Workshop number 3 took place on March 1, 2024 and was held at Øvre Sjetnan Barnehager, a kindergarten in Trondheim. The workshop took place the day after the first two workshops. Based on the evaluation between us three musicians from the day before, we made some changes to the format of the workshop, in addition to adding a sequence where we went deeper into the concept that drawings can become music. The new setup can be seen below.
1. Introduction
- Who are we?
- Presentation of our instruments
2. Play 2-3 minutes of improvisation
- We play from a pre-made drawing
3. Presentation of the concept
- Drawings can become sounds
- We bring two drawings and explore together with the children how the drawings can sound
4. Let the children draw
- As we play, the children draw on one long piece of paper and create one long graphic notation
5. Discuss the drawings
- First individually on the floor with the children
- Then collectively in front of all the children
6. Finish by playing the long graphic notation
The Audience - participation and group dynamic
The group of children at workshop #3 had a completely different atmosphere to the day before. As Nicolas says in the conversation afterwards, he felt that there was a completely different calm and order in this kindergarten from the moment we walked in (Leirtrø, 01.03.2024, p. 1).When you watch the video, you can see and hear a lot of engagement throughout the workshop. In some places, you can hear that the engagement almost takes over and everyone starts talking at once. What was nice about this group is that they seemed to have great respect for the adults in the kindergarten, and several times when the conversation took over and many children started to talk, the adults were good at telling them to be quiet and listen to the child who was talking first. And the children actually stopped talking and listened to their peers instead.
"This was in a way a slightly more gentle group, a slightly more comfortable pace." (Leirtrø, 01.03.2024 , p. 1)
The creations
Looking at the drawings they created one observes a mix of concrete shapes and more abstract figures.When we talk to the children about their drawings, some of them tell us that they have drawn a racing car, balloons, the world's shortest train and a fart monster. In general, the children from this workshop are quite specific in their explanations when they talk about their drawings and the drawings we have included. When we bring in a drawing that consists of lots of little blue dots and we ask them what sound this can make, they start to say that it's snow, leaves, fleas etc. instead of giving us sounds.
When we talk about the creation, I want to highlight a special moment in the workshop where we collectively discuss the drawings the children have made. This is something that happens in the segment called ‘Discussion about the drawings’. After we had finished playing, we walked around and discussed the drawings with the children one by one and in smaller groups. Along the way, one of the children tells us that he has made a boat that rides on a head. Afterwards, when we sit together with all the children and talk about their drawings, we point out different drawings and ask who made it and what it is, and then we ask what sounds it can make. At one point, we ask about the drawing of a boat driving on a head. First we ask what sound the boat makes, and immediately several children respond with different sounds. Then we ask what a boat travelling on a head sounds like. It takes a second before the children who have also made the drawings respond and make a completely different sound than before.
Here you can see two clips. The first shows the response to us asking what sound the boat makes. The second shows the sound one child makes when we ask about the sound of a boat driving on a head.
The layout and exercises
The new format of the workshop seems to work well, also considering the new element. The new element with the two drawings in the beginning we added seemed to work, and the children are responding, talking and making sounds when we ask them to. When we compare the video from this workshop with the ones from the day before, it's clear that we're much more comfortable and confident in what we're doing in this workshop. We are able to take the room and steer the focus back to us when it's about to slip out.
"I think it was an overall good version, and I feel that we have done something better today." (Leirtrø, 01.03.2024 p. 7)
When it comes to things we are not yet satisfied with, we again point to the end of the workshop. After we have finished playing, we say thank you for their attention, but the children continue to talk and start telling stories. Luckily, in this workshop, the adults take control and initiate a round of applause. In the conversation afterwards we mention that we maybe should give the children more space to give a response on what they have just heard before trying to end the workshop by saying thank you.
In addition to the ending we talked about the segment where we let the children draw. After we have finished playing, some of the children stop drawing, while others continue. We get down on the floor and start talking to the children about their drawings. When we're done talking, I start collecting the markers and one of the children looks at me and says something quite softly. After a moment trying to understand what the child is saying, I realise that she's telling me that she has not finished colouring her drawing. I give the child the marker back and let her finish her drawing.
The music
When we talk about the workshop afterwards, you can hear that we seem much more confident in our playing, than the day before. Jenny explains that she realised that on the first two workshops she focused much more on making the music clear to the children than actually listening to the music (Frøysa, 01.03.2024, p. 3). We discuss that maybe we should focus more on textures and strong contrasts, but also work more towards working with things that are abstract. (Conversation, 01.03.2024, p. 3).
"I think it must eventually be a goal to be able to play really good music. That it has great artistic value for us as well. I imagine that it's easy to do, like you know a children's concert, that the music is put a bit last... what you prioritise least in a way." (Leirtrø, 01.03.2024, p. 3)