BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Young students in remote communities have had access to live music this month – some for the very first time.
Composer Nicole Murphy joined Musica Viva In Schools ensemble Akoustic Odyssey for a three-week tour of remote Western Queensland. The musicians performed across 27 regional schools, providing community concerts and workshops from as far as Cunnamulla to Charleville, Camooweal to Mount Isa.
As she wraps up her tour and prepares to have her own piece Spinning Top performed by the Benaud Trio this week, Nicole Murphy takes some time to chat with us about the importance of bringing knowledge and sound to students in the furthest corners of our nation.
You have just finished presenting 36 workshops in schools over the course of a 2,000 km tour of the state. How did you become involved in this journey and what are some of the major impacts you hoped this program would achieve?
I have been involved in Musica Viva projects in remote communities for a number of years now. I was fortunate to have been inspired by some fantastic musicians and teachers when I was growing up and strongly believe in ‘giving back’ by sharing my knowledge and experience with the next generation of young musicians and future audience members. I am particularly passionate about students having access to quality musical education and experiences regardless of where they live, so that essentially is my aim for the program – to give students exposure to new sounds, new ideas and new ways of thinking that they otherwise might not have access to.
Why is it important for children to have access to a musical education in schools?
The workshops that I run focus on building musical skills through collaborative composing. Giving students ownership of the music allows them to be more engaged with the process, and provides students with an outlet to connect to each other and express themselves. It has been particularly wonderful to see the maturity and openness in many of the high school students I’ve worked with, who have explored difficult community issues through song writing. In some schools, the one-hour workshop is the only music tuition that students will receive in the year, so it is important to teach students a composing process that they understand and can replicate once I am gone.
As a composer, how do you feel children can benefit by making their own music, in addition to learning how to perform, understand, or listen to it?
There are many benefits to using composing as a tool to teach musical concepts. On a practical level, it allows me to work within the boundaries that are unique to each community, such as the instruments available and the existing skill sets of the students. The composing process also develops their abilities to imagine possible solutions within a given context, encourages students to be self-reflective, and develops problem solving skills. These are all valuable, transferable skills that they are learning in addition to the buzz that students get out of creating a brand new work with their classmates.
How would you describe the differences in creative culture among students in isolated communities, compared to children who are raised in major Australian cities?
Whilst there are many similarities between students raised on the coast and those raised further inland, I have found that students in remote communities tend to possess a wonderful resilience that is useful to the creative process, and they are often very creative problem-solvers. They tend to be enthusiastic and engaged students, who are grateful for the opportunity to meet new people and be presented with new ideas.
“Encouraging musical curiosity is the first step”
How have these children reacted to the community concerts you’re presenting with Akoustic Odyssey, and what are some of the things you think about when knowing you’re going to be the first musicians these people will ever hear live?
Some of the students we are working with are experiencing live music for the first time, and others are hearing certain instruments for the first time. Even students who are familiar with the instruments in the ensemble seem to be particularly captivated by the extended techniques that Akoustic Odyssey use in their show. Our main goal is to expose students to as many aspects of music as possible in the performance time, so that the next time they have a musical encounter they will feel comfortable participating. They might be inspired to learn an instrument themselves, or just have the ability to better appreciate how the different instruments within an ensemble function in order to create the overall sound. Encouraging musical curiosity is the first step.
How can Australia as a nation better support music education in rural communities?
There are many ways in which music education in rural communities is already being supported, with this particular tour is made possible through the generosity of the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, Arts Queensland and Musica Viva. Ensuring that these projects receive funding over a number of years allows us to form relationships within the communities and build on the skills learnt in previous visits. Encouraging musicians and teachers to work in rural communities is also vital.
Let’s bring it back to your own composition. You’re presenting a new piece for the Benaud Trio for the Coffee Concert on November 8. What’s the piece called, and what’s it all about?
My new piece for the Benaud Trio is called Spinning Top. The piece is inspired by Jarrad Kennedy’s sculpture Spinning Top, located at the junction of Turbot, Wickham and Boundary streets in Brisbane. Kennedy’s artwork marks the site of the unrealised Holy Name Cathedral, designed by Archbishop James Duhig in the 1920s. The artwork is a scale-model of the dome of the unfinished cathedral that rests on its tip in the midst of the city high rises, like a spinning top that has come to rest. These concepts are reflected in the music by the fast tempo, perpetual rhythmic motion and the cyclic nature of repetition. The bright mood of the piece reflects the child-like nature of a spinning top toy. One of my favourite parts about this project was the intention behind the commission. The piece was commissioned for Musica Viva Australia by Andrea and Malcolm Hall-Brown, with the desire to encourage greater support of the arts. When writing the piece, I wanted it to be a joyous and celebratory work, in honour of the generous spirit in which Andrea and Malcolm commissioned the piece. If you have ever been curious about commissioning a new work but are unsure how to go about it, get in touch with a performer, composer or arts organisation and begin the dialogue!
See the Benaud Trio perform Nicole Murphy’s Spinning Top as part of the Melbourne Coffee Concerts Series, 11am November 8, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre. Tickets online.
Images supplied. Benaud Trio credit: Torunn Momtazi.
