Knowledge exchange: exploring ‘To Each Other, To Ourselves’ for development of the music education workforce

On Tuesday 4 June 2024 I worked with the music education workforce at Southampton Music Services, using the structures of ‘To Each Other, To Ourselves’ (movement one from ‘To Drift and Return’) to explore the themes of independence and interdependence.

Accompanied by the electronic drone, drawn from recordings of the rain, which underpins the original piece, staff had the opportunity improvise , and later reflect on, the different experiences which characterise the different durations of musical interaction.

Reflections from staff included:

• How shorter musical durations of interaction resulted in more tangible sense of interdependence with others, and changed the way they approached each next note they played, often resulting in a more rhythmic musical outcome

• How longer musical durations or interaction allows more space for them to express more developed and complete musical ideas

• Reflections on the difference between but connectedness of the “self” and our creative musical expressions, along with the vulnerability of improvising with others, which increased with the shorter musical durations and increased interdependence which characterised these interactions