Inspiring Creativity

Recent Western culture, through its various manifestations, methodically stymies creativity. The result is that the majority of adults in western cultures lack effective means to relate and communicate. For instance, in the majority of early childhood education classes, just about any student is willing to sing, paint, draw, and be creative. In fact, great early childhood education teachers nurture this creativity as a means of expressing oneself. Fast-forward to a high level executive committee meeting of a large corporation. It is likely that few of those businesspersons still regularly engages in creative activities. It is no small wonder that arts institutions, when trying to attract these white-collar individuals, shy away from presenting some of the most creative and innovative artistic statements of the past century. However, young children have no qualms engaging with new artistic statements. After all, it is a way of life for them.

This past Saturday, Duo Gelland led the young children of UK's string project through the jagged abstractions of modern music. The Swedish-German violin duo has performed in virtually every major venue including performances with the Berliner Philharmoniker. Yet, the heart of their work is working with children especially in Sweden and Germany. At UK's string project, they began with a captivating performance of a Vivaldi duo sonata, and then launched into a movement of a duo sonata by the eminent Swedish composer, Allan Pettersson. They introduced the Pettersson as a "very old piece of music, written when your parents were children." From the initial barrage of pizzicato to notes in the extreme registers and violent chords, the elementary school children were utterly captivated. After each piece, Cecilia Gelland would place herself on the ground with the children and ask them to tell her what they heard. She would ask what feelings the sounds elicited. Other times she would ask them to relate colors or ordinary situations to what they had just heard. It was magical to observe fifteen young American children listen to modern music and engage with the music. Then, Cecilia and Martin split the class into two groups and began teaching them sounds they could make on their instruments - harmonic glissandi, bowing the tailpiece, bowing behind the bridge, an array of pizzicato techniques, etc. Then they guided the kids to make music with the new sounds they learned. Finally, and most brilliantly, they engaged the children in dialogue. They encouraged the children to talk to them using their new sounds. The response of the children was overwhelming. You would have thought that the children had just spent time Justin Bieber (or whoever is the latest sensation).

Martin and Cecilia cite the influences of George Lakoff's research into the structures of metaphor and Salome Voegelin's book Listening to Noise and Silence: Towards a Philosophy of Sound Art. Their experiences with presenting this music to children have reinforced their belief that this music is important and relevant. If you look at their repertoire list, you will discover that not only have they commissioned and performed over 150 new works, but their repertoire extends as far back as the late 1500's. They understand that old music is important for understanding our roots but posit that music written today is important to understand the contemporary human experience and live in the contemporary world. Cecilia writes, "In the consuming of newly produced art music I see a constructive and humane alternative to consumerism/materialism - one of our world's greatest threats. I wish to leave an ever so slight mark behind of greater urge to expand and deepen thought, to create and to take part in dialogue." Martin writes that contemporary music "helps dissolving hardened structures, built like fences around our flowing thoughts."

The Gelland's work with children is simply an outgrowth of their ideas of performance. Their official website sums their work up in the following manner:

We are engrossed in the dialogue about the dialogue, its endless, intricate forms and dramatic adventures of gestures and structures. We are inside the discourse about the outer world in the inner world and the inner world in the outer world and how those two pole form their complex relationship to creative processes. We go a long way to organize the music to its utmost. Yet at the last moment we turn around and refuse to subdue to the final consequence of our own long work, in order to relish the moment and the warmth of the audience.

In those fleeting magical moments with the young students of UK's string project, I saw the importance of contemporary music illustrated masterfully. Perhaps, creativity does not need to be limited to the early childhood classroom but belongs in the corporate board room. Furthermore, artistic institutions must take note. None of the students that morning knew they wanted to listen to Allan Pattersson's music but they left wanting more! Our programming ought to reflect that phenomenon.

Traumwerk Part1

Johan | Myspace Music Videos

Watch this video to see Duo Gelland in action.