we can all make music
mistaken expectations
Advocating for something that isn't quite what many think it is
What do people imagine when the phrase 'community music' gets mentioned?
Community choirs practicing regularly for their annual concert and performances at aged care facilities?
A stage at the local festival for amateur players?
A project to assist local homeless kids to write and record their own songs?
The activities of the local government officer with community arts or cultural development in their title?
Eisteddfods and studio classes by the local music teacher?
A visiting composer commissioned to write a piece for the community orchestra?
Of course, it's reasonable to tag all these things as 'community music'. But none of them describe our work.
Which is not to claim that what we do is 'better' than these activities, rather, that it is different, importantly different and, often, confusingly different.
Sometimes we think that what we are on about is so simple, so clear, so obvious that there's really nothing to explain. Big mistake!
So what are we on about? - Building the confidence in everyday people to rediscover their own innate capacities to enjoy making music together. We can all make music and we'll all be more whole people in the making of it.
Very simple really, but this perspective brings with it a bunch of attitudes than tilt slightly counter to many prevailing trends. Here are ten:
- Engagement more than excellence - nothing must stand in the way of being able to include all who wish to be part of the music-making experience.
- Collaborative more than competitive - group music-making depends on, and is the celebration of, playing together.
- For the doing more than the showing - the essence of vocal nosh practice is experiencing the joy of singing together now, not rehearsing for a future performance.
- Group singing more than singing groups - our keenest interest is in developing situations in which people with no prior connections can very quickly experience the pleasure of collaborative play.
- Ongoing more than project-based - every move we make must be predicated on a commitment to increasing the likelihood of these activities becoming a normal and regular part of a community's life.
- Independent more than subsidised - same as for the previous point. Local commitment to, and ownership of, these activities is the foundation of their sustainability.
- Amateur more than professional - there are people everywhere with the capacity to start a singing circle. While we support those that have the dedication to make a living from group music-making, our main focus is on liberating the capacities of those for whom music isn't all consuming.
- Sharing more than specialising - the skills we demonstrate are for passing on.
- Everyday more than special - we're committed to returning music-making to a less elevated position in our culture - somewhere where everyone can reach it.
- By ear more than by sight - we discover how to speak before we learn to read, so should it be with music.
We've used 'more than' rather than 'not' because these are matters of emphasis, not of 'it's one or the other'. For example, we're proud to support professional singing leaders and established singing groups, we'll do a project now and then, we'll accept subsidy, we all want to get better and it's perfectly fine to want to perform in public.
So don't be surprised when you feel the gears stripping, we often find ourselves talking at cross-purposes. But don't despair either. The ensuing debates will be challenging, invigorating and often idea-changing. Neither our thinking, nor yours, is rigid - every conversation is an opportunity for change and development.
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making a sound world together
