Observations in Online Working
Since lockdown started, young people from our youth music collective Plank have been gathering via Zoom to create music driven by their experiences during lockdown and their hopes looking forward. Using Cubase and a bit of technical wizardry, the group have been generating musical ideas and layering these ideas on top of each other to make complete songs.
Though taking the sessions online has predictably posed a number of challenges to engagement and the format of our delivery, what I want to focus on is actually the benefits I’ve encountered and seen in action that accompany this adaptation to online learning.
As a sort of pre-note - Our young people have been working together for some months (or even years in some cases), and the way new music was generated prior to lockdown in the group was very much focused around actively playing. Learning through doing. A model that works incredibly well, and not one that I’m critiquing – the physical act of playing an instrument with others is incredibly valuable, as well as having that physical safe and comfortable space to occupy and utilise without judgement. A benefit of that model in a band environment is that turn-around is very quick, someone in the room can pick up an instrument, play a chord or two and in minutes we’ll have a song ready and waiting to be fleshed out. The idea pot is never empty, and having everyone firing ideas in to the room is a really great energy to have in a session. What it doesn’t leave a lot of space for however, is paced and critical development, particularly with those with more challenging behaviours. It’s not that it doesn’t happen of course, questions are always asked, time is given to everyone to share their thoughts on the material being created and to have a say in its formation, but those moments always feel fleeting- particularly in a room with two drum kits…
And that’s where online learning has really shined in my experience.
Just as imposed parameters promote creative thinking in artists of all mediums, the limitations of interaction via the internet have spurred another kind of creativity. In this case, with the limitation of being unable to play together due to latency, that creativity has manifested itself in the young people we’re working with in ways and means of communicating and generating musical ideas.
Rhythmic content, previously mostly generated and learned through demonstration and repetition, has become both a written and oral medium when communicated with others. It’s one thing to play a rhythm, but to communicate it clearly requires a different and deeper understanding of rhythm, and the most effective means the young people latched on to was to find where beats lie in the context of the pulse. The pulse was clicked or clapped, and the rhythm sung over the top. Following this was often an explanation as to where the rhythm began eg “The first hit is just after the 1. If we’re thinking of 1 E & A 2 E & A etc, the first hit is on the “E” of 1”. This was almost universally understood, and I can’t emphasise enough how much of a seamless adaptation this was by our young people. Others favoured written score- but not necessarily classical notation. Though one of our young people felt very comfortable communicating ideas with classical notation, a lot of the time each individual developed their own form of musical shorthand, usually centred around phrases placed in the context of the pulse in a way not dissimilar to how Midi Drum Map data is visualised in Music production software. Particularly in the case of kit drummers, over time the language used to communicate a rhythm became more and more reliant on the understanding of note values and placement. 8ths, 16ths, off-beats and further syncopation. These terms are staples, the fundamentals of rhythm- and by being placed in a situation where performing together was a far less viable option than it had been previously, the personal musical development of each our participants seemed to sky-rocket week to week as those innovated tools became the new standard for communicating musical ideas not only with me but with each other. Harmonically speaking a similar metamorphosis of approach occurred, albeit down a very different path. Melodic and harmonic content has an element of conflict and resolution that’s inherent in Western 12 tone music- every human being is subconsciously aware of it, though may not have the tools to describe those interactions. With the ability to play together removed from the equation, young people turned to using harmony and melody constructively. Using Cubase as a visual aid, notes were layered on top of one another on a midi grid, and as sessions progressed the note functions and chord qualities/techniques were learned. First, Third, Fifth, Seventh, Suspended, Modal Interchange. Through this constructed approach we ended up with several chord schemes, harmonies and developments that we’d never have discovered otherwise. In a fast-paced workshop environment I’ve found that ideas are generated quickly, adjusted on the fly and broken down only if need be between the young people themselves. By building slowly, and with clarity of communication being at the centre of online collaboration, the young people were more critical of their musical decisions, asked more questions and communicated with each other in more detail about musical intent and piece development.
The work the young people have put in to remaining actively engaged with both Jack Drum and the creation of music in general has been astounding throughout lockdown. They’ve had drive to learn, drive to write and have demonstrated an intense and sustained passion for the creation of original music that’s frankly incredible. Once I’ve got the exported files, I’ll link to one of the tracks the young people have been working on in this or a follow-up post. It’s really really inspiring.
Though we’re all hoping to return to our workshop rooms as soon as we safely can, some of these observations and techniques utilising technology and online space are things I feel can be sustained in the future in some form, whether it be as CPD or otherwise. Online working is a unique scenario, and though not ideal for us working in our local communities, definitely has an array of benefits I’m hoping we can all integrate in to our work going forward.
