ABOUT THIS MODULE
Collectiveness: Creating Sounds Together
The module ‘Collectiveness – Creating Sounds Together’ focuses on joint experimental music creation by teenagers and is dedicated to group and free improvisation.
It develops and implements new approaches to music learning, striving to establish new learning methods, ensuring space for re-thinking music. By placing emphasis on listening to each other, the module aspires to open up and expand musical worlds to young teenagers and encourages them to create music together, giving priority to collective creation rather than to performing and interpreting traditionally notated music.
The module offers a broad comprehension and understanding of music to young people by introducing a diversity of musical expressions in parallel to developing skills on acoustic and electronic instruments. The most important objectives of the module are nurturing creative freedom, encouraging open-mindedness, and stimulating auditory perception.
The module focuses on the collective creation of soundscapes and group improvisations based on predetermined atmospheres, situations and visualisations, as well as on the interpretation of graphic scores. Participants can learn how to use guitar pedals and effects, and explore different sounds generated by instruments and voice processing. Sound density is practiced individually or in duets and trios. Part of the module is dedicated to the preparation of instruments, and the practicing of different performing techniques, such as playing the electric guitar using an e-bow, playing instruments with objects such as glass bottles or wooden sticks, and exploring the sound spectrum of a drum set in relation to the type of drumsticks used.
The module offers a broad comprehension and understanding of music to young people by introducing a diversity of musical expressions in parallel to developing skills on acoustic and electronic instruments. The most important objectives of the module are nurturing creative freedom, encouraging open-mindedness, and stimulating auditory perception.
The module focuses on the collective creation of soundscapes and group improvisations based on predetermined atmospheres, situations and visualisations, as well as on the interpretation of graphic scores. Participants can learn how to use guitar pedals and effects, and explore different sounds generated by instruments and voice processing. Sound density is practiced individually or in duets and trios. Part of the module is dedicated to the preparation of instruments, and the practicing of different performing techniques, such as playing the electric guitar using an e-bow, playing instruments with objects such as glass bottles or wooden sticks, and exploring the sound spectrum of a drum set in relation to the type of drumsticks used.
HOW TO
This manual to the module ‘Collectiveness – Creating Sounds Together’ is intended for workshop leaders and educators who would like to teach the module themselves. It describes the structure of the workshop, and includes background information, tips for teaching the workshop, as well as links to online resources.
HOW WE DID IT
‘Collectiveness – Creating Sounds Together’ was organised at KONTEJNER as a five month long workshop cycle in 2022. The course was designed and led by Nenad Sinkauz, Nenad Kovačić and Pavle Jovanović, all musicians, music teachers, experienced improvisers, composers, and active participants of the experimental music scene, in collaboration with musicologist Davorka Begović. Through the workshop sessions they taught five teenagers, aged 13–14 how to play together, listen to each other, experiment with sound, and in the end, how to create a band together.
This album has been recorded live, at the closing concert of the experimental music workshop for youth named Collectiveness: Creating Sounds Together, organised by KONTEJNER | bureau of contemporary art praxis, 2022.
Technical realisation of the concert: Filip Pacak, Andrija Santro
Sound technicians: Igor Ivanković, Robert Martinović
Mix and mastering of the concert recording: Miroslav Piškulić
Educators: Davorka Begović, Pavle Jovanović, Nenad Kovačić, Nenad Sinkauz
Workshop participants (Sešija band): Dan Herceg (drums), Bartol Knežević (guitar, fx), Jan Knežević (synth), Mak Rizvanović (synth), Filip Šarić (guitar)
Guest vocal: Rio Sinkauz
Technical realisation of the concert: Filip Pacak, Andrija Santro
Sound technicians: Igor Ivanković, Robert Martinović
Mix and mastering of the concert recording: Miroslav Piškulić
Educators: Davorka Begović, Pavle Jovanović, Nenad Kovačić, Nenad Sinkauz
Workshop participants (Sešija band): Dan Herceg (drums), Bartol Knežević (guitar, fx), Jan Knežević (synth), Mak Rizvanović (synth), Filip Šarić (guitar)
Guest vocal: Rio Sinkauz
TRACK 1 by authors and performers Dan Herceg, Bartol Knežević, Jan Knežević, Mak Rizvanović, Nenad Sinkauz, Rio Sinkauz
TRACK 2 by authors and performers Dan Herceg, Bartol Knežević, Jan Knežević, Nenad Kovačić, Mak Rizvanović
TRACK 3 – Construction 3.1. by composer Zoran Šćekić, performed by Dan Herceg, Pavle Jovanović, Bartol Knežević, Jan Knežević, Mak Rizvanović
TRACK 4 by authors and performers: Dan Herceg, Pavle Jovanović, Bartol Knežević, Jan Knežević, Nenad Kovačić, Mak Rizvanović, Nenad Sinkauz, Rio Sinkauz
TRACK 5 by authors and performers: Pavle Jovanović, Nenad Kovačić, Nenad Sinkauz
MENTORS
Nenad Sinkauz portrait by Dražen Smaranduj
NENAD SINKAUZ
Nenad Sinkauz has participated in projects involving music, theatre, contemporary dance, film and sound-based art both as a composer and performer. He studied musical philology and ethnomusicology in Italy. His artistic work, often with his brother Alen Sinkauz, explores unconventional musical forms, and involves elements from noise, avant rock, electronic and experimental music.
Contact: nenonot@gmail.com
Nenad Sinkauz has participated in projects involving music, theatre, contemporary dance, film and sound-based art both as a composer and performer. He studied musical philology and ethnomusicology in Italy. His artistic work, often with his brother Alen Sinkauz, explores unconventional musical forms, and involves elements from noise, avant rock, electronic and experimental music.
Contact: nenonot@gmail.com
photo by Samir Cerić Kovačević
NENAD KOVAČIĆ
Musician and composer Nenad Kovačić graduated in Ethnology and Sociology at the University of Zagreb. He has been active as a musician since 1997. As a percussionist he explores Balkan and West African rhythms. He is a member of many bands, playing different genres, and actively performs throughout the world. Kovačić is a very active presence on the Croatian contemporary music scene, with various artistic projects focused on improvised and experimental music.
nenadkovacic.com
Musician and composer Nenad Kovačić graduated in Ethnology and Sociology at the University of Zagreb. He has been active as a musician since 1997. As a percussionist he explores Balkan and West African rhythms. He is a member of many bands, playing different genres, and actively performs throughout the world. Kovačić is a very active presence on the Croatian contemporary music scene, with various artistic projects focused on improvised and experimental music.
nenadkovacic.com
Pavle Jovanoivić portrait by Vesna Zednik
© Vesna Zednik
© Vesna Zednik
PAVLE JOVANOVIĆ
Pavle Jovanović is a guitar player, composer and music teacher from Zagreb. He studied guitar at Klagenfurt Konservatorium, and finished his MA in Vienna in the class of professor Martin Koller. After graduating, Jovanović moved to New York in order to learn from and play with musicians from the local scene there. He is a member and founder of numerous jazz and free improvisation projects such as Cromatik 5, PEEK 3, and Abstract Construction Collective.
pavle.jovanovic@gmail.com
Pavle Jovanović is a guitar player, composer and music teacher from Zagreb. He studied guitar at Klagenfurt Konservatorium, and finished his MA in Vienna in the class of professor Martin Koller. After graduating, Jovanović moved to New York in order to learn from and play with musicians from the local scene there. He is a member and founder of numerous jazz and free improvisation projects such as Cromatik 5, PEEK 3, and Abstract Construction Collective.
pavle.jovanovic@gmail.com
photo by Ivan Posavec
DAVORKA BEGOVIĆ
Davorka Begović graduated in Musicology at the Academy of Music, University of Zagreb. For the last 15 years, she has been working in the field of culture and art as a curator and a producer, primarily in music, but also in theatre, contemporary dance, multimedia and film. Currently, she works as a freelance musicologist and independent curator. As member of KONTEJNER she runs the international project Re-Imagine Europe and other sound related projects. She teaches ‘Sound as the Visual Art Expression’ at the Animated Film and New Media Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb.
davorkabegovic@gmail.com
Davorka Begović graduated in Musicology at the Academy of Music, University of Zagreb. For the last 15 years, she has been working in the field of culture and art as a curator and a producer, primarily in music, but also in theatre, contemporary dance, multimedia and film. Currently, she works as a freelance musicologist and independent curator. As member of KONTEJNER she runs the international project Re-Imagine Europe and other sound related projects. She teaches ‘Sound as the Visual Art Expression’ at the Animated Film and New Media Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb.
davorkabegovic@gmail.com
PHOTOS
photo: Sanja Bistričić Srića
PARTNERS
This website reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.