”The Blind Spot” in teaching ensemble playing …

1 DET JYSKE MUSIKKONSERVATORIUMS kovgaardsgade 2C, 8000 rhus academy of music The Blind Spot in teaching ensemble playing within rock and pop music (part 2) Turid N rlund ChristensenIntroduction:By using as a starting point Professor PhD Carl otto scharmer s ( Boston, USA) U-model theory for innovative project management and leadership, I seek to find new methods and tools for teaching ensemble playing within rock and pop music. The aim is hereby to enable the band/class to create an original expression and sound instead of a reproduction of the in part 2:I seek to attain a more profound understanding of the theoretical background for the U-model, and give it perspective by including theories from the areas ofpsychology, social science and management philosophy. The aim is to substantiate my teaching methods with a stronger theoretical Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi s (CGU, Claremont, USA) Theory of Flow is included to describe the journey through the U-model in an ensemble playing class Ole Fogh Kirkeby s (CBS, Copenhagen) distinctions between constellations and installations in approach to the event is included to describe: The level of attention needed from the students/musicians in the process.

2 The focus from the teacher/leader The aesthetics of the musical output when working with the U-model as the base for teaching ensemble playing within rock and pop PhD Carl otto scharmer s ( Boston, USA) U-model theory:The U-model theory for innovative project management and leadership describes the creative/innovative process in seven steps through the figure U. Fig. 1: The U-model by Prof. PhD scharmer , :Background:When teaching ensemble playing within rock and pop music, it could be considered a paradox that we often end up reproducing originals instead of teaching how to create an original expression and sound, when at the same time it is essential for the genre as an art form. When finally we succeed, we don t quite know how we did in part 1:I started to use the U-model as a guideline in teaching ensemble playing classes 5 years ago.

3 Subjects have mainly been students at DJM, The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus, and focus in teaching pop and rock ensemble playing based on the Theory U-model:Open action/downloading:Distil the songs presented to the class down to as little information as possible: Lyrics, a melody and maybe a key or maximum two chords. Everything else is up for negotiation. Seek a huge element of improvisation in the playing . A fixed arrangement isn t a goal. It should be kept as open as downloading so the focus is moved to listening at all levels and getting involved. Open mind/Factual:Discuss the lyrics in order to know exactly what to express in the songChallenge any clich and habit, personal as well as musical. Any arrangements or deals on what/how to play should have a natural source so it is simple and easy to remember and make sense . Shouldn t occur before step 6 in the focus should be on listening and responding.

4 Open heart/Empathetic:Make the students sense the emotions they want to from sensory theatre training is applied to access more physical and emotional experiences of sensing and up trust within the the students/musicians emotionally and socially engaged in the class. Focus on making it possible for the others to will/Generative:Their role is to take in in order to be able to send out , become a receiver and a transformer of musical impulse, to perform with a lot of personality and small egos Letting go of the wish to control the event Letting come what may. Presence in the music takes over and the notes start playing themselves through you. Flow focus has moved away from us on the stage and out to the audience , and the impulse from the emerging future. Data:Qualitative interviews with the students and their instrumental from the students and the of the :Concerts:Complex musical performances effected with clarity.

5 The classes looked, sounded and felt like a band. Communication and interaction was established between the band and the audience through the students approach to playing the from the students:It became an eye opener and a liberating experience. The stifling fear of not being good enough disappeared. It didn t matter what you played, but how and why you played. The focus was on the group performance, not on the individual. It never became :We often never get further than to level 2 (open mind) in our traditional ensemble playing classes. Partially due to the academic tradition of education: We talk and think. We rarely demand of our students to be emotionally through the U-model we go from being the focal point of the attention in the event to become the servant of it. This demands a change of attitude and new competences for both the teacher and the students.

6 To ensure the personal emotional engagement in the ensemble playing classes is being demanded and handled ethically correct, further research in the subject should be :Turid N rlund ChristensenAdjunkt / Lecturer, Det Jyske MusikkonservatoriumMejlgade 50, , 8000 rhus C, Denmark(+45) 86198826 U-model theory is moving focus away from the product and the process to the source ( The Blind Spot ) of the creative process and letting that be the starting point, leading towards the emerging future, instead of basing the process on past the model C. O. scharmer describes four corresponding fields of attention, or four different types of listening (fig. 2):Fig. 2:According to the U-model you need to access the 4th type of listening to make profound and innovative changes and results in a group performance. To access this level you have to work your way down through 4 layers of capacity:1.

7 Open action2. Open mind3. Open heart4. Open willOn your way down through the layers you may encounter four corresponding threats :1. Laziness/lack of responsibility for your own actions2. VOJ (voice of judgement)3. VOC (voice of cynicism) 4. VOF (voice of fear) At the fourth layer, open will, -you will be reaching a state of presencing (presence + sensing), where all you are and have become so far is going into a dialogue with your highest possible potential at that moment. That is what C. O. scharmer describes as getting in contact with the source ( The Blind Spot ) of the creative process. The inner space from which we re operating. A moment of letting go to make room for letting come . It requires an inner journey and hard work. An introduction to Carl otto scharmer s U-model can be found at: WillOpen HeartOpen MindSeeingwith fresh eyesSensing from the fieldPrototyping:co-create strategic microcosmsCrystallizing vision and intentionembodyingenactingletting-comePe rforming:achieve results throughpractices, 2004 ScharmerVOCVOJVOFD ownloadingpatterns of the pastWho is my Self?

8 What is my Work?Presencing connecting to SourceCo-sensing:Places and practicesof observationCo-presencing:Places and practices of stillnessCo-creating:Places & practicesof prototyping1)Fig. 1 & 2: from Theory U in Action: Leading from the Future As It Emerges , 17th Annual Pegasus Conference, November 4, 2007, Seattle by C. otto scharmer , MIT Presencing Institute photos by Martin Dam Kristensen ScharmerDownloading:Talking nice, politenessrule-reenactingDebate:Talking toughrule-revealingListening 1:Downloadinghabits of thought Listening 2:Factual, object-focusedListening 3:Empathic listeningListening 4:Generative listeningCentralized:Machine bureaucracyDecentralized:DivisionalizedN etworked:RelationalEcosystem:BaMicro:THI NKING(individual)Meso:CONVERSING(group)M acro:STRUCTURING(institutions)Mundo:ECOS YSTEMCOORDINATING(global systems)Hierarchy:Central planMarket:CompetitionDialogue:(mutual adjustment)Collective Presence:Seeing from the emerging WholeDialogue:Inquiryrule-reflectingPres encing:Collective creativity, flowrule-generatingField 1:Operating from the old me-worldField 2:Operating from the current it-worldField 3.

9 Operating from the current you-worldField 4:Operating from the highest future possibility that is wanting to emergeField Structure of Attentio