There are no barriers related to the illness, there’s ‘only’ music.

Interview to Claudia Serrano, one of the Art Directors of the band Grounded Theory from Zamora (Spain). They have just recorded one song within IME project ‘Over and Over’ and tells us some details about it.

Please, elaborate on the collaboration between yourself and the musician(s).

It is important to get to know the person you are collaborating with, not only their ideas, emotions, thoughts, but also the environment she/he is living. The whole group has to understand the meaning of the song to put music to it, to go in the same direction and for both (music and lyrics) to express the same idea.

To avoid the disconnection between the music and the lyrics, we have tried to build the song at the same time. The lyrics are written by the lyricist alone, but the construction of the song is made by the whole group.

Please, elaborate on the process of recording.

During the recordings, an amazing effort has been made by the members, with the instruments, the mixes… they have been serious; they were worried about the result.

Please, describe if there were any difficulties during the collaboration?

There have been a lot of moments in which everything seems to click and we want to create more songs; but also lots of moments in which nothing clicks, overwhelming feelings appear, participants closed their minds and wanted to leave the group. We have to be prepared to remember that when something clicks is because there was chaos before, and that’s the way we worked. This is not therapy or something like that, it is just music.

How did you go through this difficulties?

One of the strengths of the group has been the strong sense of belonging of the members, they have worked so hard for it to exist, for them to lean on each other when feeling lonely.

This relation has motivated the members of the group, when one of them felt like leaving, the rest would just “push” him and at the end all stayed, sometimes for themselves and sometimes for their bandmates.

Please, elaborate on the results. What went well?

I am so pleased with the song created, I am happy and proud of the group, of what we have built together and of the bond shared by the members. There are no barriers related to the illness, there’s only music.

It has been a challenge to create something professional where there was no training enough, but a lot of motivation: “This is the best thing happening in my life from a very long time” one of the members said.

It was really satisfying; it has been a challenge but it was worth it.

What things do you learn for future comparable projects?

We have learnt how to teamwork and to share responsibilities, there is no one director and the group, it is a band progressing along together. There was no fear of saying anything. All the comments were taken seriously, always.

We have learnt how to make music indistinctively of anything else, of how we and our mates are or feel.