ORCHESTRATING RECONCILIATION

Do you have to be really good to play that drum? 29 Feb, 2011
On the weekend, we were part of a gathering that was commemorating the third anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations, their families and communities. While we were sitting under a huge fig tree playing around with drums and untuned percussion, an elder remarked "You have to be really good to play this drum, don't you?"

That started me thinking about our expectations, and wondering whether people feel they can not meet societal expections to be as good as contestants on Australian Idol or other TV shows. Why do some people give up musicking in later life? On the other hand, what motivates people to keep playing music into their later years?

What happened to everyday sing-a-longs around the piano,  or 'tribal' music where everyone gets involved? The older folk used to help the young ones by showing them how to sing, dance and play at social gatherings; or even singing while they did things around the house, and at work.

Someone at the gathering said, "How old do you reckon this fig tree is?" No one could remember. Also thinking, how old are our music traditions? Does anyone remember them; particularly traditional Indigenous song, dance and languages? There has been such a loss of cultural traditions through colonisation.



When is it safe to go back into musicking?
The loss of Indigenous heritage and culture has been traumatic and had direct and indirect consequences for people across many generations and even into the future. The Orchestrating Reconciliation project takes up this discussion and explores how we can create new musical traditions through composing tributes to members of the Stolen Generations, their families and communities. We still have much to learn about the timing of our response and ways to promote healing and recovery at the personal and community level.

RESOURCES FOR CREATIVE COMMUNITIES - MUSIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE

KNOWLEDGE BASE: MUSIC HEALTH
Music Council of Australia: Music Forum article on Music Health by Sandra Kirkwood.


"MUSIC AS A NATURAL RESOURCE: SOLUTIONS FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC NEED COMPEDIUM"
The United Nations compedium outlines examples of music health projects that are occurring worldwide for community cultural development. It reveals that health professionals, music teachers, and cultural leaders are starting to address social health concerns through implementing  tailor-made programs with communities and people with unmet needs.

MODIFYING EVERYDAY ENVIRONMENTS....TO INCLUDE THE UNEXPECTED
The Piano Stairs U-Tube video demonstrates the potential of Music Health for enhancing people's lives. There seems to be more social interaction and physical activity when music is introduced.

MUSIC EXPRESSION: A PART OF DAILY LIVING
Public music making occurs in most, if not all human societies (Blacking 1973). Within tribal societies, people's involvement in music usually occurs throughout the lifespan and involves all members of society. Christopher Small (1998) coined the term 'musicking' to describe people's active participation in music events, and music as it is actually practiced by the human race. He argues that the verb musicking is needed to separate the action from commodities such as music scores or recordings. At the core of his philosophy is the belief that "to music  is to take part, in any capacity, in a musical performance, whether by performing, by listening, by rehearsing or practising, and by providing material for performance (what is called composing), or by dancing."

COMMUNITY MUSIC DEFINITION
In 1926, Joseph Erb defined community music in this way; "Community Music properly includes all forms and phases of music which serve the Community and grow out of it" Reading his article raises issues that sound strangely familiar to our contemporary situation. Erb states "the aim of a community music campaign shoud, in brief, be to create so widespread an interest in such a diversity of musical activities that every individual in the community may find an outlet and may be stimulated into musical expression" (p. 446). Erb recommends that musicians 'look about them' and adjust their actions to the spirit of the times. This implies a form of social action by musicians. It is interesting that Erb formulated this concept of community music directly after the first world war, when some freedom of musical expression was suppressed. The emphasis is perhaps on the importance of local leadership and freedom of expression in music.

CULTURAL LEADERSHIP
In community music, musicians take an important public role in cultural leadership that can extend beyond musical activities, to supporting the health and well-being of the whole community (Vaillancourt 2007, Stige 2002, Laycock 2005).

PLACE-BASED APPROACH TO COMMUNITY MUSIC
The place-based approach is a way of considering the music history, culture, specific needs and aspirations of people in a particular location and allocating resources to conduct programs that are tailor-made for local communities. The planning and distribution of resources is facilitated by cultural leaders who may be insiders or outsiders to communities in a particular place. The Queensland Government Department of Communities defines the place-based approach as "services and solutions that match the exact needs of the community (bottom-up) with the government coming  up with funds or designing a service in response." Community musicians can participate in the strategic planning for delivery of government and private services to communities. There is potential for health and music professionals to contribute to health and social needs analysis, and to evaluate the possible impacts of proposed initiatives on people, communities and environments. Business corporations are now expected to support local communities and to act in socially responsible ways, as would be expected of individual citizens.

There is such a diversity of approaches to community music, that each community can define the term in their own way.

REFERENCES:
Blacking, J. (1973). How musical is man? Seattle: University of Washington Press.

Erb, J. (1926). Music for a better community. The Music Quarterly, 12(3), 441-448.

Kirkwood, S. (2009) Frameworks of culturally engaged community music practice for rural Ipswich. M.Phil. thesis Griffith University. Retreived 28 February, 2010 from
http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/uploads/approved/adt-QGU20100407.135549/public/02Whole.pdf

Laycock (2005). A changing role for the composer in society. Oxford: Peter Lang.

Small, C. (1998). Musicking: The meanings of performing and listening. Hanover: Wesleyan University Press.

Stige, B. (2002). Culture-centered music therapy. Gilsum, NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Vaillancourt, G. (2007). Multicultural music therapy as an instrument for leadership: Listening, vision, process. Voices, 7, 1-13, Retrieved 18 October, 2007 from http://www.voices.no/mainissues/mi40007000236.php.

Over the 20-30 years since large residential institutions for people with a disability have closed, there has been increasing recognition of the importance of community arts and music for peoples' health and well-being, community development, education and social harmony. Research and developments are listed in order of currency, with the most recent findings appearing at the top.

ORGANISATIONS that support Arts and Health have a role in advocacy for policy development, training and education:

Arts and Health Australia

Arts Health Foundation

Community Cultural Development in Australia

Music Health Australia specialises in music and health, whereas the other organisations focus on arts in general.

All of these organisations have contributed to consultation on the National Cultural Policy which is under development by the Australian Government (2011).

DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP (2007-2008)

The National Action Plan to build on social cohesion, harmony and security includes community arts projects. There is potential for funding of community music programs through this project.


AUSTRALIA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS & MUSIC COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA RESEARCH (2007)

Arts-Health Demonstration Project (2007) was led by Dr David Sudmalis with input from the Brain Mind Research Institute (University of Sydney), Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (Monash University), Arts Access Australia, ArtsHealth: Research and Practice Centre (University of Newcastle), Alexandria Park Community School, and a Darlinghurst based Homeless Persons Support Service. Report available on Music, Social Health and Cohesion.

The activity appears to be primarily driven through Universities. The obvious stakeholders from peak health organisations and consumer groups have not yet been involved. While this is very worthwhile researach, there is the need for more national consultation and systematic mapping of Arts-Health initiatives in Australia.

THE NATIONAL RURAL HEALTH CONFERENCE (2007)

Arts-Health stream
This conference demonstrated the importance of community arts to health and well-being through performances and presentations. This resulted in Priority Recommendation 6, which states:

There is substantial evidence that arts activities are valuable both as a means of communication of health messages, as health promoting and community development activities, and as therapy. Commonwealth and State health authorities should therefore have substantial budget line-items for arts-in-health programs, including those that are already established and shown to be effective. In addition, the Australia Council should create a new program specifically for arts-in-health (http://nrha.ruralhealth.org.au/conferences/?OmtCatOd=9 ).

THE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS SCOPING STUDY (Dunn 2006)
In 2006, Ann Dunn was commissioned to complete an Australia-wide scoping study of community arts. Her findings validated the importance of the arts for health and well-being. The fourth recommendation of this study recommends that:
"The Australia Council should adopt national leadership initiatives in the three priority areas - health and well-being, education and the arts, and community harmony - as part of its Creative Communities Strategy."

Dunn also outlined national values for community arts practice:
* Arts and cultural practices are valued as an integral part of everyday life;
* Communties are valued as creators and active participants (not just consumers);
* Cultural diversity is valued as a foundation of innovation, creativity and artistic excellence; and
* Creativity and innovation are valued as means of engaging communities, building capacities, responding to issues and generating change.
Report available

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR MUSIC IN MEDICINE (ISMM) (1998)
ISMM sponsored the First International Music in Medicine conference to be held in the Pacific region at the University of Melbourne in 1998.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIRST NATIONAL ARTS IN HEALTH CONFERENCE (1995)
Papers presented at the first national arts in health conference: Darling Downs Health Services foundation, Toowoomba. This publication is available through the University of Southern Queensland library in Toowoomba. Michael Bishop has been a key leader in the field and instigator of arts health activiites. He wrote and directed the performance of the musical Lillian (1990), which was perfomed within the mental health sector by service users, staff and support workers in Toowoomba. Bishop also instigated the National Rural Health Conferences through SARRAH (Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health).

ZORBA THE GREEK: EXAMPLE

Chooky dancers, Elcho Island, Arnhem Land (Northern Territory, Australia)
The Zorba the Greek dance of the Chooky dancers became internationally renowned through the video clip that appeared on u-tube in 2007.

Traditional Greek dance version of Zorba

It must be community music because everyone's doing the Zorba the Greek dance, even Andre Rieu!

Mum, Dad and the kids are doing Zorba at home too.

A Guiness World Record attempt for Zorba the Greek dance on the beach

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CHURCHES AND SYNAGOGUES?
Michael Card's song "Listen," a new approach to christian community service internationally.