I can’t help reflecting on a music experience which happened during the first meeting with the girls from Ringwood.
We decided to go to one of the participants home to do some filming. While the editing was being done, the participants asked me if i could play guitar. I had not played guitar in a long time and neither was i any good, but i said yes anyway.
They lead me into a room. It was small, 2 x 2.5 mts with two doors, i guess it was a through way. Inside the room was a drum kit, seat for guitar, keyboard, mics, old speaker and amp mixer. Along the wall was an old school white board. They asked me to play some guitar cords to a song they were working on. I jumped in and we were jamming. One person on the drums, another on the keyboard and me on the guitar, with the girls singing away. I expected the girls to ask me to stop playing but they didn’t. They were happy for me to fumble along strumming the wrong cords to their singing.
I then moved to the drums, where i banged along with a little improvisation of my own to their song. I realised something. In this makeshift room, this is where they create music. To them it was not a precious or structured space, it was a creative play space, where they played with music. I felt it was okay for me or anyone to play instruments badly in this room because this space was a welcoming space to participate and share the creation of music together. The shared experience of creating music together was the joy. I didn’t get the sense that they needed to frame or define the room, it was just there, an everyday space, which to me makes it special. The white board meant they obviously spending time constructing and rehearsing songs with creative focus to finishing and performing. I assume church concerts is where some, if not many of the songs have a public outcome.
I wonder how many other Karen house holds have a music space like this, in bedrooms, garages or corners, shared with friends cousins and family.
Dave
Filed under: David Nguyen's Blog, Karen
