A four-week workshop series : spontaneous music, DIY field recording, soundscapes, community. Supporting everyday creativity and reflection.

(4 workshop series - purchase ticket for 2nd Nov for access to whole series)

Monday 2nd November 10am- 11.30am

Monday 9th November 10am- 11.30am

Monday 16th November 10am- 11.30am

Monday 23rd November 10am- 11.30am

Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Four weeks of adventurous spontaneous music workshops to explore and bolster our personal creative process - we'll work together in new ways, and collaborate on a sound piece which will debut at the Freedom Moving celebration at Gosforth Civic Theatre. Read on!

WHAT IS NEAR EARTH OBJECTS?

It's a daytime music workshop series bringing together aspects of improvisation , field recording, scratch orchestra and deep listening ideas, community music therapy perspectives and more in an accessible 4 week project.

WHO IS IT FOR?

The workshops are for adults of any age who are interested in exploring musical games, improvisation, spontaneous group composition and more. If you are feeling the need to connect with others and with your own creativity, and are willing to commit to doing interesting and unusual things with a like-minded group for 4 weeks, then it's for you. If you are someone interested in how musical improvisation and a reflective approach can support an existing creative practice, then it's for you. Click here to book. (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/near-earth-objects-workshop-series-tickets-1995914308425)

Please be reassured: no specific music or artistic experience required, just a willingness to gently step into the work together and attend to what happens. If you do play or create things, then by all means bring any medium or instrument you choose - there’ll be instruments and materials available, and space to share.

Click here to hear a short chat about the NEO project and what it's all about. (https://christopherminnis.substack.com/p/what-is-near-earth-objects)

WHAT WILL WE DO?

Through a series of workshops we’ll explore collaborative approaches to communal music making through playing and listening together, recording, finding unique ways into composing and directing the group, sharing our ideas and using ideas from different improvisational traditions, field recording, graphic and other non-usual ways to write out or inspire music and sounds, and explore the resources of the group members.

As the workshops go on, we will design very simple rituals and practices for ourselves to gather materials, and so lightly build everyday creative acts into our busy lives, bringing back inspiration and sonic ore to share and make art within the group.

As part of each 90 minute session we will capture some recordings of different pieces, which will be circulated as the ‘minutes’. These can be a powerful tool for reflection – on rehearing these things done with permission and intention, we are often pleasantly surprised and inspired by what we hear.

WHAT IS THE POINT OF ALL THIS?

Whilst practicing as a music therapist for the last 10 years, I have had many experiences of needing to recharge my creative battery, and to give myself permission to reconnect with the basic elements of play, connection and exploration. In my workshop practice I encourage people to allow themselves to do things together and work out the meaning collaboratively, and to embed a spirit of creativity and play through developing their own good creative habits.

So, a group like this provides a space to get together and hold each other gently accountable in taking our creativity seriously - as a key part of our own flourishing. It can be surprisingly hilarious, surprisingly moving - it can create music that we would never have imagined on our own. It is a unique workshop series drawing on a rich mix of approaches. Join us and find out !

WHEN?

10am-11.30am

Mondays throughout November:

2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd

WHERE?

Gosforth Civic Theatre

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

The 4 workshop series costs £60, payable as a single ticket. Eventbrite processing fee applies. Attendees are strongly encouraged to attend the whole series (there are no single tickets, as this is a process based group).

Description supplied by the event organiser.