CMRC Discussion session: The Humane Masterclass (facilitated by Stef Conner)
Event details
How can we, as a community of music-makers, build ‘safe’ critical spaces in which to strengthen skills and nurture imagination?
In a discussion session last summer, we shared our different experiences of composition workshops and masterclasses, – as participants, organisers, and/or supporting staff – reflecting how these experiences had affected us, as musicians, as teachers, and as human beings. Last time, we touched on:
- ways in which workshops and masterclasses reproduce existing social inequalities
- the potential for participants to be negatively impacted by unconstructive criticism
- the challenge of disentangling implicit biases from helpful insights that arise from years of experience and thoughtful reflection
The conversation led us to the question of what makes a truly ‘open and safe space’ for music learning and creation? In this session, we’ll pick up where we left off, by addressing that question directly. We will try to imagine the best possible workshop and masterclass scenarios, and ask ourselves how (and if) a perfect balance of criticism and compassion can be achieved. We’ll draw on our broad range of collective expertise, to consider the question from student, teacher, composer, performer, spectator, and theoretical perspectives. We’ll also consider what needs to change in the wider musical community (and our society in general) in order to create conditions in which the kinds of workshops and masterclasses we would like to see happen can happen.
Whether you are someone who has participated in workshops/masterclasses, someone who hopes to do so, someone who has run them, or someone who has witnessed them, your input will be very welcome. Come and share your thoughts on how to nurture the musicians of the future, and how to prevent bias, inequality, and outdated pedagogy from stifling potential and crushing confidence!
Join this seminar online
- Meeting ID: 974 1147 1887
- Passcode: 030134