For centuries, composers have been manipulating different patterns of pitches, rhythmic figures, and harmonies in efforts to transmit and portray different ideas and emotions, to communicate different thoughts. In this workshop, however, we will explore the more basic element of music, the sound itself. We will examine how tone quality itself can communicate different ideas. For example, the same music played on different instruments can produce different impressions to the listeners.
We will study how we associate different sound qualities to different aspects of our daily lives, and by using what we learn, we can aim to create imagery by our sounds and collaborate better with the actual visual imagery provided by the dancers and the artists.
We will also study the executions of those sounds. First we need to explore our instruments deeply. What different sounds can our instruments produce, by both traditional, and non-traditional usage of the instruments? Perhaps we can come up with our own unique approach to the instruments. We can also take an advantage of various sound technologies we have available here at IMPACT to further create unique sounds.
Lastly, we will study how to create these imageries as a group. If everybody did their own thing without any regards to the others, the resulting “music” will provide no other image but of “chaos”. We will study the ensemble of improvisation - how we create rules in a free environment to provide unity. We will explore different roles each musicians will have in an ensemble, and how to switch our roles in mid-music without the usage of any verbal communications.
The workshop will include listening to some examples, in-class discussions, and in-class improv sessions.
You have some great ideas in there. Exploring visual images through sounds is a good way to cross the bridge between the visual and auditory. In the visual arts workshop I would like to explore what kinds of sounds or music students remember and have them create a visual image from the memory of that specific sound. In the spirit of collaboration this can be a great way for students to draw relationships between music and the visual image.
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