The Participatory Creative Music Hub: Process Over Product

Authors

  • Louise Campbell Canadian New Music Network
  • Terri Hron Canadian New Music Network

Abstract

A community-based project, the Participatory Creative Music Hub (the Hub) was developed by the Canadian New Music Network (CNMN) to research, create, and distribute an online resource to inspire creativity in music and sound for all. In addition to inspiring people of many backgrounds to create their own music, the process of building and sharing the Hub has helped to develop a sense of community among diverse creative practitioners across Canada. In doing so, it has raised questions about both the aesthetic and social values of music. In recent years, on an organizational level, CNMN’s focus and scope has transitioned from a primarily industry-focused network dedicated to building professional networks and opportunities to an outward-looking, knowledge- and resource-sharing network actively cultivating a more inclusive member base and connecting with other sectors. The Hub is one of the CNMN’s recent initiatives that is working to redefine the place of music in Canadian society and shift ideas around who can and does make New Music across Canada, and where, how and why people make music. In this article, we propose that the Hub also performs socially engaged practice-based research that models an expanded imaginary for creative music and sound in contemporary Canadian society.

Author Biographies

Louise Campbell, Canadian New Music Network

Louise Campbell's professional hats range from conductor to cultural mediator, community arts facilitator to musicians’ health therapist. As a composer, performer, and improviser, she seeks to interrogate and renew the ways in which we make music by creating new works with everyone, regardless of age, ability, level of prior experience, or training. Her specializations include improvisation and creation with untrained (aka ‘amateur’) musicians, improvised conducting, cross-disciplinary creation, commissioned works, and public engagement. She has toured as a performer, guest artist, and lecturer of improvised and composed musics across Canada, the US, France, Germany, and Brazil. Her wide assortment of recent creative endeavours includes Stories of C.A.R.E., a podcasting series with the C.A.R.E. Centre, a recreational centre for adults with severe physical disabilities, Fairy Jenny Alone, a pandemic-era work for "at-home choir," Piece of Mind, an ongoing Science-Art research collaboration on effects of music and dance on Alzheimer’s and Parkinsons, and Sources, an album of music inspired by the St. Lawrence River that features cultural mediation activities on music and art inspired by nature. Louise is the project lead for the Canadian New Music Network's Participatory Creative Music Hub. For more info, visit Louise's website at louisecampbell.ca.

Terri Hron, Canadian New Music Network

Terri Hron is a musician, a performer and a multimedia artist. Her work explores historical performance practice, field recording, invented ceramic instruments and videoscores. She often works in close collaboration with others and produces performances, gatherings and events. Terri studied musicology and art history at the University of Alberta, historical and contemporary performance at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and electroacoustic composition at the Université de Montréal. Her research focuses on collaborative practice and scoring in multimedia performance art. She is Executive Director of the Canadian New Music Network, where she has developed programs focusing on pluralism and sustainability. Recent collaborators include Monty Adkins, Charlotte Hug, Paula Matthusen, Helen Pridmore and Jennifer Beattie (Out Loud), Katelyn Clark, Jennifer Thiessen and Myriam Boucher (Medusa Selfie). Latest commissions include Ensemble Paramirabó, GreyWing Ensemble, Dead of Night, Splinter Reeds and Ensemble Supermusique. 

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Published

2023-07-11

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 1-2 (2023): Performing Practice-Based Research

Section

PBR and Communities of Practice/Process

License

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