Peña, S., Rathgeber, J. (Unpublished). Creation/communication, music/movement: Creating with the Urban Arts Ensemble. Unpublished manuscript, Music Education and Music Therapy Division, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
In this essay, we explore how creative experiences in groups might impact communication among members through group creativity experiences for the Urban Art Ensemble at Arizona State University in the Spring of 2015. Preliminary research began on the UAE’s midterm day when members facilitated their own activities aimed at increasing communication through examining domain specific knowledge related to roles and structure/form. For half of the class, we observed the dancers lead activities that addressed roles and communication. For the second half of class we then saw musicians lead the group in activities focused on form and structure of a music genre. From this point, we developed a two- day project that we hoped would give members a chance to creatively engage in experiences with one another that might help them develop their abilities related to group creative communication. In this essay, we will discuss the impetus and structure of our project, examine what happened through the words of members, and articulate important take-aways that might empower our own work facilitating group creative work and which could be useful for others in similar settings. First, thought, we will set the stage by discussing the unique context of this study, the Urban Arts Ensemble.