Soundpainting is a fascinating tool to work with children, art students, teachers, amateur theatre groups or choirs, children with different cultural background or with special needs. It helps practice listening, understanding the group energy and improve the individual skills to improvise with voice, movement or with a theatrical character. Its multidisciplinary structure, gives every single participant the possibility to perform and to compose during the same workshop or project.

 

The education system of our times leaves a limited space for creativity and innovation. Where as Soundpainting offers a new space of creativity through allowing participants to make mistakes and are encouraged to see their mistakes as a new possibility. They are welcome to feel comfortable with the coherence of their mistakes as individuals and as a group.

 

As a multidisciplinary Soundpainter and a member of the Soundpainting community, Ceren Oran had the opportunity to lead many workshops and projects in various countries and cultural contexts. She received in June 2015 an award "Soundpainting as an Integration Project" from Austrian Federal Ministry of Education and Women's Affairs for her project with the integration School Josefiau – Salzburg. In each of these experiences, the feedback of the participants confirm that there is an immense need for tools like Soundpainting in creations and art education to catalyse creative processes and enhance harmonization across disciplines under one language. As the interest and demand for multidisciplinary creativity grows every passing day, Soundpainting lets participants discover new ways of thinking, new areas of personal strengths and new possibilities for group dynamics. Improvising freely within a given frame and not getting lost in the concepts of techniques result in artistic self realization and creative fulfilment.

 

Analysis of a Soundpainting Workshop and Observed Positive Effects

 

The Soundpainter (the composer, teacher, trainer..) standing in front (usually) of the group communicates a series of signs using hand and body gestures indicating specific and/or aleatoric material to be performed by the group. The Soundpainter develops the responses of the performers, molding and shaping them into the composition then signs another series of gestures, a phrase, and continues in this process of composing the piece.

 

The Soundpainter composes in real time utilizing the gestures to create the composition in any way they desire. The Soundpainter sometimes knows what he/she will receive from the performers and sometimes does not know what he/she will receive – the elements of specificity and chance.

 

The gestures of the Soundpainting language are signed using the syntax of Who, What, How and When.

Because of its multidisciplinary structure, every single of participant can try to perform as an actor, a musician a dancer or the soundpainter during the same workshop. It is a challenge but a big discovery at the same time as a performer.

 

Some of the benefits of a Soundpainting workshop are:

• to practice creative thinking with an open mind,

• to discover that there is more than one right answer, multiple points of view

• to earn observe, analyze and interpret,

• to express feelings without words,

• to practice problem-solving skills, critical-thinking skills, dance, music, theater and art-making skills,

• to learn to collaborate with other children and learn to tolerate each other,

• to build self-confidence.  Because there is not just one right way to create with soundpainting, every child can feel pride in his or her original artistic creations.

​

Teaching Experience

​

2019

A.S.K. Art Space For Kids - Shanghai -  China

Assitej Artistic Gathering - Sand Festival - Kristiansand / Norway

Big Bang Festival - Tallinn / Estonia

Cradle of Creativity Festival - Capetown / South Africa

Uni. for Performing Arts / Graz

SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance) - Salzburg /Austria

Bleiburg Grundschule -  Kärnten / Austria 

​

2018

A.S.K. Art Space For Kids - Shanghai - Beijing / China

Community Music Meeting - Uni. for Performing Arts / Graz

Pinakhotek der Moderne - Munich / Germany

Thessaloniki National Choir Festival - Thessaloniki / Greece

SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance) - Salzburg /Austria

Bleiburg Grundschule -  Kärnten / Austria

Amerling Haus Vienna / Austria

Didaktik Tage - Uni. for Performing Arts / Graz

Challenge Accepted - Uni. for Performing Arts / Graz

Feldkirchen Grundschule - Kärnten / Austria

Flying Carpet Festival - Mardin / Turkey

Intertonale 3 - Scheibbs / Austria   

Assitej Artistic Gathering Beijing / China

​

2017

7.IM Social Circus Festival – Mardin / Turkey

Chile Sax Fest – Santiago / Chile

Tarapaca Music Festival – Iquique /Chile

Kunst Universitaet - Graz

3. Konferenz für Theater-, Tanz-, Konzert- und Musikpädagogen -Hagen

STAATSTHETAER KASSEL- Kassel

Respondart Festival - Prag

Stadt Galerie - Salzburg

Intertonale – Scheibbs

POLYPHONICA - Athens

Soundpanting Workshop with Walter Thompson – Munich

Billroth Gymnasium - Vienna

​

2016

Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt - Vienna

Kunst Universitaet - Graz

Tagung für Theater Pedagoge - Hollabrunn

INTERTONALE Symposium – Scheibbs

Milan Konservatorium - Milan

Orff Institut - Salzburg

Art'n Anywhere Association - Mardin

9. Internationalen Orff-Schulwerk Symposium „CHANGES?! - Salzburg

Josefiau Integrations Schule - Salzburg

Hamburg – The art of teaching Musik symposium – Hamburg

 

2015     

Tagung der Theatralen Bildung – St. Pölten

Workshop for Multidisciplinary Artists - Buenos Aires

Tagung musik vermittlung Symposium- Mozarteum Salzburg

Symposium “El Sitema” – Mozarteum Salzburg

Sophie Schroll Schule - Berlin

Bleiburg Volkschule – Karnten

Max- Kolmsperger Schule – Munich

Pedagogische Hochschule – Salzburg

Josefiau Integrations Schule – Salzburg

St. Anna Gymnasium- Munich

SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance) – Salzburg

 

2014

Nomadic College- Patras

Toulouse Mirail University – Toulouse

Pedagogische Hochschule - Salzburg  

SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance) – Salzburg

Josefiau Integrations Schule - Salzburg

Family Soundpainting – Toihaus Theatre Salzburg

My Sound of Music Festival - Salzburg

 

2013  

Conservatorium Wien – Wien

Deltebre Dansa Festival - Deltebre

Fifoo Performance Festival – Vienna

My Sound of Music Festival - Salzburg

Tortosa Conservatory – Tortosa

BAKIP  (for kindergarten Teachers)- Bischoshofen

MAxglan 2 Primary School – Salzburg

Toulouse Mirail University – Toulouse

Toihaus Theater  - Salzburg

IM FEST - Mardin

Various Kindergartens- Austria

 

2012  

Maxglan 2 Primary School – Salzburg

Hokus Pokus Kindergarden - Salzburg

Kontak Studio - Budapest

Toihaus Theater  - Salzburg

Palomart Festival -  Napoli

Toulouse Mirail University – Toulouse