Wednesday 25 November 2015
Thursday 15 October 2015
Lifemusic workshop in Portsmouth Saturday 7th November
For more details about Lifemusic, see the link to the website http://lifemusicmethod.blogspot.co.uk
Wednesday 19 August 2015
Singing for Lung Health starts Monday 7th September for 12 weeks
Funded by the British Lung Foundations, this 12 week programme of singing will provide participants with skills and confidence for better breathing... and it's about having fun too!
Weekly fee £3.
Starts Monday 7th September 10.45-12noon at the Drayton Centre, 238 Havant Road, Drayton
Sunday 7 June 2015
Methodology!
'Ethnomusicology - A Short Introduction' by Timothy Rice
This is an excellent book, for anyone involved with music in any form, but especially if you're going to be doing a research study into Community Music...
On the subject of ethics and collating and recording music and song, where do we stand on ownership, permission to share and copyright? Timothy Rice sums it up very will at the end of the Chapter on 'Conducting Research', as follows;
'Successful fieldwork is impossible without the friendship and cooperation of those with whom ethnomusicologists study. At its best, field "work" can feel more like play. But it must eventually be turned into interpretive and practical work: writing books and articles that answer questions about the nature of music, teaching in university settings, and helping people and communities with the everyday problems they face.'
I think I know what I'm meant to be doing now!
This is an excellent book, for anyone involved with music in any form, but especially if you're going to be doing a research study into Community Music...
On the subject of ethics and collating and recording music and song, where do we stand on ownership, permission to share and copyright? Timothy Rice sums it up very will at the end of the Chapter on 'Conducting Research', as follows;
'Successful fieldwork is impossible without the friendship and cooperation of those with whom ethnomusicologists study. At its best, field "work" can feel more like play. But it must eventually be turned into interpretive and practical work: writing books and articles that answer questions about the nature of music, teaching in university settings, and helping people and communities with the everyday problems they face.'
I think I know what I'm meant to be doing now!
Thursday 4 June 2015
Enabling and Empowerment
'To be interested involves both effort and attention, often leading to exploration and invention, a wish to expand the self by incorporating new experiences with the person or object that stimulated the interest. Clearly, again we see the relevance of musical activities, i.e., listening and improvising, to stimulate interest and curiosity. In fact, this may be the prime reason why music is so useful in many therapeutic setting.'
Even Ruud, Music Therapy - A Perspective from the Humanities
I visited QA hospital yesterday to meet with Vanessa, the Respiratory Nurse, to talk to her about the Breathe Easy singing groups I'm planning on setting up in Portsmouth in September. Having done the training with the Blf (British Lung Foundation) in April, I, along with other vocal practitioners all over the country, will be starting groups to help people with COPD and Asthma to get into the habit of better breathing. It was a great meeting, really inspiring and such a relief to be able to talk to someone who knew what you were talking about. The day I've found a venue, Drayton Institute, is a Monday morning and this fits well with the clinics they run on Tuesday and Thursdays. So, there ain't no stopping me now! Posters will be done and the word will be spread! The Blf fund the project for three months, then we'll have to find some money after that. I'm covering a group in Bitterne over the summer, that Sandra leads, so it will be good to see what they do.
Even Ruud, Music Therapy - A Perspective from the Humanities
I visited QA hospital yesterday to meet with Vanessa, the Respiratory Nurse, to talk to her about the Breathe Easy singing groups I'm planning on setting up in Portsmouth in September. Having done the training with the Blf (British Lung Foundation) in April, I, along with other vocal practitioners all over the country, will be starting groups to help people with COPD and Asthma to get into the habit of better breathing. It was a great meeting, really inspiring and such a relief to be able to talk to someone who knew what you were talking about. The day I've found a venue, Drayton Institute, is a Monday morning and this fits well with the clinics they run on Tuesday and Thursdays. So, there ain't no stopping me now! Posters will be done and the word will be spread! The Blf fund the project for three months, then we'll have to find some money after that. I'm covering a group in Bitterne over the summer, that Sandra leads, so it will be good to see what they do.
Wednesday 13 May 2015
Talking Mental Health Day 13th May
Good
networking today at the 'Talking Mental Health' Day run by Solent NHS
Trust (hosted by Oasis Centre, Arundel St). Very well attended by lots
of different groups in Portsmouth, very encouraged to see delegates
acknowledging the need is for getting information out there. It's still a
difficult thing to talk about but raising awareness is the first step.
I
was there as part of the GMHC with Carolyn Barber, and I spoke about
Beating the Blues, community sing at Eastney CC on Wednesday mornings.
Well, I spoke more about the benefits of singing and mental health,
getting all the delegates to be aware of their breathing, listen to
their own voice and then to each other, combining voice and movement
(body)... they rocked!
I did actually forget to talk about the group and the fact that we do taster sessions and outreach... however, managed to get DIVERSITY, MINDFULLNESS, LIFEMUSIC precepts (Everyone is Musical and the are No Wrong Notes!), and most importantly got everyone to experience what I was talking about by having a go.
Solent NHS Trust will cover it in their press release, a few people expressed interest in coming along to BTB and a guy was interested learning how to do vocal work in the community, which is all good.
I did actually forget to talk about the group and the fact that we do taster sessions and outreach... however, managed to get DIVERSITY, MINDFULLNESS, LIFEMUSIC precepts (Everyone is Musical and the are No Wrong Notes!), and most importantly got everyone to experience what I was talking about by having a go.
Solent NHS Trust will cover it in their press release, a few people expressed interest in coming along to BTB and a guy was interested learning how to do vocal work in the community, which is all good.
Right, here goes, starting now....
Now felt like as good a time as any to start a blog, as I realised the need for it for myself!
Embarking on my current postgraduate study I know I am in a very different place from when I last did a degree (20 years ago). Well, not geographically, but in terms of practice, work and creativity I am in a different place (Portsmouth is also a different place too).
I feel like I have something to write about which is good because I know have a lot of writing a head of me, but I'm looking forward to it. I've always struggled with words and expressing myself in writing: I was much more at ease drawing, taking a photo, playing a tune or singing a song, on my own or in groups: Listening and watching was my primary way of interacting with the world around me, reading and writing didn't come naturally, so I think I was left with a sense that I wasn't any good at it.
However, now I feel I have something to say about my experience of being a community vocal practitioner and one way to articulate and help form my ideas and thoughts is to start writing.
Embarking on my current postgraduate study I know I am in a very different place from when I last did a degree (20 years ago). Well, not geographically, but in terms of practice, work and creativity I am in a different place (Portsmouth is also a different place too).
I feel like I have something to write about which is good because I know have a lot of writing a head of me, but I'm looking forward to it. I've always struggled with words and expressing myself in writing: I was much more at ease drawing, taking a photo, playing a tune or singing a song, on my own or in groups: Listening and watching was my primary way of interacting with the world around me, reading and writing didn't come naturally, so I think I was left with a sense that I wasn't any good at it.
However, now I feel I have something to say about my experience of being a community vocal practitioner and one way to articulate and help form my ideas and thoughts is to start writing.
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