Hands-on music: A workshop at Blickfeld Horw

Tuesday evening, 12 November 2024: The rehearsal for the upcoming Forward Festival had ended, and the three musicians – Jack Adler-McKean with his tuba, Rachel Koblyakov with her violin, and Noè Rodrigo Gisbert with his percussion instruments – are on their way to Horw. Tonight they will host a very special workshop at Blickfeld Horw, which offers a home and sheltered workplaces to the visually impaired and blind as well as to people with other physical and mental disabilities and to elderly people in need of care. Today’s goal is to encourage them to have an immediate response to music by composers from Johann Sebastian Bach to Pierre Boulez.

As soon as they arrive on the scene, the musicians introduce their instruments and surprise the eight participants – most of whom are visually impaired or blind – with sounds that are not part of their everyday experience. The tuba presents its rich, deep sound while at the same time showing that it is capable of a variety of very different timbres. The violin delights with delicate plucked notes and rapid runs, and the percussion instruments demonstrate their versatility. Did you know, for instance, that you can play a vibraphone with a violin bow? The group listens, smiles, and marvels at these sometimes novel sounds.

Then it’s time for some hands-on experience. The eight participants from Blickfeld Horw feel their way towards the instruments, pick them up, run their hands over the surfaces of the instruments and let the sonic vibrations exert their effect: they not only hear but also feel every single note. A unique experience: the “super bowl,” a special drumstick topped with a rubber ball, glides over the bass drum and produces a vibrant sound. While Jack holds his tuba, they explore it together, operating the keys as he blows into the mouthpiece. The participants produce gentle tones on the vibraphone produces gentle tones and pluck out pizzicato notes on the violin.

At the end of the session, the participants accompany the musicians on percussion instruments, thus becoming part of the musical performance. Says Sepp, one of the workshop participants: “It was really great to experience something like this and, most of all, to be able to touch the instruments and improvise with them. It’s just fantastic.”

The workshop, a collaboration between Lucerne Festival and the activation team from Blickfeld Horw led by Christina Albisser, was an enriching experience for everyone involved. For more impressions and further insights into this special encounter, including a chance to hear the voices of the participants and musicians, check out the podcast.