Meetings between night and day : Creating a collaborative music performance for children aged 0–3 years

Abstract: Møter mellom natt og dag (Meetings between night and day) was my Professional Integration Project (PIP). It was a musical collaborative performance implemented in three kindergartens in the municipality of Fjell, outside of Bergen on the west coast of Norway, between March 17th and March 19th 2015. The target audience for the performance was children aged three years and under. The performance consisted of 10 folk songs from the countries of Norway, Sweden and Malawi. In addition I employed voice improvisation accompanied by small instruments such as djembe, an mbira, a glockenspiel and a rain stick. The performance integrated a visual presentation of pictures taken by photographer Ingvild Festervoll Melien. In the findings I present my relation to the audience, the roles of the adults in the kindergarten, the difference between being a musician and not a teacher in the audience setting, my aspects of time and digital media, how participation and interaction were integrated in the performance, and how the collaboration with photographer Melien functioned, as well as describe my own development in regards to new acquired skills and experiences. The findings are presented through my own reflection, and through discussions where I point to literature concerning perspectives on children and arts. My conclusion shows that I have managed to create a successful musical collaboration performance in terms of developing my own artistry and engaging with the target audience of children between 0-3 years, in a performance especially created and designed for them. It also points to ways for how I can continue developing as an artist making performance for small children, and how these aspects also are transferable to other areas for musical performance.