My journey on Quench Arts' Interface project by Vinicius Motta (Young Music Leader)

My name is Vinicius Motta and I am a visually impaired composition student at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Composition is my main area of exploration, however I also play guitar (acoustic and electric) and piano/keyboard. During the first months of Interface, I was on the electric guitar; towards the end of the project, I moved to the synthesizer. As a composer and orchestrator, I would give my compositional perspective and input on what the band was performing, as well as making suggestions of what or how something could be played.

Interface was a project in which young people, interested in creating music using electronic elements, would form a band, create and perform new music. It is important to mention that although each of the Interface participants had an area of expertise, we would often encourage each other to try new ideas, instruments, techniques and concepts. An example is when I moved from guitar to synth; I worked with digital synthesizers before, but not with a hardware synth. In other words, Interface was an opportunity to creatively explore a range of electronic music elements such as effects pedals, synthesizers, electronic drums and MIDI Controllers. 

As a composer, I mostly create new works by myself and then take it to a performer. In Interface, the compositional experience was more collaborative, as we would often bounce ideas from each other and make decisions as a group. This was an interesting way of creating music, as the creative input was not onesided. One of the music tech elements I wish to continuously explore In my work is using effects pedals from guitars on synthesizers (and other instruments such as voice), which I explored in the piece we are recording for this project.

As part of Interface, I have opted to participate in the New Horizons CME training scheme, which is helping me to become a better music educator. It has also helped me to deliver a better sessions during Interface. Being able to adapt on the spot is one of the key elements I have incorporated into my sessions. New Horizons has also encouraged me to confidently explore unconventional and avant-garde music ideas within an educational setting; during Interface, I have suggested the concept of playing out of time with each other as well as the concept that noise can be music. Both of these concepts are explored in the piece recorded for this project.

Interface was a great opportunity to work in a collaborative way with people with various backgrounds and approaches to music making. I will continue with my composition studies and hope to be involved in more projects for young people with a focus on creating new music. Electronic is now one of the core elements I will be exploring within some of my next works, as they are very flexible.