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"Unlike most
experiences in our life, spontaneity and individuality were welcome."(read full testimonial)
"The improvisations were amazing."(read full testimonial)
"At the end of the session I felt
energized and alert" (read full
testimonial)
"The feeling of those
sounds relaxed my body, made me breathe slower, and helped me clear my
mind." (read full
testimonial)
"It is like jazz in its
spirit of improvisation. But, instead of music theory, its vocabulary
and grammar are emotion and imagination; that is, the stuff of our own
lives." (download full testimonial -
MSWord 29KB)
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"Unlike
most experiences in our life, spontaneity and individuality were
welcome."
Christine Alicot brought a new way of thinking to our
class. She told us there was music all around us, so we began by
listening to the music of our classroom. From there, we discussed how
we felt and what we heard. Then it was time to create music ourselves
and without instruments.
Most of us are used to performing music that is dictated, structured,
and planned. However, Christine encouraged us to improvise, creating
music with no defined form or style. Combining my own sounds with those
of my classmates, we created beautiful rhythms and harmonies expressive
of each individual yet unknown by all of us.
Unlike most experiences in our life, spontaneity and individuality were
welcome. We were able to experiment with various instruments and
combinations of sounds for a common goal of music.
I really enjoyed this opportunity to break away from the routine of
class and music. The experience sent me on a roller coaster of
sensations including: excitement, peacefulness, anticipation, laughter,
and mostly joy. Christine reminded me of the beauty that may only come
from creation.
-Neil Allman, University of Florida
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"The improvisations were
amazing."
After the initial activity (listening to the
surrounding sounds) we were able to concentrate on the creation of
music. The improvisations were amazing. Even though our rhythms and
melodies could be somewhat random, they all seem to come together. I
felt energized and excited by the music. I think the improvisation
activities really made my day. Even the following day, I felt more
energized than usual ...
Music is one of the best ways to connect people together, and I feel
like our class will be even more unified after exploring the creative
process in such a manner. This is an experience I was glad to tell my
friends and family about. It is definitely one of the best things I
have gotten to do in a class.
-Sharmini Pitter, University of Florida
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"At
the end of the session I felt energized and alert"
I had a wonderful time participating in Christine
Alicot's musical activities. The creative musical exercises forced me
and my classmates to pay extremely close attention to each other and
the music we were creating ... It was an especially unique experience
because everyone on our class had the opportunity to try playing these
different instruments without having to worry about how well they were
doing. I think the purpose of the session was to get our class to both
relax and focus at the same time. This goal was achieved through our
participation in a couple of different musical activities ... I really
enjoyed these activities because it made no difference whether or not
my classmates had musical experience as long as they were listening to
and feeling the music while they played. it was also a great reminder
that it isn't necessary for music to be planned or practiced ahead of
time, and that some beautiful and moving music is created
spontaneously. At the end of the session I felt energized and alert
from focusing on fitting in with the ensemble, but I also felt
extremely calmed by the beautiful soothing music our class created.
-Brook Critcher, University of Florida
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"The
feeling of those sounds relaxed my body, made me breathe slower, and
helped me clear my mind."
I walked in to class not knowing what to expect. Dr.
Zach had told us Christine Alicot's visit would be an experience, but I
was not quite sure what she meant by that. I came to class with an open
mind and I was ready to see what she had to offer. I immediately became
intrigued bywhat I was about to participate in when I saw all the
instruments last out on the floor. What were they there for? would we
get to use them? How were we going to use them? The first part of the
session where we all sat in silence and listened to the sounds around
us was probably my favorite of all the activities we would do...
The next two activities were not only soothing, but they were also fun.
I loved to anticipate what each trio would sound like or how each
person would play their instrument. Sometimes when a steady beat was
formed or a slight tune was created, I would close my eyes to get a
better feel of the sound. The feeling of those sounds relaxed my body,
made me breathe slower, and helped me clear my mind.
I now see what Dr. Zach meant by this being an experience. The only way
to fully understand its effects would be to actually participate in the
activities. It would be too hard to describe all its benefits fully
only in words. It was a wonderful experience and I would recommend it
to anyone.
-Katie Almon, University of Florida
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