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Musicians’ portraits, case studies and site visits
Career paths in the field of music can be as creative as the subject itself. The subjective experience of musicians involved in innovative practice demonstrates the wide range of possibilities a musician has in his professional life, as well as specific constraints that may have influenced an individual career.
The profession working group’s portraits of musicians, descriptions of innovative models, and site visits demonstrate new and rare competences as well as examples of innovative practice.
Musicians’ portrait: Corrie van Binsbergen
'The feeling of development is wonderful. Remco Campert writes that a poem is at its best when it is on its way to be completed. You read it in a flush, you know you are making something really good, it is very fulfilling in that moment.'
Guitarist, composer and band leader Corrie van Binsbergen is active in a very wide musical range. She founded the Stichting Brokken with as its aim ‘initiating border crossing collaborations, stimulating cross-pollinating projects and working on chasing away narrow-mindedness’, realising new, surprising and successful productions where she brings together different musical styles and (cross) art forms for a far broader audience than jazz concerts can reach. Currently Corrie works successfully with the concept Writers in Concert, where writers and improvising musicians interact.
Musicians’ portrait: Oene van Geel
'I think that by nature I am looking for cutting edges, finding building blocks of many different influences.'
Oene van Geel is a jazz violinist, violist and composer. As a bandleader and sideman Oene is very active in the Dutch jazz scene. Whether he plays viola, violin or percussion, he is always integrating elements from different musical traditions such as: jazz and improvised music, pop & funk music, contemporary music, classical music and ethnic music from around the world. Oene van Geel is one of the artistic motors of the highly successful Zapp Stringquartet.
Musicians’ portrait: Sean Gregory
'There was this totally visionary statement on a little leaflet on the musician of the future. One of my teachers told me ‘it looks totally impossible and idealistic but this is absolutely something for you Sean!''
Sean Gregory works as a composer, performer and creative producer. He develops innovative programmes embracing a number of partnerships exploring ideas and approaches, which aim to develop new modes of good practice in the field of creative and participatory music-making, as well as inter-disciplinary and transcultural arts practice.
Musicians' portrait: Markku Kaikkonen
Markku Kaikkonen has been working as a music teacher in the field of special music education. He is one of the founders of the Special Music Centre Resonaari, which organizes goal oriented music education for people with special needs.
Mr. Kaikkonen developed the Figure note -notation system together with his colleague Mr. Kaarlo Uusikylä. Figure notes make note reading possible for students who are not even able to read normal texts. Figure notes have been opening new possibilities to develop goal oriented music education for disabled people. Great progress of the student’s musical skills and personal development gives self respect and music teaching has always positive influence on the student rehabilitation.
Musicians' portrait: Jérôme Pernoo
Jérôme Pernoo’s career as a cellist and musician has – despite his young age (35) – already spanned many worlds – from South Africa to Bielorussia, from dance to theatre, from chamber music to solo performances with great orchestras, from teaching to founding and directing a chamber music festival, from writing a novel to creating his own not-for-profit association. Though his training bears all the trademarks of a traditional classically trained musician – top honors at the Paris Conservatoire, major prizes in international competitions (Rostropovitch, Tchaikovsky, and first prize in Pretoria), Jérôme has forged a highly original pathway where the search for meaning has always been at the heart of his work and has indeed informed and transformed the evolution of his artistry.
Musicians' portrait: Kouame Sereba
Kouame Sereba has an international career as a performing musician. He performs alone and with other artist - musicians, storytellers and dancers – for a variety of audiences. All the time he comes back to his favourite audience; young children, preferably those in pre-school age, those who sit close to him in small groups. ‘I am African, and my musical roots – at least some of them - go back to the music of my community in West Africa. But I am a musical artist who, I believe, is able to communicate with audiences in most parts of the world. Not because I’m an African, but because I’m a musician.’ ‘Although I’m on stage, I’m not in a monopoly situation. I’ve invited my audience to a communicative experience, and it is my duty to make that happen.’
Case study: Stichting 'De Kamervraag'
A profile of ‘De Kamervraag’, a support organisation for realising the development and quality of chamber music in The Netherlands, also serving as a connecting partner for governments, foundations and other organisations. Important tasks of ‘De Kamervraag’ are to give information and transfer knowledge, to advice and guide projects. Leo Deysselbloem, project leader, gives his views on trends and gaining new audiences, with the help of a SWOT analysis.
Case study: The Days of the Profession
The principal objectives of these two days dedicated to the profession were:
· to situate the music profession in a broader cultural, economic and societal context,
· to provide students with a prospective overview of the profession and the ways in
which it is evolving in innovative ways,
· to encourage them to imagine and invent their own musical pathways, and
· to provide them with some practical tools to better ensure their entry into
professional life.
Obligatory for all music and sound engineering students in their final year of study, these encounters took the form of conferences, panel discussions and workshops with leading professionals and artists in a warm and convivial atmosphere. Breakfast was provided each morning and short musical performances involving students from all relevant departments (early music, jazz, vocal, and classical/contemporary instruments) provided transitions from one conference to another.
Case study: Rikskonsertene in Norway
Today’s musician will meet artistic challenges and job opportunities which were unknown for musicians trained a generation ago. This case study indicates two areas which seem to be growing all over the Western world, namely cross-cultural music making and production of concerts for children and youngsters.
Two main conclusions can be drawn from the case study:
1) that conservatoires should offer training opportunities for their students to be prepared for such challenges and opportunities, and
2) that conservatoires should see it as one of their obligations to contribute to the enhancement of artistic quality in all areas of music making, also areas which seem to develop outside the traditional conservatoire remit.
Case study: The Sage Gateshead
The Sage Gateshead is a performance and educational venue innovating in its approach and development of audiences through community outreach and a host of programs targeting different age ranges and artistic interests; through its ongoing professional development program, it takes into account the changing nature of the musician’s career.
Case study: Interactive Music making in Hospitals and other Health Care Facilities
Musical performances are quite common in hospitals and health care facilities. Music as a medium offers various psychosocial possibilities, and yet it is rarely used for intense interpersonal communication in health care institutions. ‘Interactive Music Making’ uses music as a means of communication and interaction between all groups involved: musicians, in-service staff, patients/residents, and relatives.
Interactive music making is a certified training which provides new aesthetic impulses for hospitals and health care facilities. It extends the vocational field of musicians with a completely new task within the framework of health service.
Professionally trained musicians as well as health care professionals, and other qualified candidates with musical background will be admitted to the programme.
Case study: Southbank Sinfonia
Unique in Europe, Southbank Sinfonia (SbS) provides a vital link between conservatoire and the profession. An agent of change in 21st century music-making, SbS offers a one year learning and performing experience, supported by a bursary, for exceptional new graduates of music colleges.
Thirty-two players are selected each year through an audition and interview process, and work together as an orchestra from February to September. Through the experiences provided during the course of the programme, the orchestra seeks to equip the players fully for the range of skills they will require in order to establish themselves in varied and fulfilling musical careers.
Case study: Experimenting with and Renewing the Concert Form - The 'Innovatoire' Competition at the Paris Conservatoire
How does one renew the concert, both in terms of form and content, and how does one develop a new relationship with one’s audience? How does one experiment and take risks, integrating other art forms, integrating the relationship amongst the works to be performed, the relationship to the venue, to the audience…?
The challenges all artists now face gave rise to a competition entitled 'Innovatoires', open to music and sound engineering students at the Paris Conservatoire.
Case study: Listening to the Louvre - an example of cross-arts collaboration
'Listening to the Louvre' or 'A l’écoute du Louvre' engages students of the Paris Conservatoire to explore the museum and then to perform, either in an improvised form or in more traditional formats. These projects take place on Friday evenings, when the museum is free of charge to young people under the age of 26, and are part of the Louvre’s Educational and Cultural Services’ overall effort to attract new and in this case younger audiences.
Site visit report: Dartington
This visit profiles an educational institution in the forefront of cross-arts collaboration seeking to develop entrepreneurial, reflective and autonomous musicians capable of adapting and situating their work in a broader artistic and societal context through a rigorous interdisciplinary program which nourishes the development of “core” artistic, written, oral, entrepreneurial and strategic skills.
Site visit report: Lisbon, Porto
This site visit focuses on challenges and developments in Portuguese music education, funding issues in the music sector (both levels of state funding and the development of private sponsorship), the changing nature of the musician’s career and audiences. Above and beyond these factors, changing demographics and the rural exodus play an important role in the disappearance of certain forms of traditional music.
Site visit report: London
The focus of the London site visits was communication and interaction between the rapidly developing community based music activity in the city and the conservatoires.
Visited sites:
Trinity College of Music
London Symphony Orchestra and LSO St. Lukes, the UBS & LSO Music Education Centre
MusicLeader London
Jazz Services
Site visit report: Paris
The focus of this site visit is on specific funding schemes and innovative practice as it relates to audience development, notably through the use of new technologies, multimedia and online resources, community outreach and educational programs.
Site visit report: Plovdiv, Sofia
The focus of the Bulgaria site visits was the role of the Bulgarian Academies of music in the present Bulgarian society – a society which is undergoing major changes as it is preparing to become a member of the European Union.
Site visit report: Reykjavik
The most important themes encountered during a site visit in Reykjavik, Iceland are the changing nature of the musician’s career and the changing nature of consumers.
Innovative practice, the creation of new audiences, rediscovering and/or establishing national heritage and relationships with societal developments is at the core of this site visit report. The music life, as it has been studied in this site visit, shows a lot of coherence within these different areas.
Site visit report: Vilnius
This report describes what the members of the Polifonia working group on the profession have experienced on their site visit in May 2006 including some remarkable projects that are taking place in Lithuania.
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