FIELD RECORDING OF A SCHOOL IN VALENCIA – Recorded on May 26, 2017 in Valencia, Spain – 60 mins. This field recording was created for the audio sermon project, Music Education Through Autobiographical Digital Storytelling: Confronting Fear and Becoming True as Music Students & Teachers. The project was an exploration of the spirituality of music education through examination of its interpersonal relationships related to the confrontation of fear and truth telling in a music education community. Before beginning the project, I wanted to gather inspiration by setting up a field recording of students interacting outside during the final days of the school year in the city of Valencia, Spain. The behaviors of students bring forth a wide range of sounds, which mix with the surrounding noise of the city. The field recording demonstrates a blend of beauty and nervousness, which may unexpectedly affect the thoughts and emotions of listeners. Participants are encouraged to listen to as much of the field recording as they’d like to in order to draw, write a description or describe a memory that is inspired by the arrangement of sounds. Post-it notes and pencils will be provided for writing or drawing a personal depiction or reflection of the field recording. Participants may take their work with them or leave it near the installation to aide the interpretation of other listeners. This field recording is particularly appropriate as a listening, discussion & reflection activity for children, youth and families attending Intramurs 2018.

Jeffrey Cobbold

Born 1984, New Jersey (U.S.A), Lives and works in New Jersey (U.S.A). I am an independent artist and researcher from Piscataway, New Jersey. Since 2008 my professional experience has developed in public schools, camps and churches within the Mid-Atlantic & Southeast United States. My unique use of music, art and the humanities has assisted communities in strengthening their K-12 and adult education programs. I formally began my artistic practice and research in 2015 at the intersection of autobiography and digital storytelling. Through investigation of my own educational journey, I produced a six-episode nonlinear digital story about my academic experiences within theology and music. In my first research project, an extended audio sermon; I used pastoral theology as an artistic research method for interpreting the stories of students and teachers within music education. My artistic work ranges in digital storytelling, education, experimental music, sound and video pieces. Each piece reveals an aspect of my personal narrative and is shared for the purpose of activating viewer or listener personal reflection and serves as a catalyst for approaching sensitive aspects of personal stories.