WANTED: writers, actors, musicians for a musical theater performance at Kiel

“The Kiel comes to a story”, a musical theater performance at the Kiel.

Do you have a passion for writing, acting or making music ? Would you like to make a performance together? Then this call is for you! We are looking for diverse talents to create a compelling musical theater performance together.

Age, experience, gender, native language – it doesn’t matter! Do you not speak Dutch very well yet? No problem. We believe that diversity can enrich a creative process. We invite everyone to be part of this creative adventure.

What you can expect:

• Collaboration with inspiring artists and supervisors.
• Workshops to develop your artistic skills.
• A space where everyone’s story is heard.
• The opportunity to perform twice in front of an audience.

When

From 25 January to 28 March 2024 , always on Thursdays from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm. Performance in Co Nova on Friday evening 29 March. Performance in DE SINGEL on Saturday evening 18 May.

Where

In Co Nova on the Kiel in Antwerp (rehearsing and playing) and DE SINGEL (playing).

For whom

Anyone who wants to make theater and/or music. Artistic experience or knowledge of Dutch not required.

Guidance

Mira Bertels (musician and theater maker) and Michael Vergauwen (actor and theater maker)

Cost

Free

Register

Interested? Trial lesson on January 18 2024 from 1 to 3 pm in Co Nova. Feel free to come and meet us and see if it is something for you. Register for a trial lesson: email nova@antwerpen.be or send a WhatsApp message to 0032 485 88 37 97

Art Educator in Residence is a talent development project of Musica Impulse Centre, Royal Conservatoire Antwerp and DE SINGEL International Arts Campus.

Zintuin

Art Educator in Residence

Successful completion of Erasmus+ CACAO project

A harmonious interweaving of cell biology and music in early childhood education

Musica is delighted to share with you the positive results of the recently completed Erasmus+ CACAO project. Together with our international partners, we have seamlessly interwoven the fields of cell biology and music in the context of early childhood education.

The Cell Biology and Art Class Omnibus project (CACAO) brought together a diverse group of researchers, artists, educators and experts in technology-enhanced learning from seven European countries. Drawing on their collective expertise, they developed a unique curriculum for 5-year-old preschoolers that brings together cell biology, music, dance and visual arts. Musica, with its musical translations of biological concepts and processes, played a central role in connecting the two disciplines. Together, these experts enriched the essential skills, knowledge and awareness of preschool teachers.

An important outcome of the study was the participation of three nursery schools from Poland, Italy and Croatia. Each school represented a different teaching approach. Throughout the study by Juraj Dobrila University in Pula (HR), each school was subject to a different teaching approach; there was one group that followed the standard curriculum, another that received pure biology lessons, and a third that was introduced to biological concepts and processes through musical forms. Moreover, music was not merely used instrumentally to learn about biology. Conversely, biology was also used to learn about music from the inside out. Biological concepts such as evolution, homeostasis or learning processes in the brain gave rise to musical-creative forms of work.

At the beginning of the project, each child was presented with a series of questions, a mix of both biological concepts and more mundane topics. At the end of the programme, the same set of questions was presented again.

The results were plainly remarkable. The first group showed minimal improvement in understanding questions. This may have been due to the simple fact that the children had now grown older and gained more knowledge from their environment. The second group showed a moderate increase in their knowledge of biology. The third group, which had intertwined music and biology, showed a spectacular increase in basic knowledge about biology! In addition, parents reported a significant increase in children’s intrinsic motivation and simply the desire to go to school.

The study underlines the effectiveness of integrating music into biology education and shows a significant positive impact on cognitive development and knowledge retention in preschoolers. Apparently, from their more sensory-bodied approach, the musical work forms had an integrative effect on children’s knowledge acquisition.

As we celebrate the success of the Erasmus+ CACAO project, we look forward to further discussions on the wider implications of this innovative approach to early childhood education.

Zintuin

CACAO 

The Times Academy 2023-2024 launch

An innovative cocreation project in the world of contemporary music

This month The Times Academy was launched. This unique cocreation project acts as a follow-up project to SoundMine 2023 in which four talented composers are coached and guided in the development process of their new composition for ensemble and electronics.

The Times Academy is the exciting result of a productive collaboration between Musica, HERMESensemble, Nemø Ensemble, Centre Henri Pousseur and Matrix.

During several work sessions, the selected composers will have the opportunity to further explore and refine their creative vision. The result of their efforts will not only be heard at the HERMESstudio in Antwerp at the end of June, but also during SoundMine 2024, scheduled for early July.

Zintuin

SoundMine 

hEAR DROPS #19: ASMR – Misophonic Treatment

The latest hEAR DROPS video Misophonic Treatment focuses on food sounds. Food can not only be delicious, it can also sound good. However, for people with misophonia, hearing food sounds can really be agony.

In this episode, we approach the sound of food in a musical way. Hopefully, it will inspire you to start a tasty session of your own.
hEAR DROPS is known for each episode containing an ‘artlink’ to a work or artist. This particular episode highlights Zimoun, a Swiss artist who lives and works in Bern, Switzerland. As self-taught artist, he is most known for his sound sculptures, sound architectures and installation art. Listen to the meal of woodworms in this installation: vimeo.com.

Zintuin Zintuin

hEAR DROPS