Hibernation

Hello, all!

After a long period of dormancy, I have returned from my blogging vacation, renewed and ready to share all of the goings-on of my day-to-day work. At school, we're in the midst of our rehearsals for Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Jr. I must admit - despite the measurable progress that the kids are making each and every day in their musicianship, this part of the process is quite unsettling for me - a period of time in which it's really difficult to see the forest for the trees. So...a question for you directors out there...When your process is spread out (sometimes agonizingly) over 6 months, how do you keep yourself engaged? What tricks do you have for keeping your eyes on the proverbial brass ring? Submissions welcome!

KP

Welcome to the Fray...

I just wanted to welcome Wendy Luck to our Collaborative Projects in the Performing Arts class. She brings a really unique world view as a performer and composer to the group that I hope will challenge me to think outside of my comfort zone. More of Wendy's work can be found on her website at www.wendyluck.com.

Welcome, Wendy!

Calling All Collaborators

Dear musician friends-

It's nearing that "time of year", and as the weather grows autumnal, my thoughts turn to the holidays. Last fall, I booked some studio time at a great little place in Williamsburg BK, and laid down a couple of holiday classics. I want to make this a tradition, and this year would love to work with some other people. Think of it as a collaborative compilation, a holiday card, or a cheap way to give gifts to the multitudes. I would like to book a date in late October ( to allow for processing and duplication), so please hit me up if you might be interested in adding your musical abilities to the mix!

If you're interested, e-mail me at Lmnopease@gmail.com

Let's Get Merry!

-Kevin

Collaboration Crash Test

Over the weekend I had a really interesting experience. I was attending a workshop in Manhattan
for Teaching Artists, and as we were all Theatre types, inevitably we were asked to participate in an
improvisation exercise.

I'd like to say that it was successful, but it simply didn't work. The relationships were weak, and so, ultimately, was the work.

This got me to thinking - how can total strangers hope to create art which is relevant or lasting if
they've only just met? Are there methods for taking an experiential approach that can actually result
in work which can exist outside of that particular moment in time?

In my Collaborative Projects class at NYU, we've done a couple of full-class improvisations, and the work we generated
was decidedly better - or maybe that's simply my perspective. In being able to see the work that we had created after-the-fact,
I'm sure that I found things in it that i hadn't in the moment.

Have any of you out there had similar experiences? Anyone have ideas as to how I can make my impromptu art-making
sessions feel more valuable?

HELP!

How do you feel about collaboration?

In the excellent class I'm taking at NYU (Collaborative Projects in the Performing Arts, with Dr. John Gilbert), we were assigned the task of familiarizing ourselves with iMovie.  The project was to be a few minutes long, and was to represent some aspect of collaboration.  I took the task directly to work, and  asked my students to reflect their feelings about  the collaborative process. Using images of their responses to my question, I created the short video below.  The music is Flight of the Bumblebee as performed by Yo Yo Ma and Bobby McFerrin, and is available on their disc of duets Hush. (One of my favorite collaborations, ever!)  Please let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

-Kevin

Life as Collaboration

Have you ever stepped back a moment, only to realize that you are taking something completely for granted?  As an elementary Theatre Arts teacher, I spend each and every day preaching the gospel of collaboration - extolling it's virtues, helping my students forge connections, insisting on deeper participation.  Then, at the end of the day, I step away from the kids and put on my other hat - the artist's hat - the one I feel guilty for having put up on the shelf where it sits gathering dust.  True, it's not always easy for a creative soul to live a dual life, but it's not impossible.  The last time I stepped foot on stage in a project which was meant to feed my artistic self was well over a year ago, and that nagging voice in the back of my mind, the one telling me that I was overdue, was getting louder every day.

Then, in one of those blessed "light-bulb" moments, I came to a new awareness.  If I could take my blinders off and look at the big picture, I could see my life as the ultimate collaborative project.  Whether in the classroom, navigating the subway, or interacting with colleagues or classmates, my life is one big, complicated game of give and take.  The rush from the South Bronx to NYU was choreography, the horns and voices of the city the score to my day.  I could cast myself in the ongoing movie of my life, and see each adventure as the next chapter of the story - each and every day offering new characters and plot twists.

I hope that this blog might serve as a place where people can respond to the ideas of collaborating in this unique city we share.  Welcome to the colalboration!