This morning we played with creating made-up songs. We started in pairs. One person would give the other a subject - just one word, and the other would start to tell a story. We had to remember the silences, the change of pace and volume that we did the other day. Then our partner, at any point, could touch our shoulder and we would have to sing the story instead, still paying attention to the silence, pace and volume. It was very funny to see how singing could make the story more absurd, or add colour and drama. It was also a great relief not to have to worry about rhymes - to let ourselves just explore the song.
We started the afternoon with an exercise of going into the hospital room, and creating a musical composition with an object or an instrument. A kind of development of the musical wash but in the context of a room visit. Haim was asking us to analyse what we were doing - to be able to say, after the improvisation, whether we were imitating, or using opposition or variation. Where were the silences and stops? Getting us to take responsibility for the composition of the visit, and to really notice each moment and the choices that we were making.
Zoe and I improvised together, and Haim stopped us, deconstructed what we were doing, and built it again with the idea of 'Acts'. Act 1 became a drumming rhythm and a made up song with voice, SILENCE, Act 2 was a total change in dynamic - ukelele and gentle singing, SILENCE, Act 3 returned to the same theme as the beginning. He took what was a bit of a scrappy composition and gave it structure, and life. The rules create the game.
It has been wonderful to focus on how the silences in these exercises give you time to change tempo, catch up with yourself, and see what is in the room and connect with your partner. A punctuation mark. Haim asked us to fall in love with silence on the first day he worked with us, and I have. Head over heels.
I am finding the language that he uses very useful. If we can be aware and have the words to describe what we do in each visit, then we can be more rigorous when we are on the floor to pick things up when they fall flat. Were we imitating each other? Did my energy drift into yours? Did we leave any silences? Did we do that on purpose?
So far this week, I feel we are suffering slightly being the guinea pigs of this course, as the 3 teachers work out how to divide time and space and priorities. The change of tempo or agenda with each teacher can be confusing. With so much new information to absorb, trying to improvise with someone you haven't worked with before to do a hospital parody, in a 'hospital room' situation (but also in a workshop), paying attention to the 'composition of time' and musicality, making sure you 'take a moment' at the door, dropping 'characters', was overwhelming for some people in the group.
I suppose we are all aware that time is running out, and we want to get as much into this last week as possible. But maybe they weren't listening to themselves at the beginning of this workshop when they talked about CLARITY and KEEPING IT SIMPLE?! Goes to show this is all easier said than done.
Adios Amores x
We started the afternoon with an exercise of going into the hospital room, and creating a musical composition with an object or an instrument. A kind of development of the musical wash but in the context of a room visit. Haim was asking us to analyse what we were doing - to be able to say, after the improvisation, whether we were imitating, or using opposition or variation. Where were the silences and stops? Getting us to take responsibility for the composition of the visit, and to really notice each moment and the choices that we were making.
Zoe and I improvised together, and Haim stopped us, deconstructed what we were doing, and built it again with the idea of 'Acts'. Act 1 became a drumming rhythm and a made up song with voice, SILENCE, Act 2 was a total change in dynamic - ukelele and gentle singing, SILENCE, Act 3 returned to the same theme as the beginning. He took what was a bit of a scrappy composition and gave it structure, and life. The rules create the game.
It has been wonderful to focus on how the silences in these exercises give you time to change tempo, catch up with yourself, and see what is in the room and connect with your partner. A punctuation mark. Haim asked us to fall in love with silence on the first day he worked with us, and I have. Head over heels.
I am finding the language that he uses very useful. If we can be aware and have the words to describe what we do in each visit, then we can be more rigorous when we are on the floor to pick things up when they fall flat. Were we imitating each other? Did my energy drift into yours? Did we leave any silences? Did we do that on purpose?
So far this week, I feel we are suffering slightly being the guinea pigs of this course, as the 3 teachers work out how to divide time and space and priorities. The change of tempo or agenda with each teacher can be confusing. With so much new information to absorb, trying to improvise with someone you haven't worked with before to do a hospital parody, in a 'hospital room' situation (but also in a workshop), paying attention to the 'composition of time' and musicality, making sure you 'take a moment' at the door, dropping 'characters', was overwhelming for some people in the group.
I suppose we are all aware that time is running out, and we want to get as much into this last week as possible. But maybe they weren't listening to themselves at the beginning of this workshop when they talked about CLARITY and KEEPING IT SIMPLE?! Goes to show this is all easier said than done.
Adios Amores x