FERNANDO ARIANI

Musical Picnic To-Gather: Implications of Human Relationships in Musical Activity Examining Board: Prof. Dr. José Nunes Fernandes (Advisor) Prof. Dr. Marisa Trench de Oliveira Fonterrada Prof. Dr. Maria José Chevitarese Prof. Dr. Terezinha Maria Losada Moreira Prof. Dr. Julio Morethshon ABSTRACT: The aim of this case study is to report the experiment of the amateur group of musical construction Canto Com-Junto (Sing to Gather). This group was created in order to verify the feasibility of establishing a musical practice whose artistic results had not been a priori defined, but should be developed by the group in a horizontal and endogenous manner, without any hierarchical or vertical imposition. Based on Blacking’s thoughts regarding the mutual implications amongst human organization, music production and the value of the extra-musical aspects of music activity among the Vendas (an African tribe), we were able to evaluate some collective musical practices, which were also referred to the pedagogical approaches of Skinner and Rogers’. Gestalt-therapy techniques were adopted to establish a balance between the antagonistic viewpoints of these two former thinkers. This strategy proved to be quite effective with regards to accommodating and supporting the indetermination and diversity of the group in question. By adopting the methodological procedure of participant observation, we were able to gather testimonies, opinion surveys and collective artistic results which were built along the group’s musical and human development process. With basis on this data, the study sought to investigate how much these different contributions and interactions among the participants reflected on their outcomes, as well as their value and meaning to the subjects involved in the development process. It was verified that the feasibility of this proposal depends mainly on the following elements: emotional openness and receptiveness; valorization of individual manifestations; encouragement of creative practice; attribution of sense and meaning by the individuals themselves so that the work is developed endogenously as a direct result of the group’s interactions. This was achieved through heightening the group’s awareness – an essential concept of Gestalt-therapy practice. According to these foundations, the proposal showed that, with the support of a mediator-facilitator, it was possible to produce a nuclear group resulting from its self-regulation process. Therefore, the group was able to claim the authorship of its own work, which is quite meaningful to its members, and has been interactively shared by a peripheral audience in several occasions. For over a four-year period of activities, the group Canto em Com-Junto – a neologism “Com- Junto” especially created for this project that could be translated into English as Singing “To- Gather” – has maintained its creative and constructive developmental pathways and has become more independent and meaningful to its members, who are the core subjects of this process. Keywords: Canto Com-Junto (Sing To-Gather, Musical Group) – Pedagogical Approaches – Collective Construction – Endogenous Organization – Human Relationships CATALOGING CARD: Ariani Filho, Fernando Caiuby. A696 "Musical Picnic To-Gather": Implications of Human Relationships in Musical Activity / Fernando Caiuby Ariani Filho, 2011. 2 v. Advisor: José Nunes Fernandes. Thesis (Doctorate in Music) – Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 2011. Canto Com-Junto (Sing To-Gather, Musical Group). 2. Pedagogical Approaches. 3. Collective Construction. 4. Endogenous Organization. 5. Human Relationships. I. Fernandes, José Nunes. II. Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (2003–). Center of Letters and Arts. Doctorate Program in Music. III. Title. CDD – 782