Spontaneous Collective Song for music therapists and ceremony leaders: an introduction
In this introductory training I offer a direct experience of different models for generating and sharing spontaneous vocal music - among them what we call Circlesinging and Collaborative Vocal Improvisation. The best way to integrate these in our work as facilitators is learning some of the ways of interacting and participating in these collective chants 'from within’. From that experience, we can begin to notice how they affect our own condition and well-being, our musicality, our attention/consciousness and the quality of our connection with others.
Putting them into practice demands revising, and perhaps abandoning - ideas and preconceptions about teaching and making music, and recalibrate our value system: what is it to be a facilitator?
I would like to encourage you to think 'big' and not get stuck in the detail of 'the recipes' of each activity, since it is the 'how' and not the 'what' that can really generate transformation.
These propositions work with three different levels of awareness - stimulating participants to become aware of three simultaneous attentions in the 'here and now'. These three attentions inspire a fuller and broader presence, helping people to become more breathable, receptive and open to their internal state and that of others.
1 - We: the relationship (with the other/with the collective) the body and the energetic state of the group at each moment.
2 - Me: the internal attention - proprioceptive (and how it affects 'us')
3 - The Whole: the 'big picture', a diffuse attention, empty space, silence, the circularity of energy and perception, the invisible that exists behind us , the unknown, Earth and Sky, the curve of the breath, the intuitive, whatever moves us, the ancestral, the sacred...
Some aspects of the work:
-proprioception: internal experience of my body and its tonic state: recognize, open, explore. Stimulate vitality, alignment and grounding, co-ordination. Breath. Fluidity.
-bodies in space as an instrument for connection. Collective movement and ryhtm encouraging attunement. Using pulse, counterpoint and the gradual construction of more complex ideas. Utilizing the three attentions, the gaze and the collective space- different spacial configurations (static circle, round, mixing around, pairs,small clusters, spiral, changes of direction etc.)
-the voice: disinhibiting, energizing, stimulating the participation of the entire body and being in the production of sound (flexible, fluid, breathable, naturally aligned). Raising awareness of spaces of vibration and sound expansion in the body. Connecting with others, tuning, deep listening. Using vocal qualities, timbres to support expressivity and open up the vocal palette.
-musicality- listening to oneself, listening to the people who sing the same part as us, listening to its interactions with the other parts, listening to the whole piece. Adding movement, body, percussion, contact, humour, play to the collective song and letting the music 'sing itself'. Melodic, harmonic, rhythmic aspects to consider in terms of complexity and variety.
- invented language: using vocables in service of music and rhythm. Using the voice as a musical instrument, an element of texture and personal expresion. Also, as a tool to stimulate articulation and resonance, enrich the collective sound, activate the voices, and offer rest and variety in the vocal production.
-instinct and impulse: learning to listen, feel and follow through with our musical and somatic ideas. Balance of sensitivity and spontaneity. The generosity to offer an idea or a sound to the collective. Mimesis and following.
-responsivity, resposibility: supporting others. Encouraging expression. Being mindful of the shared space. The value of silence and the receptive pillar.
- the meditative aspect: breathing, working on prolonged sounds, receiving a ‘sonic embrace’, raising awareness of energy centres and accompanying sound with hands and intention. Going through different states of humanity, from joy to grief, from gentle to intense energy and stimulating the expression of feelings in community and perhaps reaching a state of stillness together.
- the general flow of activities and the energetic curve of the group. Ascents, descents, rests, going deeper, marathons, silences….
- care: for each individual participant and for the energy of the group. The facilitator stimulating connection, awareness of others, unity and equanimity, all voices equally valuable. Invisibly helping each person to feel a part of the process, silently accompanying those who may in difficulty. Celebrating the presence of each and every one.