Jonathan is a musician and composer who graduated from the University of Auckland in 2015. He has since been working in schools alongside children with physical and intellectual disabilities. He plays the piano, trumpet, electric and acoustic guitar, ukulele and has dabbled in the didgeridoo. He composes in a wide range of settings - electronic music for video games, traditional musical theater, and orchestral works - but between all of these lies a passion for making music and a belief that it is a fundamental human experience that can be enjoyed by anyone.
Workshop: The Language of Music
Experiencing music is, for cochlear implant users, often a difficult and frustrating task. For many it is a dense web of noise, hard to break down and digest. This workshop seeks to provide some of the knowledge and tools necessary to begin unraveling this web. Through practical group activity and discussion, this workshop will attempt to demystify the language of music, giving cochlear implant users a foothold into enjoying the experience of music again. We will be focusing on three of the most fundamental aspects of music: rhythm, pitch, and timbre (sound quality). Each of these elements will be discussed and explored through a communal music-making experience. The workshop does not require any musical knowledge or skill, but be warned! You may leave with some.