LOCATION: Maldon, Central Victoria <2014>
IN COLLABORATION WITH: Gramophone collector Glendon Blazely (AKA DJ Wind Up)
WITH SUPPORT FROM: Maldon Neighbourhood Centre & Regional Arts Victoria
PARTICIPANTS: Eight local elderly folks (aged 68-94 years old)
Five sessions of listening to old gramophone records and discussing memories triggered by the songs. Participants were then interviewed about significant moments in their lives relating to music. Eg. receiving an Elvis record in the mail from an American pen pal but not having a record player to listen to it on; being petrified of church pipe organ music and the sound of a vacuum cleaner; and experiencing the 'Hitler-like' power of Freddie Mercury at a Queen concert!
A series of seven audio pieces (including Early Memories, The Power of Music and The Role of Music) with the stories intertwined with relevant gramophone songs. / One participant, Nancy Whittaker, also wrote an account of her experience for the local paper the Tarrengower Times.
The audio was played as part of Jane Curtis's 'In The Dark', a listening event for the Castlemaine State Festival in March 2015 and on MAIN FM.
LISTEN: Listen to one track below (4mins 45secs). This one is about classical music with a surprising twist at the end!
READ: Nancy Whittaker, one of The Memory Crowd group, has also written an article which is featured on the ABC OPEN website.
