In the deep urban jungle of the blue zone, lies a musical savant. His rehearsal practices itself are a wonder. He dances and jigs to the music of the strIVngs (pronounced “strings”) (https://www.strivngs.com/) orchestra as he conducts. His words reverberate a wealth of wisdom and force of life.
In 2 hours of weekly rehearsal, Dwayne conducts the most beautiful and perfect example of a Forest School in practice outside of the usual setting FS is known for. The strIVngs orchestra is made of common folks like you and me, unlike the usual “Experts”, because Dwayne wants to make classical music accessible for adult learners. He believes in the Nature of music in all of us, unhindered by the expectation of “full-marks” and “perfection”. He embodies the practice of strIVngs so fervently, it takes the breath away of those who understand what it means to be a practitioner. Dwayne is the musical savant. He transcends.
In the rehearsal hall…….
“Feel the lines”
“If you hold tension the music disappear”
“Feel the music”
The folks of strIVngs sway under their conductor’s spells and incantation, as he brings them to cosmical spaces to feel the music and in the process, feel themselves.
“More courage”
“Don’t chicken out, come forward to play”
“Take ownership of what you’re playing… be scared of playing”
“Just play ugly”
He drags, he pulls, he mesmerizes. The bags of spells he casts keeps going in the 2 hours. It is sometimes subtle, sometimes silently loud. There it is, at all times, raising the energy and beliefs of his players.
He howls as the wind,
he shines as the sun,
he drenches as the rain,
he pauses as the trees.
It’s as if he is Nature in all its being.
The energy is immense.
To Dwayne, it is more important to play well in practice than on concert day. On concert day, he asked the Orchestra to just enjoy playing in front of their friends and families.
Performance is the ritual finale of the Process.
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strIVngs creates a space for all folks to explore music and the music in themselves. Where music is accessible to all. It is an authentic space, where possibilities are inspired by the unique musical practice and philosophy of the community. In a way, it is for the flowering of love and musical seeds of people whose life swims in the murky slides of life.
Dwayne has a deep understanding of music to be able to allow novices and seasoned players and all ranges of people to jell together in the orchestra. He breaks the common barriers of the music world, that prevents people from being themselves. He beats out the fear of mistakes and failures by the musical spells he casts. He transcends.
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Written by : Darren Quek
Edited by : Genevieve Ong
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ABOUT – Forest Pedagogy Research Project (FPRP)
FPRP is a research journey that I, Darren Quek, is embarking on to learn, re-learn and have a deeper understanding of the work, practice, challenges and guiding motivation of various practitioners of the Forest School and Nature pedagogy. I hope that through this project, I will be able to demystify the value and work of those who are practising in this field. The goal of the project is to create a Story Repository where others can connect and find inspiration from. Personally, I also see this as a pilgrimage journey for me to rediscover the magic of life through the experience of reaching-out, connecting, interviewing, journaling, writing and advocating for what I am passionate about.
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