WE LOVE TO IMPROVISE

magazine

APRIL 2010

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MIMA Founding Trustees Christoph A. Geiseler, Jonathan M. Barnes and Adam Nemett meet in New York, USA to approve the creation and design of a new MIMA website.

NEWS

PAGESPOEM 3REVIEW: MIMA Week HARLEM 5NEW VIDEO ONLINE 6CYPRUS UPDATE: by Christina Charalambidou 7UPCOMING PROGRAMS: BA & Bristol 8-9

Photographs by Christoph A. Geiseler 1-6, 8-9Photograph by Christina Charalambidou 2

Edited and Published by Christoph A. Geiseler

CONTENT

NOTEWORTHY

Buenos Aires 1 April 2010Argentina

The balance of the body, mind and soul is the foundation for a rewarding music making experience. When playing or teaching music, stimulating the body through movement can help release endorphins, and thereby create a memorable experience for individuals. The pituitary gland releases endorphins into the spinal cord and brain, which has a relaxing effect and helps with pain and stress relief.

Oftentimes teachers neglect the body when they focus on the mind and soul. When this does not work, can a teacher bring “move-ment” to the classroom to enhance an educational experience? One great test for a teacher is creating movement in small class-rooms without making noise. Clearly, a school classroom is not the most convenient place to design a lesson in “movement”. Uniforms, desks and noise restrictions make it harder to energize a group through body movement. Teachers can overcome some of these challenges through breathing exercises, the stretching of joints and appendages and acting / role play / Theater. Imagine the creation of “silent” music and rhythm in conjunction with physical movements, or vice versa.

Can MIMA develop “silent” musical exercises and use its methodol-ogy to play a more pivotal role in challenging classroom situations?

CHRISTOPH A. GEISELER MIMA Founder and Executive Director

the magazine APRIL 2010

Body

Mind

Soul

HE WISHES FOR THE CLOTHS OF HEAVEN

Had I the heaven’s embroidered cloths,Enwrought with golden and silver light,The blue, and the dim, and the dark cloths of light and night, and half-light,I would spread the cloths under your feet:

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;I have spread my dreams under your feet;Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

—William B. Yeats

Photograph (right): Kasha Amar waits for her turn on the mic.

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When Brazil drips in summer’s sweat, New York reels in the cold. Deep

down below the surface of the frozen ground, students inhabit cells that

someone calls classrooms.

What can we do to help?

INSPIRE: Organize an engaging after-school program

TRANSFORM: Good teachers turn cold classrooms into warm sanctuaries.

CREATE: Let teenagers sing about anything they want.

CELEBRATE: Songwriting is cathartic and yields a new works of Art.

HARLEM

MIMA WEEK NEW YORK1-5 March 2010

Caleb Dance, Kevin Wenzel and Jonathan Barnes proved just how effective the MIMA Method can be. Over the course of five days, 12 students from the Cristo Rey High School in Harlem, NY wrote an original song, entitled “Tick Tock, Time to Rock.” Songwriting exercises included multi-dimensional music games set up in circles, with backs facing the center. “Keep your eyes closed and use your in-strument to have a conversation with someone else in the room”, explained Caleb. “When you fig-ure out who you’re speaking with, try to say some-thing meaningful, and give them time to respond.”

“Tick Tock, Time to Rock” now online

Teenage angst shines when 12 students in Harlem sing about stress relief and academic pressure: “Tick Tock, time won’t stop!” Of-tentimes returning home after 9pm, the stu-dents from the Cristo Rey High School learned about themselves and the songwriting pro-cess during a very intense week. MIMA stu-dent Kentrell Loftin explains, “when I joined MIMA, I got over that feeling of shyness.”

Duration: 3 minutes 30 seconds

UPDATE FROM CYPRUSby Christina Charalambidou

I am pleased to report that the MIMA Music project has been taking place in two elementary public schools in Nicosia: St Demetris and B’ Macedonitissa. At both locations, students are coming together and experiencing the powerful effect that music has on building a community of music learners - “loud, live, and improvised”.

During the weekly sessions, the students performed MIMA music exercises, which has helped them to unfold their musical creativity and develop important musical skills in a stress-free and energetic environment. The children frequently state their excitement and enthusiasm about participating in the program. Their music teacher, Ms. Maria Yenari, noticed their music progression and understanding of teamwork, re-spect and discipline.

Both groups are expressing their eagerness to learn, thus every session becomes a new journey for each indi-vidual. They discover new musical ideas, lifelong values and personal “truths”, which helps them improve their personal strengths. All the MIMA students are anticipating the final stage of the project, which will be highlighted by their par-ticipation and performance at the upcoming June MIMA Cyprus series of Workshops (June 14th -20th).

In order to bridge this project with the “future”, we seek to extend and expand the MIMA project. The optimal goal is to benefit those energetic and curious learners working with some MIMA American staff so they can participate in a powerful musical experience; an experience with a FUTURE!

Photograph (right): All smiles in Nicosia.

WE LOVE TO IMPROVISE

MIMA WEEK BUENOS AIRES

5-10 of April 2010

with

Caleb Dance, Annabelle Dunne, Erik Dijkstra, Alison Forbes, Christoph GeiselerEl Ruso, Anabella Vitas, Kevin Wenzel, Matias Zloto

sponsored by the US Embassy in Buenos Aires

Location @ “El Bunker” & Citywide sites

SCHEDULE

5 April 16h00 MIMA Thinktank (Method / Publishing) 18h00 Leadership training / Interactive experience 20h00 “La Bomba de Tiempo” @ Konex

6 April 16h00 MIMA Thinktank (Media / Web) 18h00 Leadership training / Interactive experience 23h00 Tango night @ La Catedral

7 April 12h00 Community visit to Villas 21 / 24 (Barracas) 16h00 MIMA Thinktank (PR / Conference / 2011) 18h00 Leadership training / Interactive experience 22h00 “Jam Session” with Maxi and percussionists

8 April 12h00 SCAT Music & Recording Studio with “El Ruso” 18h00 Leadership training / Media production 22h00 MIMA Dinner

9 April 18h00 Leadership training 10 April 12h00 Community Outreach Performance in Barracas 23h00 Closing Performance @ “El Bunker”

WE LOVE TO IMPROVISE

MIMA WEEK BRISTOL

12-16 of April 2010

with

Jonathan Barnes, Alex Mitnick and Kevin Wenzel

sponsored by the US Embassy in London and the City of Bristol

Locations:Bristol Folk House (workshops): education center in central Bristol, since 1870

Factory Studios (recording): studio formerly owned by Ronnie Size; used by Porthishead, Massive Attack, and other legendary Bristol bands

SCHEDULE

12 April 09h00-15h00 Songwriting @ Bristol Folk House

13 April 09h00-15h00 Songwriting @ Bristol Folk House

14 April 09h00-15h00 Recording @ Factory Studios 15 April 09h00-15h00 Recording @ Factory Studios

16 April 09h00-15h00 Music video shoot 14h00-15h00 Public reception / presentation & performance @ Bristol Folk House

WE LOVE TO IMPROVISE

MIMA WEEK BRISTOL

12-16 of April 2010

sponsored by the US Embassy in London and the City of Bristol

Locations:Bristol Folk House (workshops) and Room4 Studios (recording)

SCHEDULE

12 April 09h00-15h00 Songwriting @ Bristol Folk House

13 April 09h00-15h00 Songwriting @ Bristol Folk House

14 April 09h00-15h00 Recording @ Room4 Studios 15 April 09h00-15h00 Recording @ Room4 Studios

16 April 09h00-15h00 Music video shoot 14h00-15h00 Public reception / presentation & performance @ Bristol Folk House

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