Orchestra in Prison : A Sensitive Change in Partnership

Author(s):

Corinne Covez(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2015

Network:

15. Research Partnerships in Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

15 SES 03 A, .

Paper Session

Time:

2015-09-08

17:15-18:45

Room:

426.Oktatóterem [C]

Chair:

Elaine Hall

Contribution

The aim of this proposal is to consider the sensitivity as part of the partnership process. It is based on a collaborative action-research called Jeu d’Orchestre based on the specific Esagramma© Jeud’Orchestre® (Let’s Play®). From 2012 till 2014, it has been part of the Master “Art and Existence” in Lille 3 university and sat up meetings with students and European Professors in psychology, sociology, philosophy and musicology, through a common concern. On one part Fanny T. Ananos Professor in the University of Grenada-Spain in the department of Social Education, studies the prisons, especially inclusion. On the other part, Licia Sbattella (Pr university Milano-Italy) is the creator of this musical and relationship approach which consists in creating a specific orchestra for any person (including autistics) without any knowledge in music, but becoming able to play an instrument and a part in a classical music workshop and a performance, thanks to the presence of some musicians. The Jeu d’Orchestre has then been used for the first time in the context of prisons in Northern France.

First, partnership in education has been defined through different paradigms as action, strategic states or commitment and the implication of the choice (C. Merini 2015 To Be Published). The collaborative process in itself has been also analysed as the base of the relationship between partners (G. Boutin & F. Le Cren 2004). The criteria for characterizing networks of openness and collaboration is also valuable to understand the different stakes of opening structure and make it work for education. But as Paniagua A. & A. D’Angelo (2015 TBP) explain, working in partnership with schools to enhance migrant families involvement can be contradictory or tense. So, we would like to consider the partnership on the sensitive point of view, taking into account a deeper or wider understanding of human relationship. We do believe as Barbier (2006) asserts for, in Sensitivity as at the core of the relationship especially in education. It consists in more than a perception with the five senses, or an affective or emotional dimension (Berger & Bois 2008), but rather in the paradigm of Sensible (Bois & Austry 2007). These researchers explain the phenomenon as well as the process that come to the conscience of a person when he or she links with his or her inside world towards a intimate and deep sensation of the body. Such a position allows the partner to meet up with the other with empathy (Barbier 2006) but also directly so as to feel the presence of the other and make the process of sense emerging possible (Berger 2009). Taking also into account the ethical sensitivity (Hall E. & alii 2015 TBP) in the project, we would like to focus on the specific practice of orchestral music that made the partners meet up with detainees, music and their sensitivity and how it has changed the way to live partnership and perceive it. Actually we would like to get a better understanding of this forme sociale sensible (Sansot 1986) that represents such a partnership. As an ethnographer taking part into this collaboration, imagination allows me to put into images the invisible reality that lies between evidence and complexity (Willis 2007). Because accepting the sensitive process inside of ourselves enriches us but also provoke some unbalance and change that we have to face to keep on partnering. Actually the moving process can lead us to a renewed relationship to one’s self, the partner and the partnership. So, from Pr V. Baumfield definition, we propose to explore “Working together to find a sensitive agreed solution to a sensitive common problem or problematic situation”.

Method

This research belongs to a “Citizen Researchers” project financed by the Regional Council of North-Pas-de-Calais in partnership with the Interregional Direction of the Penitentiary Services and a non profit organisation in charge of the Culture mission in prison called Hors-Cadre that creates a direct link with the prisons staff. The action-research aims to improve the well-being for detainees and understand the process of the Jeu d’Orchestre. Therefore the partnership has been mostly based on the staff in the different contexts as well as students. Totally, 12 prisons, 54 concerts and more than 500 people have been involved. The methods contain a range of elements trying to observe and interview different types of participants: audience (detainees, parents, staff, judges) or practicing people. By the way, 12 interviews with directors, guards, inclusion officers, psychologist and educators have been authorised. Nevertheless this project represents about 100 people who exchanged their feelings and opinions in groups in different meetings, but also through the “free writing” (récit libre) of what the students or volunteers wished to share with. Besides, the “circle-times” set up at the end of concerts allowed talking with the whole group of detainees or with the outside-of-prison participants. The musical workshops (16 benefiting to 500 people) lasting from a range of half a day, a whole day to a week, have been observed. So the collected information enriches the understanding on the different situations: female quarters, remand centres, prisons or minor prison. Throughout, a field journal has been written up about the participative listening/observation, the empathy and the écoute sensible (Barbier 1996, 1997) in resonance with others (Canter Kohn 2000). Therefore break times with detainees created a possibility of short conversations with them, guards... This quite demanding action-research on the human point of view is clearly an existential one (Barbier 1997) in meeting up with suffering persons but also with the Self. In fine the practice of instruments allowed the ethnographer, a non-musician like the very most of the detainees, to get in touch with her own sensitive part. This means the observation is in connection with her listening to her own or the other’s produced sound in the same time of establishing a relationship with people. Finally the personal or collective data lead to the point of a sensitive change in behaviours, and values in partners as well as in partnership, but also in the meaning of education itself.

Expected Outcomes

Notably, we found out that the people’s perception of detainees changed, allowing an equal relationship based on a common strong experience. The wardens also transformed their opinion in discovering the prisoners’ capacities and specially sensitivity. A slightly different prisoner’s perception arises becoming strong enough to be “themselves” without the fear of losing their kaid status. We can observe and read feelings of human relationship, social justice, inclusion and self-empowerment occurring through the process. These are the impacts of a quite demanding experience consisting in: Learning to contact themselves through an instrument (Corde sensible), getting in resonance with the other (Accord majeur) and finally being able to play several instruments in a performance (One-Man Band). A slightly different prisoners’ self-perception appears, according to the implication, that brings to the “feeling Me” through a favourite and healing instrument practice playing a relevant role in the renewed identity when the sensitive subject emerges. A subject who is not only an actor ready to play his part, but the author of himself reconnected to his Self and own past, truth, authenticity and creativity. As the students, educators, psychologists ...played as well in the Jeu d’Orchestre, the partners were discovering or reviving their sensitive part in the same time. At the end of these three years, the relationships and even ethics has been improved to allow a more confident partnership based on the common shared experience. The musical and relationship specific practice enabled a change in self-perception, the other’s representation, the all participants as a group, but also music as a sensitive process in education. Sharing emotions, personal stories in a musical ambiance allowed expressing issues on time in prison, education, family...letting the person express freer about his feelings and life. In fact the partnership with the staff or detainees showed a more human face.

References

Barbier, R. (1996). La recherche-action. Paris : Anthropos, Economica. Barbier, R. (1997). L’approche transversale, l’écoute sensible en sciences humaines. Paris : Anthropos Bois, D & Austry D. (2007). Vers l’émergence du paradigme du Sensible. Réciprocités, n°1, 6-22. Berger, E. (2009). Rapport au corps et création de sens, étude à partir du modèle somato-psychopédagogique. Thèse de doctorat en Sciences de l’éducation, université Paris 8. Boutin, G. & Le Cren F. (2004). Le partenariat entre utopie et réalité. Santé et services sociaux, éducation, administration publique et privée. Montréal-Québec : Editions nouvelles. Canter Kohn (Ruth), « Résonance et raisonnement », dans J. Feldman (Jacqueline) & Canter Kohn (Ruth) [coord.], L’éthique dans la pratique des sciences humaines, Paris: L’Harmattan, 2000, p. 251-263. Jeffrey B.B & Troman G. (2004). Time for Ethnography. British Educational Research Journal, vol. 30, n°4, p. 535-548. Hall E., Wall K. Baumfield, V. & Higgins S. (2015). Where is your warrant ? Looking for evidence of learning and partnership roles in a teacher inquiry network. In The notion of partnership in education: crossed looks. To be published. Hodges D.A. & Sebald D.C. (2011). Music in the Human Experience. An Introduction to Music Psychology. Oxford-UK: Routledge. Laplantine, F.(2002). Théorie de la description ethnographique. Paris : Nathan « 128 » Merini, C. (2015). “Introduction”. In The notion of partnership in education: crossed looks. To be published Paniagua A. & D’Angelo A. (2015). Letting schools think community ? A critical approach to the role of Third Sector Organisations working in partnership with schools to enhance migrant families involvement. In The notion of partnership in education : crossed looks. To be published. Mithen, S. (2005). The singing Néanderthals.The Origins of Music, Language, Mind and Body, Cambridge-USA: Harvard University Press. Paille P. & Muchielli A. (2008). L’Analyse qualitative en sciences humaines et sociales. Paris : A. Colin. Sacks, O. (2007). Musicophilia. Tales of Music and the Brain. New-York: Alfred A. Knopf. Salane, F. (2011). « Crise identitaire et investissement universitaire. Un étudiant en prison ». SpécifiCITéS, n° 4, p. 43-53. Sansot, P. (1986). Les formes sensibles de la vie sociale. Paris : PUF. Sbattella L.(2010). La formation de l’être humain par la pratique orchestrale. Colloque « L’art de prendre soin » CEAC, Université de Lille 3, Charles de Gaulle, 4-5 mars. Willis, P. (2007). The ethnographic imagination. 4ème edition. Cambridge : Polity. http://www.esagramma.net

Author Information

Corinne Covez (presenting / submitting)

UNIVERSITY LILLE 3 CHARLES DE GAULLE, France

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