Art is Life is Art ~. by Jennifer Noxon

Art is music is art.
In 2020, I started a year-long course in vocal improvisation with Rhiannon,, a Hawaii-based vocalist whose life work has been to teach, practice and perform this art. The course was to take place over one year in three one-week in-person study periods with personal homework in between. The heart of this kind of work, and music, can really only be done in person. So, because of COVID, this ‘year’ took place over two years.

The Gift 10 x 12”– Acrylic on canvas. /. Jennifer Noxon

Vocal improvisation? Usually people return a kind of quizzical stare. In a nutshell, a group of singers gathers to create music in the moment. There is no sheet music, no detailed plan. Rhiannon has spent her life developing a framework of exercises which provide a foundation for the course. One example would be – a person begins a vocal pattern/groove and one-by-one, other singers offer a part that ‘fits’ with the parts coming before. Kind of like creating a band, or orchestra, depending on how many voices are involved. Movement can also play a part.

The main ingredient is trust. Trust in yourself, in others and in the process. Trust that what is being created is what is needed in that particular moment. Some pieces are heartwrenching, some silly, some achingly beautiful, some fall flat. They are what they are. No one piece will ever be repeated – they disappear into the ether. Staying present, leaving expectations and personal agendas on the sidelines, giving up any need to control, actively listening to what is happening and responding without ego are all part of the practice. Sounds just like how many of us try to live our lives? Trust and the ever unfolding practice. Art is life is art.

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