More than a dozen musical and social agents participated in a training action guided by the English composer and conductor Tim Steiner, between September 17 and November 6, 2021, at Escola Básica de Delães, Famalicão. The Collaborative Music Workshop, with artistic direction by Ondamarela, culminated with a final activity involving a community group on the last day of the training.
"The most important aspect when developing a project with communities is to ensure that the dynamic doesn't fade with the end of the project", says Tim Steiner, pedagogical coordinator of the Collaborative Music Workshop. "It's very important that local musicians and other professionals in the field are able to continue these projects, and keep the community involved", he adds.
Throughout six sessions of collaborative music exploration, trainees developed musical competencies and skills in communication, leadership and collaboration, as well as creativity and teaching-learning processes.
The acquired knowledge was applied in a final exercise, which took place on 6 November in Delães, and involved a small community group of around 30 people, who created, in less than two hours, an unprecedented musical performance under the guidance of the trainees.
"We didn't know what was going to come out, but deep down I think it gave a certain soul to the work they wanted to do today" comments Manuel Lima, from Delães, who participated as a member of the community group.
"We were all making music together and so the final result belongs to and reflects a little bit of all of us", adds trainee Sofia Passos, from Vale S. Martinho. "Music, besides the benefits it brings to emotional well-being and mental health, brings people together, even those who have less experience in the area (of music)", she highlights.
The "Collaborative Music Workshop" is an action promoted by Ondamarela and inserted in the project HÁ CULTURA | CULTURA PARA TODOS, promoted by Vila Nova de Famalicão City Council and co-financed by NORTE 2020, through the European Social Fund (ESF). A second edition of the training action is planned for 2022, this time in the centre of Famalicão.