Blog #22 治療性音樂創作
Therapeutic Music Production
音樂創作(music production), 這又是另一個很難翻譯的technical terms. 在音樂治療的領域裏面音樂創作還沒有太多人去探討, 通常離不開同client基本的作歌作詞.
音樂創作Music production這個term其實包含整個創作過程- 由創作歌詞, 歌曲, 編曲, 錄音, 後期製作, 而至於之後的表演和音樂發佈. 對於一個音樂創作人而言, 編曲是一首歌背後的靈魂. 包含了所有歌詞希望流露的情緒, 捕捉歌詞的精髓, 令聽眾容易進入故事當中, 就好像電影配樂. 我們日常的溝通, 當中會用的詞彙只不過表達到意義的小部份, 我們需要使用到身體語言, 面部表情, 聲線和音調才能夠表達到整個句子的意思.
那麼為什麼叫做治療性音樂創作? 其實音樂本身已經有治療性質(music as therapy), 這一點等待日後的文章才詳盡討論. 通常我們只有治療性質的意思是指我們所有的音樂活動, 每一個步驟也是有一個目的, 音樂創作只不過是一個工具. 主要的目的因每一個小組而定, 好像我平常見面在精神復康的client, 他們的目的可能是以下:
創造機會給他們掌握和精通一些技巧而提升自信心
鼓勵他們用音樂和歌詞變為自己的聲音
抒發和流露情感
促進創意
我最喜歡的一個時刻就是當一個client 剛開始session 的時候, 十個有九個也會說 "作曲作詞????我地點唔識個喔...冇學過嗰喎....作詞要啲文采好好先得個喎....." 還未開始之前已經有十萬個的不能. 但經過三或四節的時間, 他們漸漸就會發現作曲作詞誰人也可以, 只要你肯, 就一定可以完成. 他們只需要一個能夠給他們嘗試的空間, 一個不會被指責或批評的空間, 一個能夠肯定他們的創作的空間.
Music Production is a complete package of music making, it is the process of creating a recorded music project from start to finish, including-Lyrics writing, melody writing, song arrangement, recording and possibly performance and spreading of the finished track later on. How is it different from songwriting that most people often mention? The key difference lie in the process especially song arrangement.
As a music producer, music arrangement is the most important thing ever in a produced track. It is the full container of emotions, capturing the essence from the lyrics, ‘dress it up’ for the listener to feel the mood and be in the story of the song. It’s like in our daily communication, the words we use only convey a percentage of meanings, the rest lie in our body language as well as our facial expression and tone of voice.
Why is it therapeutic? Every music actions in a session has a purpose reaching beyond simply creating music. Therapeutic goals such as these below are considered.
Create opportunities for service users to experience mastery
Improving self-esteem and self-confidence through their own music creation
Empowers the service users to have a voice of their own
Self Expression and Emotional Expression
Stimulate the use of innate creativity
My favourite moment during a series of session is to see the transformation of thinking and the sudden realization of the client where they begin to see their abilities are being validated. Usually 9 out of 10 clients came into the session with a million of reason why they cannot do it- "Composing? Writing lyrics?? I haven't learned it, I don't know how to do it.....lyrics writing need a lot of poetic skills and language skills...i don't have it....."
After a few session, they suddenly realized that they actually have the power and enough skills to do it. It's just a matter of willing to try out new things.
All they need is a creative space for them to try out new things, a space where they won't be criticized or judged, a space that can validate their creative endeavors.