“Music turns life into soul. It unfolds from and expresses the mystery of time.” Dr. Rod Paton
“Music is a world within itself. With a language we all understand.” Stevie Wonder
Lifemusic is an accessible, participatory form of improvised music making. Therapeutic rather than therapy per se, it is socially inclusive and aims to enrich lives and strengthen communities. Lifemusic draws on our human capacity to create and make music.
Music is essentially sound organised in such a way that the end result carries deeper meaning and purpose. We make music to put ourselves in touch with this deeper meaning: it makes our lives more significant and connects us intimately to each other. Making music flows naturally from being human: it is a language of emotion that we all ‘speak’ from the outset and can communicate through.
Lifemusic has the following four precepts:
Everyone is musical.
There are no wrong notes.
Every sound you make carries meaning.
Music- making is an act of trust.
There is a rich tradition of composed, (notated) music in European culture. However, veneration of the ‘Western musical canon’ tends to ignore the ability of the majority of humankind to make music for themselves. Today the omnipresence of ‘I Tunes’, music streaming and the music industry renders us more often than not consumers rather than creators. Yet music- as- sound flows naturally from us.
What actually happens in a Lifemusic workshop?
In some ways it’s easier to say what doesn’t happen. Lifemusic is not a free-for-all, impromptu ‘jam session’. Rather it invites us to play mindfully, to remain aware of the others in the group as well as ourselves.
We usually begin by sitting together in a circle and exploring various warm up pieces that help us develop acuity and attunement. The facilitator chooses an appropriate musical ‘holding form’, (rhythm or chant etc.) which provides containment and a focus. The group adopts and adapts this holding form until it is eventually jettisoned as the group begins to ‘follow the muse’, tracking and responding to freshly emergent themes.
Whilst exploring making our own sounds we also listen and respond to each other’s playing. For example if you play a triangle softly and I play a drum without awareness, hitting it too vigorously, I will probably drown you out; I certainly won’t hear your contribution. I need to find a way of equalizing my sound so I can hear everyone else as well as my own. Conversely if you are playing a quiet instrument you may strive to find ways of raising your volume, to make yourself heard too.
In Lifemusic we use a range of simple ‘instant access’ instruments that anyone can play without prior experience or skill. Many are percussion based, constructed from skin, string, metal, and wood. We may use our voices too in extempore fashion.
