Members of the Guelph Ukulele Club shared experiences creating fun and inclusive musical spaces. Most brought ukes! It was a fun and insightful discussion on the ways in which improvisation can provide us with new ways of thinking and acting, centred on the ukulele as a tool in creating inclusive musical spaces. We'd been invited to join in the third meeting of the 2013-2014 'Thinking Spaces: Improvisation Reading Group and Speakers Series' in the boardroom at the main branch of the library. The focus of the session was the use of improvisation and other forms of music in contributing to local community building.
Dr. Kati Szego, an ethnomusicologist from Memorial University of Newfoundland who has studied the history of the ukulele, joined in the discussion via teleconference.
The Improvisation, Community and Social Practice Reading Group, by the way is open to all - community members, faculty, and students - who are interested in improvisation as a model for creative thinking and action. If you have any questions or ideas about Thinking Spaces, please do not hesitate to contact Lauren, levesqul(at)uoguelph.ca. The Project Director, Improvisation, Community, and Social Practice is Ajay HebleProfessor, School of English and Theatre Studies, University of Guelph, Director, International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation and Artistic Director, The Guelph Jazz Festival
I loved the phrase socio-acoustic space. And shouting out that the uke was not just fearless, but friendly. Our unique instrument was referred to as an "ensemble technology of inclusion," isn't that cool? For me, the uke makes vocal and instrumental skills equally valuable, somehow. And I liked hearing how it often assists one in finding a compositional voice. I got a tear in my eye seeing the huge school assembly performing "I believe in music," when Dr. Szego showed that video clip.
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