Talk, Play, Think (TPT) is a monthly series of lecture demonstrations on music and the performing arts by the academic staff from the faculty, visiting speakers, as well as professional practitioners. “Talk” refers to an academic lecture, while “play” involves performance demonstrations. The “think” element refers to the stimulation of new knowledge and the creative ways generated from the presentations. Talk, Play, Think (TPT) presentations bridge the gap between theory and practice, the academician and practitioner, and diversify ways in which knowledge may be acquired in an academic setting. The Faculty of Music and Performing Arts is proud to present performing arts academicians and scholar-practitioners who combine performance with research and scientific-based findings, in addition to professional practitioners’ experiences in performance, composition or choreography. TPT broadens our knowledge base through the sharing of undeniably rich sources of information by local, national and international researchers and practitioners alike.
MARCH 2016
Elevated States and the Art of Seduction in the Ritual Arts of Malaysia
by: Eddin Khoo
9 March 2016, Recital Hall, Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, 2.30p.m – 4.30p.m
Presently, there exist misperceptions, misrepresentations and quite some confusion about the nature of elevated and the role of seduction in the ritual arts of Malaysia. In the shift towards the formalization and institutionalization of ritual traditions in Malaysia over several decades, there remains a conscious effort at marginalizing elements of ritual, and modulating the nature pf ‘play’ allurement and seduction in the performance of these traditions.
This presentation seeks to dwell on the now widely considered ‘esoteric’ nature of ritual performance, examining the dual role of shamans, puppeteers and protagonists as healers and humorists in the context of ritual performance. Borrowing from the concept of ‘humouralism’ – as expounded by the anthropologist Carol Laderman, in her study of the Main Puteri of Kelantan – this presentation attempts locate the nature of ‘play’ within the ritual context, and explore the nature of ‘sensibilities, dispositions and temperaments’ within the operational context of ritual performance.
APRIL 2016
Music and Consumer Behaviour
by: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Joanne Yeoh
27 April 2016, Recital Hall, Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, 2.30p.m – 4.30p.m
The presentation today examines the advantages and limitations of using music to influence consumers’ behaviour. Music can be heard in elevators, shopping malls, retaurants and in almost any and every possible public venue where consumers gather. Although unknowingly to most, music played in such an understated manner is capable of influencing consumers’ choice, often times unconsciously so too. This phenomenon is known as musical fit which is a fairly recent concept in the literature, concerning how a correspondence between the properties of a product and those of concurrent background music can influence choice between competing products or prime recall of those products. I shall briefly present a few lab based experiments showing how musical fit can influence consumers and the limitations of such a phenomenon.
MAY 2016
Solo Performance
by: Puan Seri Sabera Shaik
11 May 2016, Recital Hall, Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, 2.30p.m – 4.30p.m
The lecture demonstration will focus on how a monologue is and should be viewed for a solo performance and what an actor should look out for, when attempting a solo work. What is interesting in the eyes of an audience and what is not. Common mistakes by our local solo performers. How to perform with an eye to travelling with your performance. Working with different directors.
JULY 2016
The Art of the Western Classical Vocal Accompanist
by: Seho Lee
20 July 2016, Recital Hall, Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, 2.30p.m – 4.30p.m
Piano Accompanying, in particular for singers (western classical music), is one of the music professions that demands a variety of skills from the pianist such as an understanding of the foreign language in the text of the songs accompanied and the ability to transpose the keys on the day of performance when singers are not in their best condition. The art of supporting a singer without overshadowing them and providing a safety net when things go awry, is certainly a skill that takes time to develop. These skills are frequently overlooked by the public. This presentation will provide an overview of the profession of a piano accompanist for singers and demonstrations on how to conduct a vocal coaching session.
AUGUST 2016
Tracing The Energy
by: Mohd Nor Faillul Adam
17 August 2016, Recital Hall, Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, 2.30p.m – 4.30p.m
I wanted to integrate movement that perhaps could be recognized as ‘narrative’ with other movement that i would like to identify as ‘pure movement’. Any movement could be recognized as narrative, while some narrative intention could be recognized as a movement without story or meaning. I had an idea and wanted to integrate that idea with energy. Energy is present in movement, music, or emotional intensity. Therefore, i selected to investigate the element of energy in this process. I decided to integrate these emotions of pain and loss to make a duet piece for my third semester final project. However, i did not intend to create a piece about the tragedy itself, but i chose to explore the feeling of pain as the theme, inspired by the Malaysian airplane tragedies. In dance, energy focuses on the weight, texture and flow of movement such as to float, swing, sudden, smooth, sharp, percussive (playing with rhythm), and explosive. There are four motions that demonstrate it: space, weight, time, and flow. Eventually, the dynamic of movement is the outcome of the combination of these factors and its effort qualities. Effort qualities produce eight basic actions: to press, to flick, to wring, to dab, to slash, to glide, to punch and to float.
NOVEMBER 2016
Re-evaluating and Re-shaping Health and Safety Matter in the Creative Industry in Malaysia: Working safe whilst being healthy
by: Azizul Zahid Jamal
16 November 2016, Recital Hall, Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, 2.30p.m – 4.30p.m
Each and every one of us has the right to be safe when we work and at the same time being healthy doing it. Good health and safety practice should not be seen as an irritant but as a sign of high professional standards. This overview points out the importance of health and safety. I believe that having a safe work environment, working safely and taking care of our health has always been address as a topic in any subjects relating to productions and at times been reminded about the matter. But how serious have we been stressing on the importance of the matter whether it is in the small scope of the learning process environment or even in the bigger scope of the working environment in the industry. Yes i am convinced that health and safety matters have not being practiced truly and thoroughly in the local creative industry. It is something that should not just be spoken about but practiced seriously. As for there are no specific legislative or enforcement concerning the matter, developing a standard of practice guide for the local creative industry is a start in issuing the matter. This paper aims to change the perspective of the local communities of the creative industry regarding the importance of the health and safety issues to start taking the matter seriously to develop a greater work standard in accordance to the growth of the creative industry in Malaysia.