Table of contents

The text

The author

The credits

Dierk Zaiser

Playing against failures

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Music and movement open up the possibility for young people – especially those who are underprivileged – of transforming their daily life, developing their personality and accessing artistic and cultural learning. Such fields of work must be encouraged during the educational process as well as in professional life. It is with this idea in mind that the Beatstomper project was created.

Young people who are removed from the education system are also unable to access music schools. However, listening to music is often their favorite leisure activity and they are interested in how it is produced. Even though the potential and the need is there and acknowledged, rare are the cooperations between music schools and institutions of special education whose students are perceived as being at the losing end of the educational system and who are difficult to teach and motivate. Furthermore, these students are often wary of school institutions which have proved inefficient in bringing about the social recognition they were looking for and need. In the face of such an assessment, Beatstomper offers these young people frameworks for learning and alternative possibilities for success.

Predetermined ostinatos are the working basis enabling every participant to join the group and to take part in the activity independently, whatever his or her level. Integration is achieved on the one hand through purely artistic processes (from the development of musical and rhythmic skills to their presentation in front of an audience); and on the other hand, through meetings such as interactive communications that occur in daily situations of conversation or activity, during and outside of rehearsals.

The transmission is based on rhythmic and musical communication as well as on gestures, attitude and movement. The coding in musical notes or other symbols does not play any role. The example given by the leader is directly reproduced, in an acoustic and visual fashion. It can be modified by the students depending on their level and their own musical ideas. Their propositions of free sequences or complex rhythms are then adopted by the leader and the other participants. Phases of exploration and improvisation open up playing spaces in which students can experiment with creative behaviors in an autonomous and responsible manner.

Resorting to the songs that students personally listen to during classes enables them to involve themselves as experts of their favorite kinds of music. Then, they describe their perceptions on a cognitive or emotional level and justify their choices. The rhythms of hip-hop music, synonymous with concise ostinatos that are often stimulating for the motor system, can be translated into other sounds using body percussions or can be developed by individual or collective exercises. The reproduction of typical attitudes found in current trends is a great way to overcome inhibitions, without giving up on the content and objectives of exercises. Individual differences can be described objectively using technical terms. All of this may facilitate the control of behaviors in self-perception and the perception of others, going beyond stereotypes and expanding the possibilities of movement. Thanks to minimal reliance on acute motor skills and the focus on rhythmic structures, pleasing and clearly perceptible results can be quickly achieved. Moreover, percussive gestures make it possible to channel potential aggressiveness expressively. Finally, authenticity and committed participation from the leader make it possible to overcome additional barriers.

From the beginning, attention is focused on formal structures, sound differentiation and rhythmic precision as current and future bases for musical production. The use of scrap iron, barrels, wooden boxes and other materials from everyday life is at the center of the activity. These instruments are not expensive and are built by students themselves, transforming their relationship to these objects and the value they attribute to them. Most of the time, they are at first reluctant because of the image of underprivileged young people having to play on instruments made of recovered material. Physical involvement in the aesthetic experience and a dramatization that may lead to tolerated or even deliberate destruction of the material makes it possible to overcome this stereotype. Moreover, the innovative nature of the process allows for a relative distancing of identification models and the questioning of dominant musical preferences, largely influenced by the current musical scene. Competences coming from rap music, beatbox, Balkan rhythms, combative sports, or Asian percussion can easily be integrated and improved upon. They increase the diversity of contents, strengthening the process on the subjective and intersubjective levels.

Artistic references and models of rhythmic practices and stage performance with recovered material, such as Les Tambours du Bronx or Stomp, are relatively unknown among young people and are difficult to classify in the respective trends of their respective cultures; they ignore the possible links with works coming from high culture. It is precisely the atypical aspect which represents a particular appeal and an originality which can stir interest, provided that its quality is not overlooked. The stark difference with percussion bands using instruments from ethnic music, as well as the originality of the sound production, helps to promote the approval of the project by the audience and event organizers.

The early direction of projects towards a public performance generates motivation; discussions on aesthetic, personal and social aspects gain credibility. The goal of performing an artistic production creates tension and uncertainty encouraging critical contemplation and a consequent aestheticizing process. Because of the prospect of performing on a determined date, rehearsals are increasingly rigorous and give rise to a result which is temporarily definitive during the production process. Throughout the development and construction of a program, the students identify themselves not only with the activity but also with the production and the group. These phases allow for significant progress in the efficiency and quality of the work. The will to push one’s limits increases, as well as the capacity to accept the constraints on available resources and to accept frustrations as the project unfolds.

Performances enable the project to exist and to be legitimized in the public sphere. Generally, these moments are considered as highlights of the work. The audience, the transformation of the spatial setting and its ephemeral nature, bestow a specific framework on the public performance, which opens up and/or strengthens the possibilities stemming from a particular situation. The experiences that result from it trigger new work processes which strengthen the individual and collective identity. A video recording of the process and its completion make the progress and its final result even more visible; it gives the participants an objective outlook and the opportunity for qualitative assessment.

Scenic performances are designed and exploited as a platform where people from varied social and cultural origins can come together; but they also create a dialogue between dominant and marginal cultures. Performance allows for a cultural participation of the group in the community. The meetings between different social strata promote mutual respect and tolerance, encourage dialogue by increasing the curiosity in others. Seriousness, authenticity and the quality of the scenic performance are paramount in stimulating a positive reception of such a social and cultural demonstration. Therefore, the forms of artistic performance should aim for a professional level.

Performing artistically in a familiar social context may generate, especially among marginalized children, significant anxiety and reluctance. Most of them have experienced failure. They are acutely aware of their own exclusion and are wary of situations which expose them to judgement by others. Overcoming inhibitions and managing a successful public performance increase respect and recognition by the community as well as self-confidence and an identification with the project. To avoid a reductive classification of assimilation to socio-educational and socio-cultural practices and to assert themselves artistically and culturally, students must be able to leave behind their familiar environment.

Public performances require a series of actions of planning and organization, whose goal it is to create links with the educational support that young people receive: rehearsals, reorganizing of usual timetables, negotiations about travel, transport, food, costumes, organization in space and time, etc. The participation in scenic performances often requires parental consent, or exemptions from school or work. This provides opportunities to come into contact with school and professional staff in charge of the young people, as well as with their families, to inform them of the activities within the framework of the project and to explain its scope and aims. In many cases, it creates a network of people, which can be widened and used in favor of the young people.

The obligations of work before, during and after the shows, travel and collective meals are special opportunities to spark communication and for young people to become aware of the technical and organizational requirements. Surrounding the performance activities, many productive moments can occur, when young people can share accounts of their daily life. The pressure of the scenic performance is heightened by the need to respect certain limitations. Everyone is inclusively responsible for collective success or failure. Unlike what happens during rehearsals, all the processes occurring on stage are observed by outsiders, of which the young people are particularly aware. Most of the time, it has a positive influence on their behavior. However, the public performance of artistic activities is not without its risks. It may trigger, directly or following the event, specific emotional states, which can be positive or negative. Therefore, the objectification of such experiences requires watchful support. Risks are generated by immoderate expectations, structural or personal overwork, under or over-assessment of one’s own capacities, but also by the global situation in case of bad preparation. The active participation of the artistic director during the scenic performances can prevent failure in front of an audience and also reinforce the collective feeling as well as the identification to the project.

If public performances are the only thing considered as the highlights of the work process, their absence may create a void driving the participants into a ‘crisis of meaning’ that may lead to the reassessment of the project as a whole. In that case, young people should be told repeatedly about the value of the training and the satisfaction generated by the rehearsals, and provide new opportunities by putting the emphasis on new perspectives, for example the renovation of the rehearsal space, the collaboration with other young people or artists, an evolution of the contents of rehearsals, the organization of the end-of-year party, etc.

Projects conducted with underprivileged young people have every chance of succeeding if they are designed for the long term. Regular and intensive rehearsals during a long period of time are necessary for learning processes and musical, social and personal development. As much as possible, rehearsals should occur twice a week and last between two and three hours; these long periods of time compensating for absences and lateness. In this way, trusting relationships can be built, musical and artistic capabilities and social behaviors such as reliability, punctuality and the capacity to solve a conflict can be better developed. However, this particular opportunity to structure leisure activities represents a considerable constraint for young people in the management of their free time. For that reason, the involvement in the project also depends on the actual availability of young people regarding their commitments. A written agreement, stating the conditions for participating, including a code of conduct, can serve as a basis for communication and reference. Rules must be controlled, discussed, and constantly negotiated with the students. Particularly in the initial phase of the project launch, one should expect certain setbacks concerning student attendance. Exclusions for non-compliance to the rules must be avoided as long as the group and the leader are able to tolerate the situation. The participation in the project can provide a feeling of acceptance and continuity for students who have accumulated experiences of social disruption and exclusion. In the case of disruption, relationships can be maintained to ease reintegration.

When the people in charge of an artistic project show self-confidence and expertise, they are accepted by young people as professional experts. However, most of the time musicians lack experience with this kind of public. The possibility to work in tandem with a professional of special education or social work offers valuable support. It is rare that a single person possesses all the skills relative to both fields. Working with such a public remains demanding in any case. In the spirit of compassionate cultural mediation, it is about approaching the day-to-day world of the young people, to decipher their codes of behavior and language, to understand the difficulties of their situation and – when it is sought and is possible – to work towards a solution to these problems in partnership with professionals and social and educational institutions.

Despite the increasing interest of the media, politicians and the general public, raising awareness in music schools of the pertinence of creating such projects with socially underprivileged young people remains very important. Unfortunately, in Germany, financial support by public authorities is rarely guaranteed in the long-run and so alternative solutions have to be found: regional or national trusts, the office for the protection of young people, prevention funds, solidarity and inclusion, etc. More and more companies call on Beatstomper for scenic performances in the context of events organized by them. The Beatstomper group has received many awards and a manufacturer honored his engagement by hiring four young people with no diploma at the end of a show that took place in his company.

French translation: Margarete Stumpfögger

English translation: Paul Warusfel

/…

The author

Dierk Zaiser is a university researcher and lecturer and a musician. He works freelance but also at the National Music School of Trossingen, within the rhythmic department of the Trossingen Musikhochschule, Music and Movement. Since 2006, he has carried out projects revolving around rhythmic practices with underprivileged children. He has written many publications in German on this subject, gathering different outlooks from educational studies and musical pedagogy in particular.

Playing against failures
Dierk Zaiser

Éclair #9

Collection of the Centre de Formation de Musiciens Intervenant à l’école de l’Université Lumière Lyon 2, CFMI de Lyon

Resources center in artistic and cultural education cfmi@univ-lyon2.fr – www.cfmi-lyon.fr

ISBN: 978-2-490238-27-9

ISSN: 2270-7263

Free

Editorial organization: Amandine Monnet and Marion Orlandi

Translation: Paul Warusfel

Graphic design: Pascale Péronnet ij design

© CFMI, Lyon, 2018

© CFMI, Lyon, 2015 for the original draft in French

Copyrights reserved in all countries

Legal submission 4th trimester 2015 for the original draft in French

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Digital version: https://edition-cfmi.univ-lyon2.fr

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