Artist’s Blog - Jackie Maguire - Summer Term 2018

During May and June I spent time in The Ark working on the Beats and Rhythms from Around the World schools programme as well as a number of early years music workshops, called Little Birds. I collaborated with several musicians including, Robbie Harris, Aimee Farrell-Courtney and Colm Phelan on the beat and rhythms schools programme and with The Ark’s Creative Arts Manager and technical team on the early years music workshops. I led magical music workshops for young children (2-4 years) and their parents and engaged with primary school children and their teachers. As an artist, I was delighted to be in The Ark delivering the workshop in a fantastic theatre space, using their wonderful sound and lighting system. Many of the workshops I’ve delivered before have been in early years settings/community spaces and so this was a real treat for me.

Having reflected on my experience at The Ark, two key words emerge for me: researcher and collaborator.

The Artist as Researcher...

During the Little Birds workshops, I explored the theme of ‘reed beds’ and the sound of the Bittern bird. The impetus for this workshop came about after returning from the beach one day where I walked past an expanse of reed beds and was enchanted by the sound of the wind blowing through them and how peaceful and beautiful they were. I felt that it would be interesting to recreate this reed bed environment in The Ark, the animals that inhabit it and the sounds associated with it in an early years music workshop.

Having delivered the workshops in June and reflecting on my experience, the idea of the artist as a researcher resonates. Artists research and move into different fields and disciplines when exploring a theme and developing a piece of work. I find this to be exciting and daunting at times as you can feel overwhelmed and lacking knowledge. However, gradually you begin to acquire the necessary knowledge and navigate your way through different fields. In this instance, I learnt about reed beds and discovered that they are often used in sewage treatment as they naturally filter and purify water. In addition, the enigmatic Bittern bird, which inhabits the reed bed environment, has a unique ‘booming’ call. As a percussionist, I really liked the idea of experimenting with the booming bittern’s call during the workshops. So through the early years workshops, I was reminded of the value and importance of the artist as researcher and how it can bring you to different places and open you up to new learning and new experiences, which all enhance and inform your practice.

The Artist as Collaborator...

I got to collaborate with some fantastic musicians on the Beat and Rhythms from Around the World programme. What I loved about this programme was that Robbie, Aimee, Colm and I were all involved in designing it. Over two days, we considered the content and drew on our musical experiences of Traditional, Brazilian, African, Beat Boxing, Body Percussion and song. What emerged was a varied and rich music programme that we were all very pleased with. We then tested the workshops with a group of children from a local school first, before rolling the programme out properly. I personally really enjoyed this part and learnt a great deal from it. I loved being able to observe other musicians and to learn from them. As a result I feel that I have became clearer as a conductor/director of Morro 16 and more considered in my choices when layering instruments/section breaks. Likewise, I learnt some new content which I’ve since used in early years workshops and will share with my students on the BA Early Childhood Teaching and Learning degree, at Maynooth University in the coming academic year.

During the Beats and Rhythms programme we all facilitated a number of workshops. The sharing, open and supportive relationship that had been established through the research phase between the musicians continued throughout this programme as we checked in with each other after each workshop, reflected on how we could improve the workshop and kept in touch via email also. As the programme developed we all became more effective in our delivery. I realised the value and importance of rolling something out more than once, as a lot of work can be put into developing a programme, but where you really benefit is when you can deliver over a number of times and with others.

About Jackie Maguire: Jackie has twenty years experience of performing Brazilian music and is a founding member of Morro 16 samba band. In 2012, she gained the Colourstrings Associate Teacher Kindergarten Certificate and began to explore the world of music with babies and young children aged 0-6 years. She has a degree in Drama & Theatre Studies and a hDip in Community Arts Education from NCAD and so her practice is also influenced by drama and the visual arts.