Originally published in “Musik für Alle: A community music handbook”
June 2024 by Konzerthaus Dortmund

a project from konzerthaus dortmund community music & education
Funded by beisheim stiftung, deutsche bank stiftung, gelsenwasser stiftunG

A completely language free project for babies and their parents/carers.

Aims:

To play together and to be creative: everyone is an artist
To create music as a band
To build a community
To enable a moment of peace in a stress-free environment for the parents/carers.

Fully co-led by Marleen Kiesel & Matt Robinson.

The Space

Needs a good-sized room. Light. But with as few distractions as possible. Carpet on the floor is ideal but not essential. When not, make a circle of yoga mats with a small carpet or rug in the centre. A circle is marked out with colourful cushions in whatever case.

Konzerthaus Dortmund foyer is too big. Kindergarten classroom often too full. At the moment we use the floor of a local jazz club / café (but we remove all the furniture before each workshop).

The room to be set before anyone arrives. Coffee is already made, even though that’s for the end. There is space in the adjoining room for coats / prams etc.

Marleen & Matt need to be able to hold the space and see everyone as they arrive. Location in the circle and space from the beginning is critical. Drawing focus at all times. It is therefore also important that we sit together in this case. Then splitting up later in the workshop. This brings the focus into one singular place and doesn’t allow it to disperse. If we didn’t sit together, parents will chat and it will turn into a coffee morning social. Babies also struggle to see and can’t move heads easily, so it’s also confusing if the focus keeps changing, or the music and sounds come from somewhere else; is unsettling.

Pre-show

If the workshop starts at 9am then we’re sat on the floor quietly playing music from 8.45am (arriving at 8am to setup).

Welcome everyone into the space with a smile and a simple gesture. Give them permission to arrive and to breathe.

99.9% of the time this is all completely language free.

Be authentic, hold the space, ALWAYS BE ON EYE LEVEL OR BELOW. We never sit or stand above a participant. If they are sat on the floor then so are we. If they are lying on the floor, then so are we. This is essential from the very beginning. Build that world, build that trust.

Warm up

Finally. Everyone has arrived. We start.

Bring the pre-show music to a close. Stop. Instruments down and whilst looking around to the whole group take a big breath. Relax.

A note about instruments: before any workshop, work out where any instruments are and where you want them. What’s the most useful thing? Are they in a big exciting pile in the middle of the room? Maybe! This invites play and excitement. But this could lead to chaos. Are they hidden in the corner of the room ready (and tuned!) to be revealed later in a moment of almost theatre?

In this case they are visible, but behind us. Within arms reach. Instruments are coming, but not quite yet. Let’s do something else first.

This may feel like we’re leading too much here, that it’s not a fully democratic space… you might say. Maybe this is true. But it is your responsibility to ensure that absolutely everyone can participate, not just the bravest, the loudest, the most entitled. We therefore need to negotiate and moderate this space. We’re going on a journey together. You can do whatever you want - if you want to run around screaming or want to climb on us - fine! So long as the group is ok with that. In the same logic: instruments right now are probably not the right thing. But they are there if we collectively want. But there’s no active invitation… yet.

Let’s warm up. A little tiny song with a big stretch movement.

Repeat.

Maybe again.

Establish the idea of play but also calm. Also we sing together.

Do not teach any of this, just do very obviously and conduct with your body language.

Names & Welcome

If absolutely needed, here is a place to speak to the parents/carers and say hello! Join in! Welcome! But only speak if absolutely needed. Most of the time, it’s not.

Let’s then learn everyone’s names in a little song.

Everyone gets a moment to say their name and will be greeted with a hello and a cheery wave from the rest of the group.

(NOW IT’S) INSTRUMENTS

Reach behind - find something interesting - demonstrate the joy in it to the group. It could be a shaky egg, a frog giro, whatever, so long as it’s easy to play. Demo it and then with outstretched hand… offer it to someone. Allow them to take it in whatever time that takes.

Here you are establishing a connection with a person on an individual level…

Then move! Repeat this process with everyone in the group. Split up. Break the focus. Accept the noise and chaos. Instead focus on the individual connections.

TOGETHER

Now it’s time to play together and draw the focus back. This is probably a moment to be loud and big. Conduct the group in some free improvisation, but absolutely don’t wait for focus to start with. Instead, match the energy of the group, be then slightly bigger and other, then start moving things. Over a couple of minutes bring the energy down and the focus together. And then we start singing. (Unless! Someone else starts to conduct and take the lead! Then go with that instead!)

Sing and teach as you go, but don’t break the flow or the music. Once we’re comfy and jamming (be hyper aware through all of this), let go of the focus and allow others in the room to solo or conduct or whatever - we’re a band right now - so do that and enjoy it! It really doesn’t matter that the majority of us are 6-months old.

Move into the next song - probably high energy - let’s play!

We probably can’t maintain this energy for too long though. We’ll worry about this soon. For the moment though it’s fine.

Once we’ve peaked bring it to a big musical finale.

Breathe and allow any tension in the space to go.

Smile!

Slowly collect the instruments back. Same as before. Hands outstretched in an invitation to give back, it’s never forced.

This again loses the focus, but fine, we’re all slightly burned out from the play. So let it go - it’s a little break.

When we’re ready, grab a melodica / a violin / a beautiful instrument that you can play brilliantly, and we’ll play something lovely and quiet for you all. Something to chill out to before a final moment of collective energy and play. A little gift from us to you. 99% of the time when you get this right, the whole room will instantly fall silent in wonder. The trick is to be completely authentic and play with a quiet but deliberate intensity. As if you were a soloist of the stage of the Konzerthaus.

Final Energy

We probably have ten minutes left and there’s probably a little more energy left in the tank. So let’s use it! Re-energise the space - big and silly and then let’s sing and play. A silly song with a lot of movement, or a collective dance, or a game perhaps. Make a final highlight.

Keep it brief though - we’re tired now - and will burn out very quickly. So keep it light, quick, and end it as soon as you feel the energy turn.

Then, a final lullaby. Bring the energy right down and let the focus slowly drift. Some kind of movement is good - but keep it simple and soft - unlike the high energy thing beforehand - there’s no need to follow us. Do whatever you need to do as we calmly fade out to a breath, or a little single cymbal or chime, or a little wave. Allow yourself to hold the space and the collective silence one last time. And then it’s coffee and chill and a return to normality. We’ll come back to this little collective world together next week.

A Workshop Plan: Guten-Morgen-Musik