In 1979, Keith Terry introduced the term Body Music to describe his work, noting that it was an umbrella term for an art form that had been around for centuries and consisted of several music and dance styles. Terry has been influenced and inspired by traditional modes. He transformed drum patterns into the body and introduced the innovation of ‘rhythm blocks’ and body music scale. Body Μusic uses the human body and the voice as fundamental musical instruments and is a common artistic form in cultures that make no distinction between music and dance. Both ideas of this unity and sound gestures were particularly exploited in music education, especially by the Orff-Schulwerk approach. Keith Terry contacted the American Orff-Schulwerk community and enriched how teachers used sound gestures until then (Terry, 1992). In 2008, Terry created the International Body Music Festival (IBMF), an interdisciplinary festival that mixes genders, cultures and attracts audiences interested in music, dance, world traditions, contemporary art forms. Among its goals are diverse participation and cross-cultural communication with the unique tool of body music. IBMF meets philosophical and practical alignment with community music grounded in core principles of people, places, participation, diversity, and inclusion (Higgins, 2012). Our workshop is based on ideas from both Βody Μusic styles and Orff-Schulwerk approach and is intended for community-based settings. Playfulness and orality using various practices of direct -audio-oral-visual-movement- transmission as far as imitation is at the center of the process. 

The workshop is structured into three parts. In the first, we will work on the circle by incorporating ideas from drum circles and circle singing techniques to establish our first connection with one another. In the second part, we will work on Keith Terry's Body Music approach (Terry, 2002). In particular, we will use the ideas of ‘rhythm blocs’ and ‘time step’ as initial points for exploration, and guided improvisation, individually, in pairs and small groups. We will continue with guided compositions using simple structures and forms aiming to lead a collective musical performance. Participants will take turns in the roles of audience and performers sharing their creations. The goal is sharing, expression and communication through Body Music. 

In the last part, we will reflect on the gained experience based on the think-pair-share technique. Community music practice and Orff-Schulwerk-based activities are both identified with open-ended creative processes, where the content is constantly evolving and openly negotiated. As so, the exact description of the activities can take place only after the workshop and reflection is very important for the group who co-create the unique process and content.

• Εναλλακτικά μουσικά όργανα
• Μουσική και κοινότητες

Olympia Agalianou: PhD in pedagogy and a degree in P.E. and Sport Science (N.K.U.A.). Music studies (harmony degree). Two-year course in Orff-Schulwerk, three years course in dance therapy and four-year studies in systemic counselling. Writer of a monography, 14 chapters in collective books, articles in scientific journals, conference proceedings, and school textbooks. Since 1995 he has been working as an educator in lifelong education in Greece and abroad. Serves as Special Educational Staff in the Department of Early Childhood Education at N.K.U.A., teaches at master's degree postgraduate programs at the University of Macedonia, Democritus University of Thrace and N.K.U.A

Yiannis Litos is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Music Science and Art, University of Macedonia. He studied musicology/music education (Department of Music Studies), pedagogy (Department of Primary Education) and hold a master’s degree in arts and education (Department of Early Childhood Education) from the University of Ioannina. He is the co-editor of two books. Yiannis has participated in international conferences and have published articles and book chapters. His current research interests include community music and inclusive musical practices with disadvantaged children, sociological approaches of busking, and the use of music, movement, and dance in educational and community settings.