Conductive Music
Channel: Conductive Music
Date: 2014-05-22

Conductive Music will invite KS4+ students to Newham New Vic College (Newham Music Trust will offer in-kind facilities and equipment) for eight two-day sessions, teaching eighty students total how to turn electronic components and everyday objects into personalised musical instruments. These workshops will train students in practical skills for coding (via the London Music Hackspace), electronics manufacture, instrument design, project planning, teamwork, composition, and performance. The instruments will be based on prototypes we have already developed and tested, including: electronic music kitchenware, vegetable drum kits, and percussion drum suits.
The Conductive Music project is designed as an immersive experience, where theoretical skills are developed in parallel with practical ones, a valuable combination for mainstream school students at risk of exclusion. Discovering individual ability to create something complex, unique and functional will raise self-esteem and awareness of potential as a part of the community. The performance experience allows them to share their creation, learn how to receive feedback and present their ideas to peers and audiences. The project is not just about soldering; it is about visualising an artistic design and overcoming obstacles on the way to its realisation. Conductive Music has wider impact as well: expanded outreach of partner institutions such as Newham Music Trust, complementing organisers' current work in the field and providing professional development opportunities for young artists.
The project's validity has been confirmed through the support of the Arts Council of England (Grants for the Arts), Newham Music Trust, London Music Hackspace and JoyLabz (MIT Medialab).