Two Programs:

Parent and Child Dance

Parents with children (1–4 years) have fun and engage with their children and each other through dance, playful physical contact, rhythms and songs in various languages from various cultures. Designed to inspire movement through observation, dance and creative exploration, these classes focus on child development through shared and attuned quality time.

Mom and Baby Dance

Mothers (dads/parents/grandparents/ guardians) and their babies ( 2–12 months) come together in a temporary community of music, gentle, playful physical exercise, creative dance expression, exploration and connection; simple activities designed to unlock, motivate and engage kinetic, physical energy, while being with one’s baby.

No previous dance experience is required. These classes are open to all mothers, fathers, and caregivers.

Why dance?

Mom-and-baby and parent-child dance offer benefits that support the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development of both children and caregivers. What makes dance especially powerful is that it nurtures the relationship itself while supporting individual growth.

For Babies and Young Children

• Strengthens attachment and bonding through positive physical contact, eye contact, and shared experiences.
• Supports brain development by integrating movement, music, rhythm, and sensory stimulation.
• Develops motor skills such as balance, coordination, spatial awareness, and body control.
• Encourages communication before language develops, helping babies express needs, emotions, and curiosity through movement.
• Builds emotional regulation by providing a safe, responsive environment where children can explore and return to connection with their caregiver.
• Fosters social development through observing and interacting with other children and adults.

For Parents and Caregivers

• Deepens connection with their child through joyful, present-moment interaction.
• Reduces stress and isolation, which can be particularly important during the early parenting years.
• Promotes well-being through physical activity, creative expression, and community support.
• Increases confidence in reading and responding to their child’s cues.
• Provides opportunities for play, helping parents reconnect with spontaneity, creativity, and pleasure.

For the Parent-Child Relationship

• Creates a shared language of movement and play.
• Strengthens attunement, helping parent and child become more responsive to one another.
• Encourages participatory interaction, where both parent and child influence and respond to each other in real time.
• Builds positive memories and rituals that can support family resilience and connection.

From a Developmental and Relational Perspective:

Dance is unique because it engages the whole person—body, emotions, imagination, and relationships. Through moving together, parents and children practice cooperation, empathy, turn-taking, mutual influence, and nonverbal communication. These experiences help lay the foundation for secure attachment, healthy development, and a strong sense of belonging.

For programs such as MamaDances, parent-child dance can also be understood as a form of relational learning: children develop through connection, and parents discover new ways of knowing, supporting, and enjoying their children through embodied interaction. The dance becomes not just an activity, but a space where relationship, creativity, and development unfold together.

Competencies for Parent-Child Dance Facilitators

Facilitators of parent-child and mom-and-baby dance create welcoming spaces where families can connect, play, and learn through movement. While facilitators come from diverse backgrounds, the following competencies are at the heart of effective practice:

1. Relational presence: The ability to be present, attentive, and responsive to both children and caregivers. Facilitators foster an atmosphere of trust, respect, and belonging where each family feels seen and valued.

2. Understanding Child Development: A basic understanding of how babies and young children grow, learn, and communicate helps facilitators offer experiences that are appropriate, engaging, and supportive.

3. Movement Facilitation Skills: Comfort leading simple movement experiences, using music, rhythm, play, and imagination to invite participation and exploration. Facilitators encourage creativity rather than focusing on performance or technique.

4. Ability and Responsiveness: The ability to adjust activities to meet the changing needs, interests, and energy levels of the group. Facilitators understand that flexibility is often more important than following a plan.

5. Inclusive and Welcoming: A commitment to creating environments where all families feel safe, respected, and able to participate in ways that work for them.

At the Heart of the Practice

More than anything, effective facilitators understand that parent-child dance is about relationships. Their role is not to teach families how to move correctly, but to create opportunities for connection, communication, joy, and discovery through movement.

With curiosity, empathy, and a willingness to learn, facilitators can help nurture meaningful experiences that support both children and their caregivers.

The Parent Child Program is composed of 16 different types of activities including: warm-up, hello song, action songs, gesture songs and dances, instrumental with vocal guidance, instrumental with song, crossings, circle dances, slow dance, object explorations, good-bye song.

The Mom and Baby program is composed of 10 different types of activities including: ways to begin, floorwork, transitions, studies in circle, travelling studies, choreographies to dane with babies in carriers.  

Sample Activity with Focus on Music Making (see PDF):

A sounding study which involves improvising on a 6 Beat Loop. 

This is a study that can be done with any age group. It comes from the MamaDances Parent and Baby Dance Program and is used as a way to begin/ an ice-breaker/ a warm up that proceeds dancing. It not only teaches rhythm and improvisation but also allows the facilitator to assess the skill level of the participants and the group.

It is appropriate for anyone with little or no experience in music, dance  or improvisation.

It is best to be done in small spaces and the volume can be varied, so it can be done in spaces that don’t necessarily have sound insulation.

It works well in groups with up to 15 participants.

It is meant to be playful, incite laughter and have fun.

Objectives: 

• keep a beat
• have fun
• be silly
• listen
• create
• make sound collectively
• make sound individually
• learn to improvise
• warm up and groove

It is influenced by my experience with beat box, flamenco and body percussion combined and simplified for beginners.

The post Rhythms of Connection with MamaDances appeared first on CNMN.

Key Processes

The Fountains of Uke program includes a total of six visits between facilitators and participants. This helps achieve the goal of intergenerational connection by having multiple opportunities for participants to interact. It also allows program facilitators to tailor their musical activities to the specific personalities within their program group.

While there is one overarching goal of this project (intergenerational connections through music), there are multiple means to this end. Music is used in a variety of ways within the program to foster connections.

Why the Ukulele? 

Ukulele (“Uke” for short) is part of the name of the program because it is one of the main ways that music is used in different activities within the program. The ukulele is part of the elementary music curriculum in Ontario, which means that elementary school participants get to take their learning outside of the formal classroom to a community space. The ukulele is an accessible instrument as it can be used in multiple ways (strum open, play like a drum, play collaboratively with a friend, etc.) which makes it a great option for fostering connections between program participants.

Facilitator Competencies

Program facilitation skills: facilitators of this program must have excellent program facilitation skills, as they are managing multiple people with diverse interests, needs, and capacities. Typical group sizes are 6–10 elementary students and 3–8 older adults per group.

Interpersonal skills: communicating effectively with participants and co-facilitators is a critical skill to be a successful Fountains of Uke facilitator. Recognizing and supporting folks through emotions or memories that come up during music-based programming in a dignity-giving way helps ensure the program space is comfortable and safe for all.

Creativity: Facilitators get to know their participants during the first sessions. Thinking creatively about how to infuse future program activities with participants’ interests and skills can help build rapport and connection between the generations.

Sample Activities and Program Structure #1

1 — Welcome and Introduction Activity – “this or that MUSIC”. Facilitators bring photos or sound clips of two (or more) opposing musical entities. Participants pick their choice from the two or more items, and discuss. Facilitators may prompt participants to pick their favourite choice, least favourite choice, most interesting choice, etc., based on the needs and capacities of the group. For example, facilitators could share a photo of a symphonic orchestra playing and a photo of a person playing a ukulele on a beach. A second example, two sound clips: one of a song potentially more familiar to the older participants (Elvis, Glen Miller, Bing Crosby, etc.) and a song potentially more familiar to the students (Disney hit, mainstream pop, movie soundtrack); you may also choose two different songs familiar to the older adults, the children will have important reasons for their choice even if they are not familiar with the music! Facilitate discussion once all participants have shared their choice. Divide into small groups as appropriate.

2 – Music Bingo – divide the group into multiple intergenerational teams. Using pre-made bingo cards with song titles or artists or lyrics from songs, invite each group to fill out their bingo card as the facilitators play excerpts from a pre-arranged playlist. This activity can be extended beyond the first team who gets bingo by setting a goal of having a team achieve the most number of squares.

3 – Ukulele Show and Tell – elementary student participants partner with an older adult with the goal of introducing their ukulele to them. Depending on the age of the elementary students, facilitators may provide a short lists of all the “elements” of the ukulele to share with the older adults (for example – strings, tuning pegs, body, frets, specific chords). In subsequent sessions, this could be scaffolding for a Learn A Song Together activity.

4 – Goodbyes and Closing – intergenerational pairs are invitied to share one thing they learned or appreciated about the session. They are then invited to share something they are looking forward to about their next visit. Facilitators complete an all-group wrap-up.

Sample Activities and Program Structure #2

1 – Welcome and Introduction Activity – facilitators play 3 x 1‑minute excerpts from upbeat songs and invite participants to have a dance party. Depending on the group and individual capacities, facilitators may invite elementary students to dance through the group and find and wave at one of their older adult friends from the previous visit. If appropriate, this can be an open-ended free dance party for all participants and facilitators.

2 – Learning a Song Together – divide the group into several intergenerational teams. If possible, a 4:2 or 5:2 ratio of children to older adults seems to work well. Hand out large print chord/lyric sheets to a song familiar to the older adults, such as (but not limited to): You Are My Sunshine, Row Row Row Your Boat, Skip to my Lou. Ensure that the chords used in the song are ones that the elementary students are learning in their music class. Connect with the elementary music teacher to review song choice and associated chords. The goal of the activity is for the children to learn to play the song on their ukuleles, with the support of the older adults, who can sing along, hold the chord/lyric sheets and point to where the kids are in the song, etc. Facilitators may need to provide varying levels of support to each group, depending on their capacities, connections forming, and comfort on the ukulele and singing! Provide supportive eye contact, encouragement, and direct facilitation as needed.

3 – Performance – invite each small group to perform their song for the rest of the participants and facilitators. Depending on the needs of the group, you may choose to have one large-group performance, or several small group performances. Facilitators can support performances as appropriate.

4 – My Musical History – working in the same intergenerational groups, the goal of this activity is to talk about musical experiences that have been meaningful to each participant, and to move from structured prompt-based conversation into more free-flowing conversation. This will indicate bridging of intergenerational gaps. Facilitators can provide several cue cards to each group, with one discussion prompt written on each card. For example, here are three discussion prompt ideas: 1) What musical instrument(s) have you played before? If you have not played an instrument before, what instrument would you be interested in trying? 2) What is a memory in your life that has music as a part of it?  3) What does music mean to you? You can invite each group to work through the prompts at their own pace.

5 – Goodbyes and Closing – working in the same groups, participants are invited to share something they learned during the session today and share their goodbyes. Facilitators complete and all-group summary and closing.

Practical Advice for Implementation

Partnership considerations: it is ideal to engage a school and a care home that are in walking distance from each other. This allows the elementary students to walk to the care home for program sessions, reducing financial and logistical barriers to program participation.

Scheduling: consider that both the school and care home may have schedule constraints. Build in lots of time to confirm the schedule with leaders at each space prior to a target start date.

Contingency planning: it is very possible that sessions will need to be modified or rescheduled for various reasons (outbreaks and inclement weather to name a few). Maintaining good communication with contacts at the school and home leading up to sessions will ensure all parties are on the same page about the plan. Get creative if you face barriers. For example, if inclement weather prevents the kids from travelling to the care home, consider sending some facilitators to the school and some to the home so that all participants can still engage in a modified program.

The post Fountains of Uke appeared first on CNMN.

When working with my youngest groups at James Lyng, I most often start by having them identify a song they want to model their original song after. It helps if they have already learned to play the song, as familiarity with its notes and chords makes them more active participants in songwriting. We begin by discussing many of the song’s qualities, including lyrics, feel, vocal phrasing, key, and chords, as well as which qualities the students most want to emulate.

Creating a Foundation

To start the creation process, I will guide student groups to create either a chord progression or a riff as a foundation for their song. The group will decide which direction to start in, informed by their chosen song.

• Creating a Chord Progression: There are two principal ways that I have students come up with a chord progression.
  • The first is to encourage students to rearrange the chords of their chosen song into a new progression. I often have students plug headphones into their amplifiers so they can hear only themselves. A period of experimentation is followed by a period of sharing.
  • In the second approach, I guide the chord-creation process more actively. Using my guitar, I show the students the key center of their chosen song and demonstrate the key’s diatonic chords, reciting the scale degrees associated with each chord as I play. I do not include the diminished chord of the key as an option (VII chord in major keys, II chord in minor keys). I recommend that the group start their chord progression on the tonic chord, as that is the convention in pop music. I ask students to suggest a second chord. I will play the transition between the tonic chord and their chosen chord. We will audition several chords until the group chooses one. We will then audition a third chord, and so on, until we decide on one or two 4- or 8‑bar progressions.
• Creating a Riff
  • In the past, I have had one or two motivated guitar players who have created riffs independently and shared them with the group.
  • Alternatively, I will teach the group the scale associated with their chosen song by rote. This will be followed by a period of experimentation with headphones plugged into their amps, and then a period of sharing.

Creating a Mock-up Recording

After establishing the song’s foundation, I will teach the group how to play the chord progression or riff. We will jam on the new element, often adapting strumming and drum patterns from their chosen song to the new context. Additionally, I will create a mock-up recording in a DAW. I will program virtual drums in the DAW based on the new drum part and overdub guitar and bass to match what the group is playing.

This living document will serve many purposes. It will allow students to develop vocal melodies without the added burden of playing their instruments. It will also serve as the basis for our classroom recording. I find that many young drummers who have difficulty playing to a click track will find it easier to play to a mock-up recording.

Creating Lyrics and Vocal Melodies

The process of creating lyrics and vocal melodies is often intertwined, and I try to have students guide the activities as much as possible. I find the following techniques reliable at this stage:

• Singing over the mock-up recording: I often have the students collectively create a single rhyming couplet to establish vocal phrasing. An intuitive student singer can try singing the lyrics over the mock-up recording. I will often record successful attempts so we can audition them in the following class.
• Improvising melodies on the keyboard: Most DAWs can transpose a VST instrument, allowing students to play freely on the white keys regardless of the song’s key center. I often have students take turns improvising over the full song while recording in MIDI. In the following class, the group will listen back to the recordings and identify the strongest melodies.
• If students are having difficulty establishing lyrical phrasing, or if they are unsatisfied with the phrasing, have them sing or recite the lyrics to other songs they know, including their chosen song, over the mock-up recording. They cannot keep these lyrics, but the process may inspire phrasing they are satisfied with.
• I sometimes guide students to create an internal rhyme in their initial rhyming couplet, which establishes an ABAB rhyme scheme. This gives them the option to try the lyrics at halftime, for example, over 8 bars instead of 4 bars.
• I often email my students a mixdown of the current mock-up track and ask them to write lyrics on a specified theme for homework. Even if what they bring does not match the song’s initial lyrical phrasing, it can be adapted in class. Having a wealth of potential content on a shared theme helps keep the process moving.

Grade 7

The songwriting process with this year’s Grade 7 cohort followed these steps fairly consistently. This group had previously chosen to learn “Sweater Weather” by The Neighborhood, and they chose to model their song after it. To help generate ideas, we discussed many aspects of “Sweater Weather,” including its lyrics, feel, vocal phrasing, key, and chords. I presented the diatonic chords of the song’s key on guitar while reciting their scale degrees. After auditioning several chord combinations, the group settled on two possible progressions.

To prepare for the next class, I recorded both chord progressions in a DAW. I had willing students take turns improvising on the white keys of a transposed piano keyboard while I recorded their ideas via MIDI. During the same class, we began discussing lyrical themes that matched the mood of the chord progression. Over several classes, we worked to create lyrics. Students brought content they had created at home, and we worked to mold it into consistent phrases that fit the song’s structure. Once a consistent lyrical framework had been established, we revisited the melodic fragments students had improvised on the keyboard, auditioning them with the newly written lyrics. While the students responded positively to several of these melodies, the singer ultimately gravitated to another melody that she developed intuitively. The group felt that this melody suited the song and her voice, and it became the song’s vocal melody.

To complete the lyrics, we established a small “lyric committee” that met twice after school to finish the text. Throughout the songwriting process, we also took time to practice the chord progression and develop instrumental parts to support the melody and lyrics. These instrumental parts borrowed significantly from “Sweater Weather,” especially in the verse.

Here is my conversation with Grade 7 students Rocklyn and Emiliah about creating their class song.

Grade 8

When working with this year’s Grade 8 band, I used some of the same strategies but left more room for student autonomy. The band decided to model their original song after “Blink Gone” from the anime series “Alien Stage,” which they had previously played. Because the verse of “Blink Gone” is built around a guitar riff, I asked the students to plug headphones into their amplifiers and compose their own riffs. Although I did not explicitly show them the song’s scale (Cm), we had just played it together, and almost all the students intuitively gravitated toward its tonal center. During the sharing session, I recorded each of their riffs and later transcribed them into tablature so the band could learn and experiment with the ideas in the following class.

Both the students and I were surprised by how naturally the riffs could be layered over one another, and the group quickly formed a loose song structure. Two students in particular wanted to write lyrics and melodies, and they chose to do so instead of another classroom assignment. One student quickly wrote lyrics and composed a vocal melody. The other struggled to find words and melodies that met her expectations.

During our conversations while we tried to establish a vocal melody, she mentioned she wanted it to sound more like Mitski’s “Washing Machine Heart.” I encouraged her to sing the song over the mock-up recording of our original song. The first fragment of Mitski’s melody fit very well, but in its new context it was almost unrecognizable. This felt like a breakthrough, leading her to finish the melody and lyrics.

In this audio excerpt, I speak with Grade 8 students Téarrah and Gab about writing their class song.

Grade 9

This song is from one of my Grade 9 bands. The group is really just a duo that regularly plays with me, or sometimes with student musicians from other grade levels. Both members are exceptional improvisers, which is wonderful, but it also can present challenges. It can be difficult to get them to commit to an idea and develop it into a song. To help focus their efforts, I insisted they write lyrics, as I felt doing so would anchor their musical ideas. I scaffolded the lyric-writing process using some of the steps described in this post. Although the results were mixed, I feel that these structured lyric-writing sessions led them to discover their own alternatives. After several weeks of struggling to develop lyrics, a particularly productive session with the drummer yielded a full set of lyrics and melody for the verse and chorus, after which the rest of the song fell into place.

Here is my conversation with Grade 9 students Logan and Quinn about their original song.

Grade 10

This final song is from one of my Grade 10 bands. Two of its members are dedicated musicians who regularly spend their lunch hours in the school’s music studio, and much of the song was written outside class time. Both students brought musical ideas they had developed at home to be integrated into the class song. As a teacher, I provided very little guidance on creating music, but I sometimes helped them find ways to bridge their musical ideas. I also helped them create the song’s overarching structure. I took a more active role in scaffolding the lyric-writing process, drawing at times on some of the strategies described in this post. While the lyrics the group wrote through this structured process had conventional phrasing, the band’s singer subverted that phrasing when singing them. He also added his own vocal melodies through improvisation.

This is my conversation with Grade 10 students Dean and Jahvon about writing their original song.

The musical examples in these recorded conversations are rough mixes. To listen to the complete songs by these and other James Lyng students, visit www.upnextrecordings.com.

The post Guided Group Songwriting appeared first on CNMN.

Rather than asking children to perform a pre-written work, the project invites them to participate in the creative process itself. Over several weeks, students immerse themselves in the world of contemporary opera through workshops where they explore music and stage creation as a space for play, ritual, and experimentation. Under our care, each group learns to master stage practices by working on presence, movement, voice, and the conceptualization of ideas. The project aims to develop self-confidence, active listening, and personal expression through a shared artistic experience.

“If you could create anything, in a world where the only limit would be your imagination, what would it be?”

This question lays the foundation for a space of absolute trust that we seek to establish in our projects in order to nurture children’s creative essence as well as their relationship to new music and the opera of tomorrow.

The underlying themes we discover when listening to the voices of tomorrow in participatory music are not about taking risks or fear of the unknown. Rather, they revolve around genuine human connections and a thriving openness to new experiences.

Operas’ synopsis

Paréidolie (2023) (Pareidolia): a look at the collective nature of our species across space and time, where messages revealed through the clouds prompt us to reflect on our personal development.

Fioles de rêve (2024) (Vials of Dream): an exploration of lucidity in dreams, the various human qualities that can flourish there, as well as a study of flow objects to highlight the colorful landscape of the dream world.

L’ombre ailée et la licorne des mers (bulbe d’infini) (2025) (The Sea Unicorn and the Lesser False Vampire (Seed of Infinity)): a healing journey through the use of the elements of water and air, as well as our star animals: the bat and the narwhal. A dive into symbolism and memory to find inner strength and peace.

Dépêche-toi (2026) (Hurry Up): a manifesto on time in the school ecosystem, where children and adults try to press a magic acceleration button to complete their activities. In the end, is it really effective?

Project implementation timeline (13 weeks)

The work is created during a 12-week residency in a school setting. Students participate in the creation of the opera and take part in its public performance, accompanied on stage by Maxime and an ensemble of professional musicians, as well as by Véronique and a dedicated technical team both backstage and in the control room. 

Meeting with the groups and introduction to the theme | Week 1

Exploratory activities (theme, music, opera, voice)

Story development | Weeks 1–6

Experimentation with musical, textual (libretto), and choreographic material

Creation of compositions based on the experiments | Weeks 5–7

Finalizing the libretto and sharing the first pieces with the students

Performance work and collaborative creation | Weeks 7–10

Assigning roles, character development, staging (drawing inspiration from discussions with students and group interactions to finalize the pieces)

Connecting the work to our reflections on the theme | Weeks 9–12

Refining the musical material, developing a sense of connection to one’s character, and staging work

Visual design | Weeks 3–12

Creating symbols that contribute to the visual aspect of the work (on-stage projections) and costume elements

Rehearsals for the performance | Weeks 11 and 12

Public Presentation | Week 13

This public presentation is made possible through a partnership with Le Vivier, an organization specializing in contemporary music. The project has also received support from the “La culture à l’école” program of the Quebec Ministry of Education (MEQ), as well as from the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications (MCCQ) and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.

Excerpt from our logbook

Logbook

Planning and Revealing, Week ___

GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

- Three well-being-focused questions to answer, followed by each student taking turns to share:

- An object that helps you refocus

- A comforting place

- A soothing activity you do to calm yourself down

CREATION
- Draw a picture representing the project that will be used in the video presentation
- Draw from a deck of vocal game cards and explore with the groups
- Chant selected slogans as a group with very intense piano accompaniment (the voice must be louder than the piano)

REFLECTION
- The more organized we are with a clear and shared plan, the more we can experiment and discover things (openness)
- Giving children decision-making power connects them to the project
- Vary the approaches across the three groups to avoid repetition and better listen to the group’s needs and ideas

CHALLENGE
- To engage a non-participating student: stay close with kindness and participate with the group until they feel connected. (for example: during the choir)

Contact

Maxime Daigneault [daigneault.maxime(at)gmail.com]

Véronique Girard [veronique.d.girard(at)gmail.com]

The post Inner Voices {Voix intérieures} appeared first on CNMN.

For each performance, a local organizer assembles a group of 16 gong players, who receive a detailed preparation package—including hand signals, performance commands, and instructional videos. On the day of the event, Tatsuya Nakatani leads an immersive workshop, guiding participants as they practice with the instruments, refine their techniques, and learn to respond to conducting cues, seamlessly integrating them into the final performance.

Nakatani travels with all necessary equipment, including his custom-made Kobo bows, mallets, gongs, and stands—ensuring each performance is fully supported by his meticulously crafted instruments. All the material is assembled the morning of the show by the hosting organization and the participating musicians.

On October 6, 2024, the ensemble made its Montreal/Quebec debut at La Sala Rossa as part of the FLUX Festival, a community initiative uniting key presenters and organizers in Montreal’s creative music scene.This concert was organized by the improvised/experimental music series and collective Mardi Spaghetti and facilitated by Raphaël Foisy-Couture, former executive director of the Canadian Music Network, in collaboration with the Participatory Creative Music Hub, Innovation en concert, and Arts in the Margins.

The Nakatani Gong Orchestra (NGO) is the world’s only bowing gong orchestra, founded and led by Japanese master percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani. A celebrated experimental percussionist, composer, and sound artist now based in New Mexico, Nakatani has been internationally active since the 1990s, releasing over 80 recordings and performing worldwide. Renowned for his innovative techniques on bowed gongs, drums, cymbals, and singing bowls, he is also an instrument maker, crafting the Kobo bows, mallets, and unique equipment used in his performances. Nakatani is also a dedicated educator, regularly conducting masterclasses at universities and music conservatories.

The performance showcased the NGO’s distinctive and mesmerizing sound.

Here’s an edited transcript of the presentation made by Tatsuya Nakatani following a solo performance preceding the NGO performance on that night:

[Loud applause]

Thank you very much for coming tonight!

My name is Tatsuya Nakatani, and I’m a percussionist. I’m originally from Osaka, Japan. I moved to the U.S. 30 years ago, and currently I live in Truth or Consequences, which is a southern New Mexico small town. I’ve been playing percussion all my life. I’m on tour. From New Mexico to here took me over two months.

[Audience laughing]

I left my house on August 5th, and I’m here today. I’ve been playing many places and I’m going back to the U.S. tomorrow. Tonight, actually! Tonight I’m driving back, and I’m going to go back towards New Mexico. 

[Impressed exhales from the public|

Tonight I’m opening for my ensemble. I have been playing a drum set since I was a high school kid. A drum set like: hi-hat, cymbals, etc. At some point I started shifting my interest to sound and more extended technique-based playing and I started playing solo percussions, and at the same time, I started bowing percussions. So in the beginning, I was using a bass bow, cello bow, violin bow, to bow on the the cymbals and the singing bowls. Around 2005, 2006, I started making my own bows, because a conventional instrument bow doesn’t work for the percussions. So I started inventing and testing prototypes. At that time I had in mind this gong orchestra project; “maybe It could be more”. So I’ve been working on this project since 2005. In my head, maybe since 2000. 

[Audience laughing]

It’s a long-time project, my lifetime project. And I started gong orchestra around 2008. It was a small ensemble, only four gongs. It’s expensive for an independent DIY musician to purchase these. 

[Audience laughing]

So I keep buying little by little, and today I have 16 gongs! Including me, there will be 17 gongs played to you. I think this is a lifetime experience, you know, 17 gongs in front of you. How many people have experienced that? 

[Audience laughing and cheering]

I’m going to explain a little bit, too. I’m Asian, and I’m from Japan. But these gongs are not from Japan, and these bows are not from Japan, either. And this music you’re about to hear is not from Japan. So nothing is about Japan. 

[Audience laughing]

I use only the timing, actually.  It’s in my biography, talking about the “Ma”. “Ma” is the timing. “Ma” is the spacing between A and B. So I use lots of ma, in my music. So everything is space and expand, and then using gravity to dawn. That’s the “Ma”. But it’s not about Japan. It’s not about any country or region. So my work is from nowhere. I live in the U.S., but I’m not American. I’m kind of away from Japan. I’m not Japanese, maybe. I don’t know [Tatsuya laughs]

So these are Chinese gongs. It’s called the Wuhan gong and it’s also called the Wind gong. It has a straight edge. Many Southeast Asian [countries] have gongs who varies from different region. Maybe some people here know more than me, but some have edges or nipples and specific tones. But this is a disc, just a bronze disc and I can change the pitches. The vibration is moving around inside. Sometimes it stays there, Sometimes it’s from the center. And sometimes I’m using two bows. Than two tones go inside the same gong, and it becomes vo, vo, vo, vo, vo, vo, vo, vo, vo [imitating oscillation sounds]. The two beating with each other; that kind of effect as well. 

So I’ve been working on bows and gongs for many years. And I try to teach people and do my orchestral work. So today we have 16 local Montreal players. We did a workshop all afternoon. 

[Loud cheering from the audience] 

I prefer you to not have earplugs, because I’m very sensitive about the sound. When I go to rock shows, I always put on earplugs.  But for this, at some point it’s loud. It’s really loud… It’s incredibly loud I’ll tell you! 

[Audience laughing]

But it’s not forever.  

[Audience laughing louder]

It’s not a constant. It’s just one moment. You just observe whole vibrations, and that’s the best. Not just from the ear. Your organs, your skin, your bone, your hair is listening to this as well. So that’s my project. It’s a vibrational project.

Maybe you can tell if you [record] with an iPhone or a smartphone to capture it when you’re back home:  “it was great, I want to post on my Instagram!”. And then it sounds like biiiiiiiipppp (imitating the sound of a flatline). 

[Audience laughing]

It’s not a sound. It sounds different. It’s a vibration. So you are here. You are about to experience it. And it’s pretty difficult to capture with microphone and recordings. But it’s live. It’s air. And you are alive here. So I hope you enjoy it. 

[…]

Thank you so much for coming again.

[Audience cheering]

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The musicians for this Montreal edition of the Tatsuya Nakatani Gong Orchestra were:

Geneviève Ackerman, Miel Azevedo, Annabelle Chouinard, Soledad Coyoli, Marilou Craft, Susanna Hood, Atsushi Ikeda, Chloe Jackson-Reynolds, Pablo Jimenez, Jean Néant aka Joni Void, Shota Nakamura, Roxanne Nesbitt, Fahmid Nibesh, Helios Paradis, Christelle Saint-Julien, and Tahlia Stacey

Comments from the Montreal participants: 

It was a true joy to participate in the immersive encounter with Tatsuya Nakatani and with such a wide array of musicians from the improvised music community. It felt like a rare gift to learn and then perform together in this way, having enough time to really enter into and taste another musician’s world and then to put that experience into practice with an audience. It was nourishing personally, musically, and in tangibly feeling creativity as and in community. I am very grateful.  — Susanna Hood

It was one of a kind experience. Playing a big gong was physically way tougher than I could imagine but I was happy to be included to such a special opportunity. I liked Tatsuya’s passion. — Shota Nakamura

Thank you so much for the opportunity. It was a really cool experience to play with so many different musicians from different backgrounds but in such a novel and unified way, learning to read those wild cues together — Atsushi Ikeda

The experience of the Tastsuya Nakatani Gong Orchestra was powerful and deeply moving, Such a communal musical plunge into the world of vibrations is enough to leave shivers of happiness between the ears for a long time! It was a workshop and a concert of kindness and simplicity, in the pure joy of sharing otherworldly sounds. Long live this marvellous project, which I hope I’ll have the good fortune to witness again along the way. Thank you for everything! — Annabelle Chouinard

During this day of preparation, I had the chance to immerse myself in the world of the percussionist, through his precise knowledge of his precious and massive set of very special gongs. I lent my body to the experience in an attempt to draw the right vibrations from these instruments, and I have to say that physically it was a challenge, but one that was duly rewarded by the direct contact of the reverberations and the synergy of the ensemble in the moment. This performance and the person of Tatsuya continue to influence me in my own performances since October 6, 2024. -  Helios Paradis

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Thanks to Li Qi for filming this performance.

Thanks to Elaine Graham and Adam from Mlynello Art Mlynello for the pictures of the event.

__

The Canadian Premiere of the Tatsuya Nakatani Gong Orchestra took place on Thursday, June 15th 2017 at The Mount Community Centre in Peterborough.

It was facilitated by musician and organizer Bennet Bedoukian

The gong players were Bennet Bedoukian, Melissa Baldwin, John Climenhage, Jean-Paul Contois, Sylvie Dasne, Stephen Disher, Rob Fortin, Matt Greco, Joelle Levesque, Megan McAndrew, Leigh Macdonald, Susan Newman, Rick Sloukji, and Noah Gerard Vandelinde.

The post Nakatani Gong Orchestra — A community orchestra ringing everywhere appeared first on CNMN.

Materials:

White coffee filters (3 per star chart)
Black permanent marker
Colored washable markers (no black and brown)
Spray bottle (with water)
Pencil

Instructions for making an imaginary star chart:

Listen to a piece of music from Dark Sky Preserve, an album and book by Ian Ferrier, Louise Campbell and Sarah Beth Goncarova that explores the ways in which we connect and disconnect from ourselves and others in our search for our place in the universe.

Step 1:

On a surface that can get wet, flatten three coffee filters on top of each other. Draw dots on the top coffee filter using black permanent marker. The dots can be in a random pattern and of different sizes, or in the form of a familiar constellation. The effect will be of a star chart.

Step 2:

Draw abstract shapes and lines in and around the dots using a variety of colored washable markers. Colours can touch and overlap.

Step 3:

Holding the spray bottle one foot away from the coffee filters, spray the top coffee filter with a light mist until the colours bleed into one another.

Tip – too much water sprayed too close to the coffee filters washes out the ink. Spray lightly once or twice, then watch the ink bleed before deciding if more water is needed.

Step 4:

Peel the coffee filters apart, and place on a flat surface to dry.

Step 5:

Each coffee filter represents a unique constellation, with the black dots as stars and the colours as aurora borealis. As you listen to the music, what do you see in your night sky? Is there an animal, a bird, a person, or perhaps a mythical creature? What is it doing? Is it holding an object? What is its name? What story does it have to tell?

Once the coffee filters are dry, use the dots and colours as a guide to sketch a different constellation on each coffee filter using a pencil. Trace the pencil lines with a permanent marker.

Optional:

Many musicians have made music inspired by the cosmos. Listen to music of your choice and make more coffee filter constellations. Place the resulting coffee filter constellations in relation to each other to form your own version of a night sky.

To go further and create your own music inspired by the night sky, contact: mlouisecampbell@gmail.com

The post Stories of the night sky appeared first on CNMN.

« solidARiTy » as a format requires rather simple conditions which can be appropriated by most to create their own musical interventions in public space. 

What is needed: 

1. A sculpture or structure* of which the materials it is made of resonate when struck.

2. A group of people to participate (2 or more): the participants don’t need music training but they should be able to follow instructions and execute (though not necessarily perfectly) at least simple rhythmic patterns and coordination. 

   1. Must have basic mobility to stand or be close enough to the sculpture in question;

   2. Must be able to use an object to strike the sculpture softly;

   3. Recommend ages: 8+

3. One or two group leaders (depending on the size of the group). The group leader ideally is a drummer or other musician who has a certain facility with rhythmic motif invention and textural exploration, group conducting and structural improvisation. 

4. Soft mallets** (a single mallet or a pair) per participant

HOW-TO:

The musical structure involves a basic “follow the leader” or call-and-response format. In its most basic form, the group leader is responsible for inventing the rhythmic motifs that the group will then copy and play in unison. Depending on the size of the group and the ability of each participant, the performance can break into sub-groups playing contrasting material, thus enriching or complexifying the sonic landscape. Texture and tone are rich parameters to explore in addition to rhythm alone. Each sculpture or structure will offer its unique timbre to play with. 

Improvising is, for some, the simplest way to go about this musical intervention. However, some leaders may choose to prepare their motifs or ideas in advance. 

Essentially, this format can be used simply for the joy of music-making and sonic exploration and collective creation, or it can also stand as a pretext or combined effort for a political action and expression. I believe the form and proposition is simple enough that it can also be adapted to various contexts and needs.

*Disclaimer: some sculptures existing in public space may not actually be of public ownership. Interact at your own discretion and be prepared to explain your activity to private security guards or law enforcement. 

**Using soft mallets protects the structures from scratching or denting. 

My process: How I came to organise « solidARiTy »

Over the years, I’ve made a habit of “hitting” on pretty objects to see how they sound. I’ve come to spontaneously explore a variety of resonant sculptures in this way, and this has remained a personal enjoyment and curiosity. In particular, I have been enamoured with the Riopelle Fountain “La Joute” for many years because of its imposing size and beauty, and to the particularly varied and rich timbre from the bronze it is made of. I fantasized about a large scale composition utilising live performers and roboticized mechanics for performance… but all these fantasies were rather out of my reach. I tried to imagine a simpler way to interact with the sculpture, but was caught in the weeds of wanting to “compose” something.

At the same time, I felt a rising need to use music in the public space to express solidarity for the many atrocities of today. For me, I felt most outraged about the genocide in Palestine and deportations of migrants in the US and beyond, though there is no shortage of injustice and violence in this world, and all struggles are interconnected. 

Suddenly, the two needs and desires collided. I could create music with the sculpture in the context of a spontaneous political action. Using improvisation for the music expression was the easiest way to get the idea off the ground and to get more people involved in an uncomplicated format that required little to no preparation. In this way, I could also solicit musicians and non-musicians, which was more pertinent to the political and collective intention of the intervention. 

The political aspect of the work came down to wearing banners we made at an earlier date during performance so that passers-by would know what we were evoking, and to make it clear that we weren’t simply making music for the joy of it (nothing wrong with that though!). Spontaneously, and through the chance of circumstance, voice, singing and chanting became a large part of this performance. As I had made it known prior that this was a possibility, and as I knew the potential of the people participating, I was not surprised that it happened. However, I was surprised at how it happened, what transpired, and the emotional potency of the moment. 

Capturing it on video was intentional, as the goal was to widely share the action online, beyond the live moment witnessed by passersby and deeply shared by the participants.

The post solidARiTy : musical action in public space appeared first on CNMN.

About Unity Charity
Unity Charity programs are organized in three streams:

1. Inspire: performance-based single workshops offered primarily in schools to introduce youth to hip hop art forms as powerful tools for expression and overcoming challenges.

2. Engage: weekly community programs that build resilience, social networks and skills. These programs are led by peers and mentors.

3. Empower: advanced programs that work towards professional development and launching careers. The programs focus on building economic prospects, leadership skills development, and career exploration.

Featured Program: Rough Draft

Rough Draft is led by facilitator Adrian Bernard, and as part of the ‘Empower’ stream is an incubator program to help MCs launch their careers. The program focuses on developing technical and business skills in the music industry. Adrian brings in guests from the industry to support participants in developing professional aspects of recording, writing, performing, and career building. 

Competencies needed to facilitate well

Training in youth work: Unity Charity trains their artist-instructors in youth work and in conflict resolution.

Able to hold space for participants: facilitators need to be able to balance skills development with holding space and building community. This means an awareness of when to slow down, take time just to chat, and build community among participants.

Continuous development of your craft: Facilitators need to be good at their own craft that they are teaching, and also continue to learn and get better at their craft. 

Support participants wherever they’re at: meet participants where they are at, support them to reach their goals.

What Does Success Look Like?

When participants are clearly enjoying themselves in the program, that’s a good session, and if participants keep in touch with each other after the program ends, that’s program success. Success is also when participants have improved artistically through the program, developed their networks and professional skills, and developed their community. Long-term success is building self-expression and leadership, such as when former participants become leaders and board members at Unity Charity. 

View sections of the documentary: 

00:00 Introduction to Unity Charity and streams of programming

01:48 Rough Draft Incubator program

03:12 Importance of community in hip hop

06:37 Competencies artists need to facilitate

08:32 Indicators of Success

09:38 Hip hop as an art form and a culture

The post Unity Charity: Empowering Youth Through Hip Hop appeared first on CNMN.

Context for the Project

The project was led by Rosa John (Ciboney Taino Nation) and Melvin John (Plains Cree Nation), who describe the devastating impacts of colonization, and the role of music in healing. Melvin John describes how the connection to song, language and land was broken because of Canada’s residential schools. Participating artist Tony Duncan (Apache-Arikara and Hidatsa Nations) describes how the drum connects people to the heartbeat and to Mother Earth. Rosa John describes how children are the focus for Indigenous nations, at the heart of everything they do. 

Design of Naskwahamâtowin

The project used a mobile recording studio that visited four reservation schools each week for 12 weeks. Children at each school worked together to write and record songs with producer Cindy Paul. Children also worked with guest artists, such as Tony Duncan (flute player and hoop dancer) and Deb Houle (singer-songwriter). A therapist was always available at every session for participants.

At the end of 12 weeks, children from all four schools travelled to the Kehewin Native Dance Theatre studio for one week to create one final song: Mistatim, Cree for ‘horse teachings’. The children learned about horses and horse teachings from Equine Therapist Jody John (Plains Cree Nation), and got to ride a horse. Following those experiences, the children collectively composed the song Mistatim, writing the lyrics, and singing or playing instruments, which was recorded on site by Melvin John. A therapist was also on site for the week.

The song Mistatim is available through all streaming platforms under the name Nikamo Collective. The music video for Mistatim  is available on YouTube.

Competencies needed to do this work 

Listening: humans have two ears and one mouth to listen twice as much. Listening and being present is key to connecting well. In the sessions, be attentive to each kid and how they can and want to contribute. Let the kids do what they do best in their own unique way.

Be authentic: Be yourself, and follow through on what you promise. Kids know if you are not genuine. You need to know yourself and be comfortable with yourself to engage authentically with participants.

Build relationships that are culturally sensitive and specific: the project was successful in part because the team visited each school personally, and the weekly sessions happened at each school. This helped demonstrate commitment and built trust over time. The project worked because it was specific to that geographic areas and the specific Indigenous nations there. Any project working within Indigenous communities must be culturally sensitive to that area.

What does success look like?

Success can be seen in smiles, when the participants are clearly enjoying themselves. The project leaders saw kids offering to contribute more over the project. 

View sections of the documentary: 

00:00 Project introduction

01:22 Partnering with a non-Indigenous organization

02:36 Project design

03:12 ‘Mistatim’ horse teachings and song creation

04:28 Artists involved in project

05:36 Traditional Indigenous culture and healing

07:18 Key Aspects to Success of Project

10:56 Competencies and advice 

12:48 importance of community and children in Indigenous worldviews

The post Kehewin Native Dance Theatre: Healing through Songwriting for Indigenous Youth appeared first on CNMN.

Purpose and Context

CMSWR aims to build musical skills of children and youth as well as fostering relationships and building community. The school offers one-on-one music lessons and group music programs, all delivered by volunteer music teachers. 

Social service agencies refer kids to CMSWR, and families can also fill out a self-referral form. The school serves many families who are new Canadians, or who have come to Canada within the last five years. An additional 30% of participants are referred through mental health agencies. 

In addition to providing a variety of music programming, CMSWR also lends instruments to families to be able to practice at home, and has a nutrition program for families in the building when lessons are offered.

Structure of Lessons: Student-led learning

Music classes at CMSWR are student-led rather than curriculum-driven. Volunteer instructors get training to focus on meeting students where they are at, whether a student wants to learn classical repertoire, pop repertoire, or improvisation. Similarly some students want to learn an instrument to a high level of proficiency; other students are looking for enjoyment and connection. 

Activities

First lesson is the ‘get to know you lesson’. Try talking to the student about their favourite music; listen to some examples together. This helps bonding between student and teacher, and helps the teacher understand what the students likes to listen to and how they interact.

Working with neuro-diverse students requires different strategies within a music lesson, such as getting students on their feet, use visuals, and helping students focus on tasks.

Competencies to do this work well

Flexibility: teachers need to be adaptable and student-first, particularly in working with students from diverse cultures, with diverse needs. This sometimes means that teachers need to take their own egos out of the picture, as some students may not be there to become high-level musicians or may not respond to conservatory-style teaching methods.

Strong musicianship: teachers need to be proficient in their instrument, with a level of theory to support students with diverse interests and needs.

Able to connect with kids: instructors need to want to work with kids, and be sensitive to each student’s particular context. Instructors need to genuinely enjoy working with kids. 

Attitude that aligns with the school: instructors need to be able to work with kids and support them on their music journey. 

What does success look like?

Success will look differently depending on each student. In some cases, when a student feels motivated rather than discouraged, or figures out a particular skill. Longer term, success is when students continue to love music even after graduating from the program. 

Another indicator of success is seeing parents forming connections with each other, particularly immigrant parents connecting with other parents who speak the same language.

End-of-year concerts often show all facets of these successes, as students feel a sense of accomplishment in performing, and friends and family are gathering together to support and celebrate the students.

View sections of the documentary:

00:00 Overview of school

02:15 Social and musical goals of program

04:51 Student-focused rather than curriculum-focused

06:41 Competencies that teachers need

10:54 What success looks like

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