Welcome all!
This week I’ve been wondering about rhythmic ways of knowing. I have been working on a project about the rhythms and in-betweenness of language. For this project, I am producing a video to accompany an audio clip created by my research partner. While shooting video, trimming clips and arranging (and rearranging) to match the audio, I have been thinking about how this work is so very different from typical research. And I wonder how including rhythmic ways of knowing across education (preschool to higher education) might change how we view who is knowledgeable and how people are knowledgeable.
All of life has rhythm. There are daily, monthly, yearly rhythms, and rhythms in different places and for different activities. Those of us who prefer structure and routine might be well attuned to these rhythms. Then again, those who prefer spontaneity might notice structured rhythms just as much. In this blog entry, I would like to think-with the rhythms in music, poetry, and movement, especially stimming. Stimming is a term used in the disability community for self-stimulating behavior.
Knowing through musical rhythms. DRJONESMUSIC (March 2, 2020) states, “A musician’s unique musical perspective comes from how they walk, the rhythm of their heart and lungs, the physical capabilities or limitations of their music making, how people treat them based on their appearance and what they notice from their physical vantage point.” The following link will take you to an online class discussion starter from DRJONESMUSIC. View the sections entitled “The body and ‘ability’” and “Physical Disabilities” to explore musical rhythmic knowledge through vibrations in sound and touch.
Music and Disability (Online discussion Mar 2-8) https://drjonesmusic.me/2020/03/02/music-and-disability-online-discussion-mar-2-8/
Knowing through poetic rhythms. Dr. Ralph Savarese has written and spoken on the topic of autistic poetry. One of his essays, published in 2015, is called “What Some Autistics Can Teach Us About Poetry: A Neurocosmopolitan Approach.” Savarese has wondered at how some non-speaking autistic individuals who begin to communicate through Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices tend to ‘language’ poetically. He thinks that autistic sensing-knowing includes the speech sound sensations as well as sensations in experiencing the world around them. I would also say that autistic poetry includes the rhythms of the world and its languages. Follow the link to autistic poetry.
Unrestricted Interest www.unrestrictedinterest.com
Knowing through stimming rhythms. We often relate rhythm to music and dance, but what about the kinds of movement that are called stimming? Although stimming is a word used for self-stimulation and is a behavior often attached to the idea of “being in their own world,” some individuals note that this kind of movement is actually very “in tune with the world,” an improvising or co-choreographing with the environment. Stimming-knowing is not for translating or interpreting. Might it be a rhythmic knowledge that can teach us something? View the first part of the following video for an example of stimming. Continue watching if you would like to learn more about (late) Mel Baggs’ take on interacting and knowing with the world.
In My Language, silentmiaow, Mel Baggs– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnylM1hI2jc
The ideas and words in the links do not necessarily reflect my own. I include them here as further opportunities to co-learn with others on this topic. Your thoughts, feelings and rhythmic doings can be shared in the comments. Members can add contributions to the invitations in the Micromoment in Neuroplexure forums, Flipgrid or Google doc folders.
Until next time!
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