BTG: Please introduce yourself...

	Please introduce yourself... by Carl - Sunday, August 14, 2005, 12:17 AM
	What did you think of the introduction? Did it pique your interest? Do you intend to read the whole book and participate in an online community dedicated to the ideas espoused in the book? Why or why not? Reply

I'm Vince Bates, a K12 music teacher in Eureka, a small mining town in Utah, USA.

I plan on reading the book and frequenting the website often. Why? I have
followed the work of both Charles Keil and Patricia Shehan Campbell for a
number of years and think that it is right on target. Music should be joyful
activity and, in the US at least, we have gotten ourselves into some ruts that
don't seem very joyful (concert band festivals, for example). In trying to offer
my students some alternatives I am always looking for new ideas.

Thanks for the website.

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	Re: Please introduce yourself... by Charles - Wednesday, January 11, 2006, 12:15 PM
	Vince, hope this reaches you. Trying to get used to communicating through the website to people who sign in. Charlie Show parent \| Reply

from eddies in turbulent flows to fractures in glass to ion doping in semiconductor design it is imperfections that form the fabric of our existence. friction is imperfection. psychologically friction is a metaphor for frustration, conflict - but in the absence of friction, there is no motion either. no progress without imperfection. sitting in a drum circle is a great model for how to learn to adapt intuitively to imperfection, to pattern a whole mode of constructive discourse around the imperfections we ourselves may cause. also in wheels of destruction reminded of walter kaufmann; in his book on ancient greek literature "tragedy and philosophy," he discusses how, given the general moral ambiguity of the characters in greek tragedy, the closest thing to what is taught in high schools as a "tragic flaw," or genuine moral shortcoming, is hubris. i wonder if you're familiar with the notion of a "wicked problem." the notion has a general applicability in describing nonlinear sorts of problems like one often finds in sociology; for example, it came as a great surprise to traffic engineers a couple decades ago when they tried to relieve traffic congestion on interstates running through cities by making the highways larger: rather than ease congestion, the larger highways just made more people drive, leading to more congestion, more pollution, and a socio-economically destructive de-urbanization...

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Hi Lulabell, you've got the "imperfection worldview" in hand and some "wicked problems" do come with the wheels of destruction side of the territory. Is that a technical term in urban planning, traffic control world??
We're hoping to find collaborators in bringing homo ludens collaboratus (our original ancestor) back into being so that drum circles and dance circles become more concentric, more common, more available to families and small children. Hope you'll keep us posted on whatever practices you've got going along these lines.

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Hey there! This is the first time for me to join an online anything. I am not too sure how I will do with so much time at the compuker but I will try!! The introduction did pique my interest. I have been really moved by Charles Keil's work in the past. It speaks to my heart and to my vision of a possible world. I have been drumming for about 15 years and I have been involved in the education system for about the same amount of time. I now work with children who have been traumatized by witnessing violence at home and I drum with them amoung other types of play and art therapy. I look forward to this adventure and to learning.

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Hi Tracy,
I would try reading the "ngoma" chapters and the calls for dance-dramas that would let children work out their stories in groups at an early age. Can't remember exactly where everything is in the many chapters, but the kind of work you are doing is certainly Born to Groove in spirit and practice and I would love to get any reports you can send us of what works with children who have been violated by violence.
In the self-help movements I've participated in "anger" and healing from violence have been a core issue and I can't say I have a lot of accumulated wisdom or "general advice" about how to do it. I just know you have to be carefull not to "rehearse" or "repeat" a trauma, that the intention to heal is really important.

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I'm Mikael, an editor by day and trained musician by holy hobby. I'm also a father of a boy born in November 2006, so as I'm writing these words, he's 16 months old. I'm excited about sharing music and dance and singing with him as he grows up. We currently attend a parent/child music class with other toddlers, with which I'm happy so far. I'm a fan of Charlie Keil's and also a fan of the joy of creativity: the ectasy must be present. I'm looking forward to seeing this web site develop and also get hints for sharing music with my son.

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My name is Bill. I live in Australia in a big house with Diane, Liam, Judy, Orson, Miranda, Varda and Mingus. Varda and Mingus are German Shepherds. Miranda is going on 3. Orson is going on 5. They are Liam and Judy's children. Liam is Diane's and my child and Judy is his wife. I am Diane's husband. (A simple kinship chart would have made the point more cogently).

The introduction piqued my interest because I think the grandkids will like this kind of thing. The human grown-ups in the house all play something or other more or less. Three of us were even part of a band once. Music is important to everyone here except the dogs, and rhythm is particularly important to me.

I do intend to read the book (as a former film academic, I like stuff that begins at the end because - unlike stories - movies almost never do). I am not so sure about participating (directly anyway) in the online community. That kind of thing hasn't worked for me before, because I am an anti-social recluse (read: former film academic).

Here are Miranda's lyrics to a song you currently feature:

Tickle, tickle little stah
Howah wannah whah you ah
Uppa uppa whirlah high
LIKE AH DIAMOND INA SKY!

As you can plainly see, Miranda is a dancer and singer.

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Hi Bill, you're probably not the Bill Routt I knew back at the Univ. of Chicago in 60s, but then again you might be. That Bill was interested in films (as viewed at the Rio Cinema in Makurdi, Nigeria 1965-67) too and would be a granpa like me by now.
Any ways, welcome to the site and keep us posted on the performances of the extended family. The chapter in Born to Groove that might inspire you to keep a journal of Miranda's day to day activities is called "Louis Louis." A Dr. Heroard kept track of the Daupin's musical activities in the early 1600s and it is quite a story!
You could be the one to get Project Heroard started in Austrailia.
All the best,
Charlie Keil

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'Lo Charlie. Of course I am the same guy (sort of). Maybe I ought to have mentioned that the surviving one of the cowbells that you and Angeliki gave me is attached to a drum set upstairs that I haven't played for more than 4 years. Then you would have had no doubts from the beginning.
Diane and I and the kids ended up in Australia because I answered an ad in the New York Times, and we have been located here for 30 years. Off and on during that time I have tried to write about music and rhythm. One of those pieces is on the net. It was originally written for a Deleuze conference, so I guess it could prove kind of annoying if you aren't in the right mood (on the other hand, there are some bits of music attached):

http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/02/21/sd_earthquake.html

Yours
Bill
PS In point of pure coincidence, one of my movie interests is in early cinema, an area in which another guy named Charlie Keil publishes.

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	Re: Please introduce yourself... by Charles - Friday, April 20, 2007, 09:28 PM
	So let us know how the grandkids are doing in the musicking department from time to time. Ch. 8 at this site gives some clues to journal keeping. Haven't met that other Charlie Keil yet; he's doing film studies in Canada right? Will try to get over to the sensesof cinema piece tomorrow morning when i'm fresh. Charlie Show parent \| Reply

Hi all,

my name is Jonathan Grusauskas, music student at Bennington College and apprentice of Charlie for some time now. During my time learning afro-cuban rhythms and new orleans street music with him, as well as interning with him and assiting with some of his projects, I was deeply influenced and inspired by his teachings. I've since become devoted to "community development" and getting people dancing in the streets and being musically participatory.

I often refer to this book for school papers and such, and hope you all get as much out of the readings as I did.

-jg

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Hey JG, What do you think needs to be going on here at BTG.org??
I'd like to get reports from people who have been getting some joy from teaching, grooving, helping kids or peers get started as drummers, dancers, singers, hummers, whistlers, community builders, etc. So far people have been signing in, reading a chapter here and there, but we don't have forums that are percolating along day to day or week to week.
I'm going to write up some of my activities; may as well do a quick report now.

Just finished up a couple of sessions with 6 and 7 year olds who are getting to be good drummers after:
a) getting some group lessons as Kindergartners last year 2006,
b) having seven or 8 lessons after school Oct.--Nov 07 and
c) another set of 8 lessons Jan/Feb. O8. For the three kids who have been drumming the longest something really important happened over Xmas vacation! The three of them were suddenly "hot drummers" when we started up in Jan. and in a couple of weeks we had a "style" of drumming going, mainly because little Mabel and Michael started using "circular motions" on their dumbek "teks" and "kas"-- like showing off that they could drum correctly and showboat a bit at the same time! This last lesson I asked Mike to talk with me while he was drumming; a challenge -- can you drum "on automatic" while paying attention to something or someone else? He can do it. He could greet me and not drop a beat.
But the best thing that happened last lesson was the one little guy who was either sitting on his hands a lot of the time or just AWOL these past 7 weeks, really got into playing the bass drum I brought in. Gave him the "heart beat" slow pulse to do with a big beater, we all double timed his beat and he was happy! So I can say I followed the Emerson "untune nobody" principle 100% this past session. Everybody got better and wanted "more" as we finished up. And my three best drummers are way ahead of where I was when I was 7 years old.

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Greetings and Salutations,
Big thanks to the Born to Groove Community and of course Charlie. I currently 'work'/play for an amazing non-profit music/community center in Portland OR. I am blessed with the work that pays me to play music with kids from 1 to 13 years all over the Portland Public Schools. My focus with the drums is helping unleash creative expression while supporting concepts of non-verbal communication, brain gym-esque polyrhythm and a sense of place in this over-appropriated, forgot its roots world. With music we are community and I hope that if anything is learned/known, its that we are ALL ENCOMPASSING, thats its all connected and the groove just happens to be quite an incredible expression/manifestation of that. Music and rhythm are the most sound way of communicating and revealing the truth of this connection. In the very real realms, I'm trying to bridge the sustainability movement with the groove movement because fundamentally they are the same thing manifesting in their unique ways. From that, making instruments from recycled materials is a step in that direction. Again, recognizing the need for community and music/grooving being a place for that community to develop and sustain based in the simple harmony that makes us unique, but damn aint it sweet when we all come together and make that Samba of life, that Fanga that KuKu, that Kaki Lambe...what ever it is, I know ya'll know....thats why were here. Give Thanks We Are HOME Humans On Mother Earth....
Shanti Shanti Sarasvati Nada Brahma OM

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Hi Sara, sorry for the 2 year ! delay in noticing this. Maybe I never got a notice that his great photo and philosophy was moving the site along.
Will try to get my daughter and latest grandaughter born May 1 almost 3 years ago, in touch with you. And the other Portland Keils may also want to help out with the Portland jamming. Hope you are still at it and enhancing interbeing.
Charlie

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