Keys to Music: An Introduction to Critical Listening

“Keys to Music: An Introduction to Critical Listening” is a compact look at classical, modern academic and experimental music for a wide range of interested listeners.              The project will be held in the form of four meetings, at which the fundamental principles of listening psychology and the organization of music will be revealed in a clear, accessible and fascinating form on historical and modern examples.       There are a number of myths and stereotypes about the dullness, inaccessibility and narrow focus of composer and experimental music, which can be exacerbated by the trauma of forced training in music schools, the closed rituals of the concert situation in philharmonic societies and the abundance of near-music husk from musicologists and journalists.       At the same time, in Ukraine there are many bright new initiatives for the performance of ancient, classic-romantic and modern composer music, as well as an abundance of non-academic trends. The opportunity to meet complex music is growing, but the channels of communication with it are usually old-fashioned or superficial.              The course will re-build the idea of ​​music as a practice, medium and culture, give the simplest tools of structural analysis and tell you how to extract meanings and enjoy listening to music both at concerts and in recordings.Lectures are given by composer Alexey Shmurak. In 2007-2016, Alexey was the coordinator and pianist of Ensemble Nostri Temporis; in 2013-2016 - coordinator of training workshops for young composers COURSE in Kiev and Lviv. In 2016-2018 he was a resident of the Kiev art space Plivka. Collaborated with the Kiev music agency "Ear". Together with the ensemble Alexey performed in Germany, Poland, Russia, Belarus. Sheet music of Shmurak also sounded in France, the Netherlands, Britain, Slovakia, Austria, Russia, Armenia, Georgia.              The project does not imply specialized training for participants (knowledge of musical notation, musical literature, "absolute hearing" and the like).       When: January 23 and 24 at 19:30, January 25 and 26 at 15:00       Lecture Duration: 2 hours       Cost: 500 UAH (or 150 UAH / lecture)               Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1O-6Qnfe2DVVX9S-05ltvYUzeEVfxx1_bpkNfqANtDu4/edit