Drum circle facilitation playshop day 2

....after a long day of drumming, sharing being amazed I am tired....

There are two connections that are important to me that I will mostly talk about now, and after such a long day I won't have the energy for a long blog.

I have a lot about the potential of merging / intertwining and mixing somehow up some of the practices of philosophical practice, drum circles (and maybe improv). I am not sure.
Some common features are definitely:
-the role and journey of the facilitator
-creation of community
-focusing on the group rather than individuals

....another approach to create a powerful circle that I have thought of might be to start with a drum circle .... maybe end also and have a philosophical dialogue in between ....

Another random reflection is on the "popcorn" approach, where you step in if you like. This features heavily in the philosophical practice (and also in improv) ...

Another thing that all these practices seem to me to contribute heavily to is the disappearance, submerging of the ego....

Well, that's it for now.

Drum circle playshop day 1

I am attending a three day playshop on facilitating drum circles with Arthur Hull, Micheal Khei and Lars Pars (?). What a trio... man...

I am going to imitate what I did when I attended Oscar Brenifier's workshop in practical philosophy in Argenteuil and write a short blog on each day of attending the playshop.  I have a feeling this will be an experience of a similar, if not greater magnitude. This will be raw and rough, and in English for the benefit of my fellow participants and well I don't know. By no means comprehensive, just some thoughts and you know.

1 Notes on the faciltiators of the facilitation process. Michael is the main dude, Arthur jumps in like the grand old man (a bit of a Yoda) and also at times as devil's advocate. Lars has the role of observer and I guess inspirer if you like. This seems to me to be a very effective way of teaching, and I think the constant reliance on one teacher in most circumstances is wrong. More on the lads later. o those in the know: a VERY different approach to the one of Oscar and Isabelle ;-)

2 The group. The group is mixed, and some are very experienced. To me and my fellow beginning beginners I think this is both excellent since we can learn from these "experienceballs" like we say in Iceland, but also a tad intimidating. A varied and interesting bunch of people, and in our playing we made beautiful music.

3 Concepts. I think the conceptual scheme introduced, instructor/ dictator - director - facilitator - conductor is a very clever one.... with implications beyond the drum circle.

4 Personal learning.  The biggest challenge in any such situation is the demand of total and complete presence. I want to get that in my students and thus have to be able to achieve it myself. This means staying in the moment and swinging with the rhythm at all times. Playing with my band is of course also a lesson in this, and I am actually sure I will become a better drummer and band member after this weekend.

I look forward to what tomorrow will bring.

God I feel so good and the question of art feelings and why: Perhaps a glove?

Today I visited Ragnar Kjartanson's exhibition God I feel so Bad and it made me feel good.

It put me in mind of something Marina Abromovic said about how she had an epiphany when she realized she did not need to confine herself to paint and canvas in her art but could use anything ....

So Ragnar uses stuff like

the artist's body
video
music
art history
absence
patience
painting
sculpture
actors
humour


Ragnar's work is highly personal, Freudian at times and sometimes very silly...

What makes me curious is why this kind of work remains so highbrow - why hasn't this highly liberating idea not somehow broken through and manifested in a more creative, loving and silly humankind?

Please tell me.

(by the way I loved the exhibition, especially the piece Whole lot of Sorrow)