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| Munich, 21st June 2013 |
Preparations are
getting under way all over the world
Me
I wish that I had another week free of conductive groups so that I could get on with some more preparation for my own projects for the World Congress for Conductive Education that will take place in October this year.
Friends and colleagues
I have
not been directly involved in any of the preparations for the Congress but have
helped at least ten people with their preparations for submitting abstracts and
then registering for the Congress, searching for accommodation and more.
All of
us have been accepted so I anticipate
that I will be called on again in the final stages of preparation in the
autumn. In fact I look forward to that very much, so much that I will make sure that I have all my writing out of the way so that I can respond to the last minute calls for help.
Students
I have
recently been helping some students conductors from England find sponsorship to enable them to attend
and present their own paper in October and we are over the moon this evening as we have just had the first
donation come in.
Book publishing
The
book that I am publishing for an Irish congress presenter has been out of my
hands and in those of the designer for a couple of weeks now. My own poster presentation
is also in process of being produced.
In training to sprint here and there
I have
had a quick glance at the programme and see that I will be rushing from room to
room, probably missing out on my own question-and-answer time in order to be in
the right place at the right time to hear everyone speak who I have been
involved with, and to speak myself!
So from
my busy point of view things are looking very positive, all I have to do is get
my thoughts all down on paper so that I can speak twice for fifteen minutes!
I saw, on his blog some weeks ago, that Ralph Strzalkowski has published his abstract for the
World Congress.
I realised
the importance of doing this and have decided to do the same here, first with my own, perhaps later with those of others.
Sparking an interest
It is
an ideal opportunity for wetting the appetites of congress-goers and also to
invite interest and open discussion beforehand. Perhaps new opinions will be offered
that will direct the way that I write my final presentation, I do hope so.
The
first abstract that I publish here is my submission for a poster presentation
where I hope to show the situations in which art plays an important role in
learning for life and problem-solving.
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| I love this smile of contentment |
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| 'My dream cat' |
‘Let
me tell you a story...’
Art
resets dislocation of development
S.
Mallett
Private practice, Nürnberg, Germany
Background: I am an art teacher and art therapist as well
as a conductor, and it goes without question that my conductive work cannot be
free from creative influences. As an art therapist I consider the production of
art first and foremost as a means of communication. Images are produced through
which conversations may take place, questions asked and problems solved.
Wearing my conductor’s hat the problem-solving continues: art retains it role
of mediator for communication but develops an even more important presence in
the context of my conductive practice and, as well as a means of communication,
it becomes a way of developing many other skills. For twenty years I have used
artistic projects in my conductive work, in which time I have developed
conductive activities in numerous creative situations – indoors and out;
sitting, standing, walking and lying; on walls, canvas and paper, using paint, papier-mâché, clay, fabrics, pencils,
brushes, dusters, mops, fingers, hands and feet.
Formal statement:
·
Thesis.
Activities involving imagination, creativity and
emotion are a productive and useful means to create the upward learning spiral
of success and satisfaction, experience of which leads to development of the
personality as a whole.
·
Antithesis.
For me, as artist and art therapist, art and many other forms of creative
activity are vital means of achieving this cycle as an integral part of my
conductive practice.
·
Synthesis.
Other conductors bring their own personal
contributions to their practice, IT, music, story-telling, sport, cooking etc.,
the list is endless because it is the list of human enthusiasms, and it is
essential that conductors indentify their own special enthusiasm as an
essential part of their pedagogy.
Conclusion: Conductors need to bring
their own joys into their work to unlock clients’ developmental gridlock, to
‘reset the dislocation of development’ [1].
[1]. L. S. Vygotskii (1993) Collected
Works, vol 2, NY, Plenum
1 comment:
The plastic arts certainly have some sort of effect in terms of development. I wonder if we could differentiate that effect from that brought about by participation in music.
My own experience working with severely disabled adults and music has shown a marked improvement in those people's grasp of cause and effect; an understanding of narrative and time. I wonder if the plastic arts show a similarly marked inprovement of people's sensitivity to light and contrast: an understanding of spatial awareness.
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