What is Arrive & Explore?
Arrive & Explore is a 30-60 minute session using music and sound to assist SEND groups in: arriving in the museum, settling, noticing anything at all and interacting with what they notice to make their exploration of museum: curious, responsive, interactive, expressive & memorable.
A note
It should be noted this is not a music workshop, immersive soundscape or creative music performing process. It doesn’t even matter if the students and staff don’t learn or sing the whole song, which seems like a very odd thing to say. The song, sung by the leader on their own, creates a feeling, a slowing down, an atmosphere , and is an invitation. Participants and staff can join in, listen , move, sway in any way that is appropriate for them.
Sounding, singing and moving are used as tools for children and staff to arrive in their body, space and place. Once settled (arrived) the group are invited to explore the museum, on their own terms, at first with the leader but later independently. They are encouraged to make any sound and movement in response to what they notice. By noticing and responding to the objects and space in this way a dialogue between participants, objects and the spaces they discover is invited and opened up. Participants then take this spirit of curiosity and dialogue on their exploration throughout the whole museum.
When I lead this session, I visit the space and see what comes up for me. I spend time at home getting all the ideas and processes warmed up in my body. On the day I arrive early and spend at least an hour arriving in the space (warming up voice, body, sounds, rolling on the floor, noticing the space myself, seeing how I feel) before the group arrive.
The facilitator needs to take time to learn: the notion of what it means to arrive and explore, the content and the process. It can’t just be pulled out of the bag on the day and led like a singing workshop. If you do that, you’ll miss the point of it and it won’t work properly, and feel unsatisfying for the you and the group. There is a bit of a knack to it but once you get it, it really does work. I only say this as there is a possibility it can be misinterpreted. I’m still learning how to share this work. The session was conceived as an experiment in what it means to arrive in the museum and explore on a quiet day.
I’m very open to talking through it, so please feel free to contact me via this website.
It involves 7 steps:
Settling
Sounding – moving – noticing
Singing or chanting
Travelling
Sharing – exploring
Pausing – responding – interacting
Exploring independently
This webpage is a toolkit, resources, lessons and guide for a facilitator to learn the process.
On this page you will find an explanation of the Arrive and Explore process along with short films demonstrating each step. You can also download: PDF documents to help guide you in the session, a presentation guiding your through each step, a garageband file or individual sounds files to use on a laptop or phone containing the drone, song and beats.
There are also recordings from the original pilot session of six SEND groups so you can hear the session in action.
Accompanying music tracks
The session has a drone & music tracks to support each step but you can also deliver the session with the voice and body on their own.
The tracks can be downloaded as MP3 files (at the bottom of the page. From a desktop right click on each file to get the download option) or played through GarageBand on an iPhone. If you have an iPhone with garageband you can download this zip file here.
The drone and music can be played through a BlueTooth speaker
A full 20 minute film containing all steps is below or it is cut up into shorter films and steps below.
Introduction
Step 1 – Settling
With the drone playing quietly in the background as the group arrive, explain to the staff and children that this is a 30-minute session to help them arrive and feel settled in the museum.
Do some simple and gentle moving together, for example:
Hands
Fingers
Shoulders
Click to hear the drone.
Step 2 – Sounding, moving & noticing
Free sounds – Invite the group to make and free style swhooshing, shu-shu-shu, sss and breathy sounds. Lead this with your arms moving in gentle wavy ways. Encourage them to enjoy making the sounds as a group.
Articulated sounds – Invite the group to make articulated sounds – ’t’ ‘k’ ‘ch’ ‘p t t t”. Lead this with your arms moving in short and angular ways. Encourage them to enjoy making the sounds as a group.
Noticing & expressing – First demonstrate by telling the group you are going to notice something in the gallery space and give it a made-up sound. For example – “I’ve noticed this wooden bowl. The bowl is round – I’m going to give it a whooa sound and move my arms and body in a circular way” Invite everyone to try that sound and movement. Now ask the group. What do you notice? Can you give it a sound? Can we all try it?
Step 3 – Singing or chanting
Tell the group you are going to teach them a song and begin by singing or saying the first phrases. The song tracks begins with four dings of a bell.
Docklands Museum
Docklands Museum
Docklands Museum
Weeeee are hereeeee
Where will we go?
What will we do?
What’s over there?
What’s over there?
Repeat this and gesture to the group to join in.
Step 4 – Travelling
Tell the group – we are now going to try our song while travelling in a train through the gallery space. Let’s form a train and sing the song as we go.
Docklands Museum
Docklands Museum
Docklands Museum
Weeeee are hereeeee
Where will we go?
What will we do?
What’s over there?
What’s over there?
It doesn’t matter if all of the group aren’t singing along. This step is to get the idea of travelling and using the song to hold the space. Later on, the school staff and/or children may sing it as they explore the museum independently. They may just sing it quietly to themselves. They may sing bits or phrases. It’s not so much about singing or the song in a music and performing sense. It’s a tool that holds and creates an atmosphere of exploration.
Step 5 – Pausing, responding & interacting
Pause the music and call out for the group to pause wherever they are. Invite the group to notice an object near them and give it some sounds and movements.
The group will be around the gallery space in no particular order. They may be alone, in pairs, with a teacher, in small groups or as a whole group. Allow them to be as they are and call out invitations. Can you give your object a sound and some movement?
The invitation is very free, encouraging the children to notice, explore and take their noticings into their body and sounds in any way they choose. Creating a playful dialogue between the child and the object.
When you feel its time, invite everyone to travel again and sing the song.
Step 6 – Sharing & exploring
Bring the group back together.
Invite individuals to share the sounds and moves they created for the objects they noticed.
Invite the whole group to try them.
This step is an opportunity to explore the objects in a deeper way, if you wish, however you as leader choose.
Step 7 – Exploring independently
Tell the group – you now have a song that you can use to help you travel through the museum wherever you go, and you have an invitation to create any sounds and movements for the objects and stories you find.
As they leave encourage them to travel and sing the song.
Docklands Museum
Docklands Museum
Docklands Museum
Weeeee are hereeeee
Where will we go?
What will we do?
What’s over there?
What’s over there?
Extras and conclusion
How to access the electronic tracks
Use it in any way you like!
Please feel free to use all or parts of this workshop process in any way you like.
The steps have been well thought through and designed to create a sense of arrival and exploration but you can use them as a tool kit. Modify, extend or adapt it to suit your practice. Go for it! Be inventive.
Please share any ideas. We are all exploring and finding new ways to tell the story of the museum.
Feedback
I’ve had a stream of positive feedback about the Quiet Day which I’m very keen to share with you all – please see below 🙂 Thank you all so much for giving these teachers and pupils such an inclusive, welcoming experience.
“Thank you so much for such fantastic service, my class have extremely high needs and it was so seamless, perfect and inclusive. It’s rare to have every child stay until the end of a trip without emotional meltdowns or having to leave due to emotional or medical needs. Your service and wonderful activities made this possible for every child to be included. Thank you so, so much! I will be sure to recommend to everyone.”
“They loved it, and it was so inclusive. Behaviour was great because their needs were met. All children were able to stay the entire day which is huge “
“Thank you so much for inviting us to the quiet day , WE HAD SO MUCH FUN! Apologies we weren’t that quiet! Georgia was amazing meeting and greeting and joining us on a workshop, Charlotte was an amazing guide and considering it was her first time guiding she was exceptional – she joined in with the sessions and really bonded with the pupils – a total superstar! Luke’s workshop was fantastic; we were singing all around the museum. And Victoria craft was great – from that I’ve decided to do to origami with the class next term! The sensory room was great fun dressing up. I’ve forgotten the name of the lady running the touch session , really nerve wracking my end, but she handled it brilliantly!
The students love coming to MOL and it is a place that they have actually remember and talk about in school often. Some comments from them during the trip:
- This was the best day ever! It’s so much fun!
- Mr Chris when are we coming back?!
- Do we HAVE to go back to school?
- I loved singing around the museum. I sung the song to my mum when I got home
- It’s so quiet its spooky Mr Chris A very big impact they love coming to MOL and it is a place/venue they have actually remembered and talk about in school.”
“The whole day was just magical, we started with music and movement workshop and were delighted to see Luke who has come to our school before and we just love him. The song was lovely and just perfect for our pupils , short and simple but direct we were still singing the song when we left! Next we went onto object handling which was fantastic , pupils had to guess what the objects were used for and this really got them thinking. Next was the sensory room, any chance of dressing up and my pupils go crazy! they loved smelling the teas and coffee as well as stopping at the beigel shop ( which led to pupils wanting lunch! ) after lunch ( which was lovely and quiet) we did spring blossoms craft which the pupils loved and it was lovely to see Georgia and Charlotte join in with the pupils. So no, I don’t think you could have improved anything – it was just delightful.”
Music tracks
Rockliffe school
Richard Claudsley
Ickburgh
Alderwood
Riverside
Tuning In 