. He wants to combine the use of tech such as the tenori-ons with voice and instruments to develop a semi improvised composition. A tenori-on is an electronic instrument which is triggered by touch and can create beats. Below is the tenori-on in action. This idea was one that Rob has set as the end result of the workshops for the two groups, therefore, although this cannot be changed, I can collaborate with Rob on the development and the refinement of it.
As the workshop will be embraced by participants from the Highbury Trust, it is important to ensure that all activities are inclusive. This means that for members who are non-verbal or who have limited mobility, technology is vital in allowing them to share the experience with the other members. A study was conducted by the University of Toronto (Clements-Cortes, 2014) in which music therapists were given tenori-ons to use in their clinical practice. They assessed the instrument’s ability to address motor control and communication among other areas within individual and group clinical settings. Participants described the instruments as being fun to use, having sensory appeal and suited for improvisation, however they did note that it was hard to master. The study concluded that the tenori-on offers an accessible and new instrument for music therapists that will allow them to incorporate technology in their practices. This is contextually relevant to the collaboration as the participants who will be using them have additional motor control and communication needs. Therefore, the tenori-ons are proven to be useful for these participants. Therefore, they will not only be having fun within the workshop but also be engaging with therapeutic resources.
During the meeting, we discussed our individual roles within the collaboration. I will be collaborating with Rob on ideas for a warm up exercise, a ten minute activity, a cool down exercise and evaluation from the Highbury Trust and the Creative School. I will lead these activities. Alongside this, I will be working with Rob to develop a theme that the composition can be based around. Rob will lead the main activity within the session.
This first meeting with Rob engaged with four keys of collaboration (Spencer, 2017). We were empowered through sharing initial ideas and individual knowledge. This communication allowed us to build increased trust between one another as collaborative partners. Through this trust we were able to express our shared vision and develop a structure for our collaboration. This meeting allowed us to improve our collaborative communication with each-other including our ability to listen to one another, share ideas and take constructive criticism. It also allowed me to begin to develop the collaborative skills needed to carry out the tasks.
I now have to think and develop some ideas and share these with Rob. Our next meeting is on 24/02/2020 however we will be emailing each other between now and then and these will be discussed within the blog.
Reference List
Clements-Cortes, A. (2014). Getting your groove on with the Tenori-on. Journal of Music, Technology and Education, 7(1), pp.59–74.
Spencer, J. (2017). The 7 Keys to Creative Collaboration. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DmFFS0dqQc [Accessed 8 Feb. 2020].
Yamaha (2011). TENORI-ON Demo Performance. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzcpTMO0CrI [Accessed 11 Feb. 2020].
Emily Pembridge MUS634 