Inside my cello practice
Every year I give a recital, and this year’s concert is next week. The other day a friend asked, ‘What if it was tomorrow? Would… Read More »Inside my cello practice
Every year I give a recital, and this year’s concert is next week. The other day a friend asked, ‘What if it was tomorrow? Would… Read More »Inside my cello practice
On Friday 18th October I presented a talk and performance entitled ‘Learning Out Loud’ as my inaugural professorial lecture, which launched the 2019-20 Public Lecture series at the University of Chichester. I was grateful that my department allowed me to use a couple of cameras to capture the event – they were set running before it kicked off and it looks like (unfortunately) someone bumped the side-view camera, and the lighting was particularly dim, but you can hear it all and the tech people helped to a great job of splicing the video feeds together for me. Thank you to them!
What you cannot see in the video is the display that was along both sides of the walls, showing the documentation of my practice, with over 44,000 words, 115+ videos, audio files, and plenty of images. (for an example of one of the days see HERE) I have been asked to display these for online viewing and I will, but it will take time. (I plan to make a subdomain with the project on it) People were invited to peruse the 128 days of ups and downs, chipping away at learning, and working through the seasons and other life responsibilities as I prepared for this event.
Below you will find:
References (as shown on the pdf of the programme):
- Stephen Downs & memory: https://bit.ly/31sXhTs
- Game experiment video: https://bit.ly/2BihwbZ
- Judith Butler: Examining Life https://bit.ly/2oR4QWP
- Yapnet: https://www.Yapnet.org
Video Timings:
‘Learning Out Loud’ (beginning-5:37 Laura: 5:38-39:04)
Sonata for Solo Cello, op.8 Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)
This evening I take you on a journey, demonstrating our awareness of experiences, the things we do, and how they impact us- noticing and questioning some of the societal assumptions and constraints around us, and then considering our role, mine and yours – and how we each learn and shape our experiences – personally, as peers and teachers, and within the frameworks of our social and institutional networks.Read More »Learning Out Loud
Musical connections are a lot like any other connections. (4 min read) We need to experience them, process, and attribute meaning to them, and that is something that we all get better at with time and practice. There’s that practice word again… This post is inspired by this week’s #MUS654 topic Session 4: Studies and connecting material, and I wanted to liken it to conversation and listening, but there are differences. Although both are aural – spoken word and musical sound, we tend to engage with one very differently to the other. In speech there is a fluid dynamic. It is knowingly experimental and sometimes messy – wait, I didn’t mean that… no, no, it’s more like this… – In conversation it is entirely acceptable to present ideas and change them, or to present ideas and realise that they lacked clarity and then need to add detail.Read More »Making connections: speaking through the fabric of music
This article caught my attention when it came out and I bookmarked it…. I thought it was perfect for this week’s #MUS654 topic about studies… Read More »Well I never! No scales or studies?!?
(3 min read) I subscribe to ‘The Daily Stillness’ which is a collaborative, maker-type, Daily Create / Connect type activity that is based here. Today’s… Read More »Practice: Music, mind, & body
Cello cello cello cello cello
That’s where my brain is at the moment. Every year I do a recital at the University and every year there is a moment when I wonder why why why? I don’t have to. Nobody requires me to, it’s not part of my job. But somehow I need to. It is very important to me to put myself through the paces, to learn and do the same as I require the students to do, but it’s a balancing act and it’s no more easy for me than it is for them or anyone. It takes time. I’ve started waking up early, going to bed late, even waking up after everyone else has gone to bed. I think the music just creeps into your blood.
So
Practise practise practise! (or practice in ‘Americanish’ as my children used to say)
I very much enjoy the process, the sound, and having something to say – a voice – where I don’t have to have words. If you asked me what the music means, I wouldn’t have words, but it is full of meaning. I’m happy to talk about that, but maybe another time.Read More »Time to practice
This post is about learning, and what happens when learning is visible – to the learner and to others. (2 min read) This morning I… Read More »Did you hear me?
(2 min read) As a student I was a latecomers to seriously studying music, and as we know it takes a lot of practice to be… Read More »My scales story #MUS654
(1 min read) Yesterday I welcomed a guest for the day. We had both studied at Northwestern University a lifetime ago and we passed many… Read More »A breath of fresh air