BACKGROUND
Purpose: To offer more inclusive music courses/extra-curricular groups, while working within budget and school schedule.
Problem: As Kingsway College’s enrolment increases, there are more students who are interested in getting involved musically on campus. Unfortunately, there are only two music teachers and two ensembles (choir, band). Over the past 5 years, the enrolment in the ensembles have become overwhelming, with the choir one year exceeding 80 students and the band close to 65 students. Those numbers are not including the students who didn’t pass the entrance audition in September. This has put a strain on both the choir and band directors, especially seeing how we have to travel every Spring Break. For those Spring Break tours, both teachers have to audition again so that the students can fit on the bus. This is adding to the already large group of students who are excluded from music on campus. Also, aerials (gymnastics), band, and choir are offered during the same period, so student who want to sing and play instruments don’t have that opportunity.
Prior Dialogues/Solutions: This problem has been discussed for a while, but in 2018, new strategies were enacted. First, Kingsway was able to hire another math and science teacher. Second, drama (which wasn’t a credited course), is now a credit and offered during the same period as band, choir, and aerials. The latter is great for those students who didn’t pass the audition for band or choir; they have another option to try. However, some students want to be in drama but are already committed to band, choir or aerials. Hiring those new teachers is a great solution for the STEM program, especially for those with learning disabilities and the classes being able to split for more teacher facilitation. However, it doesn’t solve the need in the Art’s department.
Problem: As Kingsway College’s enrolment increases, there are more students who are interested in getting involved musically on campus. Unfortunately, there are only two music teachers and two ensembles (choir, band). Over the past 5 years, the enrolment in the ensembles have become overwhelming, with the choir one year exceeding 80 students and the band close to 65 students. Those numbers are not including the students who didn’t pass the entrance audition in September. This has put a strain on both the choir and band directors, especially seeing how we have to travel every Spring Break. For those Spring Break tours, both teachers have to audition again so that the students can fit on the bus. This is adding to the already large group of students who are excluded from music on campus. Also, aerials (gymnastics), band, and choir are offered during the same period, so student who want to sing and play instruments don’t have that opportunity.
Prior Dialogues/Solutions: This problem has been discussed for a while, but in 2018, new strategies were enacted. First, Kingsway was able to hire another math and science teacher. Second, drama (which wasn’t a credited course), is now a credit and offered during the same period as band, choir, and aerials. The latter is great for those students who didn’t pass the audition for band or choir; they have another option to try. However, some students want to be in drama but are already committed to band, choir or aerials. Hiring those new teachers is a great solution for the STEM program, especially for those with learning disabilities and the classes being able to split for more teacher facilitation. However, it doesn’t solve the need in the Art’s department.
ACTION
Strategy # 1: "Strings Course
Time and Place:
String Course can be taught in the evenings and curriculum expectations can be met remotely.
There are students who play string instruments like violin, viola, cello. Unfortunately, concert band doesn’t have strings (except your occasional double bass). Therefore, those students are excluded. There is a way to offer string ensemble as a credit. The campus church has a community string ensemble and instead of adding strings as part of the normal school schedule, it can combine with the community string ensemble and still be offered as a course. That will help in:
1. More players for balanced instrumentation
2. A connection with students and our church community
3. Access to the church for rehearsals
In this course, I learned to value “musicking ”. Musicking is a new way of approaching musical performance. In the Stanton article, Christopher Small states, “…that musicking is descriptive of all types of musical performance and not prescriptive of certain aesthetic value judgments. Everyone who contributes to a musicking act contributes to musicking. The term musicking denotes a new way of thinking about a complex web of ongoing social relations constituted in an actual performance of musical material” (as cited in Stanton, 2018, p. 10).
Based on the music therapy experience of the “Coffee House”, Elizabeth Mitchell (2019) articulates “Where participation, rather than aesthetic standard, defines success, anyone can participate, and the atmosphere is undeniably supportive” (Mitchell, p. 7). The goal of this string class is to create a collaborative experience, where students are not pressured to compete, but to work together, share tips to improve string playing and have fun perform music with people. There are students already active in the community teaching private lessons. The age groups vary from children to adults. These are people whom are a part of the community and all different backgrounds musically and culturally. But everyone is united on one goal and it is to play music to the glory of God.
Mitchell, E. (2019). Community Music Therapy and Participatory Performance. Voices: a World Forum for Music Therapy, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v19i1.2701
Stanton, B. (2018). Musicking in the Borders toward Decolonizing Methodologies. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 26(1), 4–23. https://doi.org/10.2979/philmusieducrevi.26.1.02
Time and Place:
String Course can be taught in the evenings and curriculum expectations can be met remotely.
There are students who play string instruments like violin, viola, cello. Unfortunately, concert band doesn’t have strings (except your occasional double bass). Therefore, those students are excluded. There is a way to offer string ensemble as a credit. The campus church has a community string ensemble and instead of adding strings as part of the normal school schedule, it can combine with the community string ensemble and still be offered as a course. That will help in:
1. More players for balanced instrumentation
2. A connection with students and our church community
3. Access to the church for rehearsals
In this course, I learned to value “musicking ”. Musicking is a new way of approaching musical performance. In the Stanton article, Christopher Small states, “…that musicking is descriptive of all types of musical performance and not prescriptive of certain aesthetic value judgments. Everyone who contributes to a musicking act contributes to musicking. The term musicking denotes a new way of thinking about a complex web of ongoing social relations constituted in an actual performance of musical material” (as cited in Stanton, 2018, p. 10).
Based on the music therapy experience of the “Coffee House”, Elizabeth Mitchell (2019) articulates “Where participation, rather than aesthetic standard, defines success, anyone can participate, and the atmosphere is undeniably supportive” (Mitchell, p. 7). The goal of this string class is to create a collaborative experience, where students are not pressured to compete, but to work together, share tips to improve string playing and have fun perform music with people. There are students already active in the community teaching private lessons. The age groups vary from children to adults. These are people whom are a part of the community and all different backgrounds musically and culturally. But everyone is united on one goal and it is to play music to the glory of God.
- Repertoire will be familiar and diverse to provide and educational and uplifting experience.
- Skilled violin students can teach ensemble string play to novices for community hours.
Mitchell, E. (2019). Community Music Therapy and Participatory Performance. Voices: a World Forum for Music Therapy, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v19i1.2701
Stanton, B. (2018). Musicking in the Borders toward Decolonizing Methodologies. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 26(1), 4–23. https://doi.org/10.2979/philmusieducrevi.26.1.02
Resources
Strategy # 2: "Gospel Choir"
Time and Place:
Afterschool/Evenings in the Chapel
Why does one ethnic music enjoy the privilege of so-called universality? Western classical music fancies itself to be universal because a wider context of colonial violence facilitated its ascendency and epistemic violence facilitates the naturalization of its primacy. (Stanton, 2018, p. 10).
Music has a spiritual place at our school. Although our school is diverse, the church follows the Eurocentric church music performance style. Many students grew up singing hymns in church and at home. Even if this is universal and standard in my faith, other worship styles are not uncommon. There are students and faculty who has background in singing gospel, Christian rock, Christian contemporary, etc. For some time, students have been asking to start a gospel choir. Although this is not an issue for the administration, there needs to be a sponsor who can help guide the students. Gospel music is started in the black church, but other cultures are adapting that style of worship music. This can be an issue at our school, if students are not guided in their understanding of the cultural significance of gospel music. Many students who didn’t grow up singing gospel can create negative stereotypes. If they are interested in singing in a gospel choir, then education is important. The strategy is to invite gospel musicians in our community to do a clinic. Some students have gone to clinics in Toronto; already bringing back what they learned. This can be a school initiative. Students can have fun and learn to be culturally aware.
“The message of musical inferiority goes hand in glove with emphasis on developing “talent” through performing ensembles and the attendant need to “weed out the untalented” the pursuit of “musical excellence” (Bradley, 2012, p. 6). Gospel music may be more easily accepted in my faith, there are still those who criticize the style as being “not proper” or “unsophisticated”. This colonial education system has been denigrating worship music from minority communities. Decolonial musicking is the path to removing the barriers Eurocentric leaders in the church places on “gospel music” and leaving a place for all students to learn and experience gospel music. “Decolonial musicking can break asunder the great walls between theory/practice, scholarship/education, teacher/student, oppressor/oppressed, and mind/body as we dance, sing, play, and philosophize in the borders together, simultaneously thinking and creating new worlds” (Stanton, 2018, p. 10).
Bradley, D. (2012). Good for What, Good for Whom?: Decolonizing Music Education Philosophies (Vol. 1). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195394733.013.0022
Stanton, B. (2018). Musicking in the Borders toward Decolonizing Methodologies. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 26(1), 4–23. https://doi.org/10.2979/philmusieducrevi.26.1.02
Time and Place:
Afterschool/Evenings in the Chapel
Why does one ethnic music enjoy the privilege of so-called universality? Western classical music fancies itself to be universal because a wider context of colonial violence facilitated its ascendency and epistemic violence facilitates the naturalization of its primacy. (Stanton, 2018, p. 10).
Music has a spiritual place at our school. Although our school is diverse, the church follows the Eurocentric church music performance style. Many students grew up singing hymns in church and at home. Even if this is universal and standard in my faith, other worship styles are not uncommon. There are students and faculty who has background in singing gospel, Christian rock, Christian contemporary, etc. For some time, students have been asking to start a gospel choir. Although this is not an issue for the administration, there needs to be a sponsor who can help guide the students. Gospel music is started in the black church, but other cultures are adapting that style of worship music. This can be an issue at our school, if students are not guided in their understanding of the cultural significance of gospel music. Many students who didn’t grow up singing gospel can create negative stereotypes. If they are interested in singing in a gospel choir, then education is important. The strategy is to invite gospel musicians in our community to do a clinic. Some students have gone to clinics in Toronto; already bringing back what they learned. This can be a school initiative. Students can have fun and learn to be culturally aware.
“The message of musical inferiority goes hand in glove with emphasis on developing “talent” through performing ensembles and the attendant need to “weed out the untalented” the pursuit of “musical excellence” (Bradley, 2012, p. 6). Gospel music may be more easily accepted in my faith, there are still those who criticize the style as being “not proper” or “unsophisticated”. This colonial education system has been denigrating worship music from minority communities. Decolonial musicking is the path to removing the barriers Eurocentric leaders in the church places on “gospel music” and leaving a place for all students to learn and experience gospel music. “Decolonial musicking can break asunder the great walls between theory/practice, scholarship/education, teacher/student, oppressor/oppressed, and mind/body as we dance, sing, play, and philosophize in the borders together, simultaneously thinking and creating new worlds” (Stanton, 2018, p. 10).
- One teacher is willing to sponsor this initiative and provide insight
- Workshops for high school school students (see resources below)
- Involve our Campus ministries team to figure out rehearsal schedule in the chapel
- Student Leaders (already have experience) will help teach parts to singers and the band director will guide and teach the instrumentalists
Bradley, D. (2012). Good for What, Good for Whom?: Decolonizing Music Education Philosophies (Vol. 1). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195394733.013.0022
Stanton, B. (2018). Musicking in the Borders toward Decolonizing Methodologies. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 26(1), 4–23. https://doi.org/10.2979/philmusieducrevi.26.1.02
Resources
What is Missing?
Music & Social Justice
Time:
This can be taught afterschool or during a different period. Both band and choir teacher can co-teach the course. Location will be in the band room.
For students who are not part of band and choir, offering a General Music course can be an inclusive opportunity, so students don’t have a spare. The reasons why a general music course makes sense are:
Unaddressed concerns:
Tom Shakespeare social model of disability accounts for individual impairment while focusing on the social constructs of oppression that people with disabilities face (Davis, 2017, p. 195). While adhering to the physical limitations they face, medicalizing disability has consequences. It ignores the social discrimination, exclusion, and societal barriers that they face. The general music course seeks to not only help abled students, but students with disabilities. Our school is becoming more aware of the disabled community, with reserved parking spots, easy access to top and bottom floor, different entrances so students with disabilities are not late for class, etc. We don’t have any students with disabilities, but we do have students with health and other physical limitations that may not be defined as a disability. The general music course seeks to be an inclusive environment. Below is what we should do:
Lastly, to find ways to help students become more culturally responsive, our music program will seek to apply some of the techniques Don DeVito mentions in his article “Culturally responsive research projects in a Title I elementary center for fine arts”. Cultural relevancy is important and music, where students share the songs and musical games they learn in their community. This knowledge can be shared using technology and communities from around the world can learn to interact. This interaction is a cultural exchange, and students will learn different perspectives and practices in music.
References:
DeVito, D., Telles, T., & Hidalgo, B. (2020). Culturally responsive research projects in a Title I elementary center for fine arts. Visions of Research in Music Education, 35. Retrieved from http://www.rider.edu/~vrme.
Baldwin, A. (2017). Community music-making for everyone via performing ensembles: here are five groups that make an inclusive, musical difference in their communities. (Lectern). Teaching Music, 24(3).
Davis, L. (2017). The disability studies reader / Lennard J. Davis [electronic resource] (Fifth edition.). Routledge.
Time:
This can be taught afterschool or during a different period. Both band and choir teacher can co-teach the course. Location will be in the band room.
For students who are not part of band and choir, offering a General Music course can be an inclusive opportunity, so students don’t have a spare. The reasons why a general music course makes sense are:
- Students who sing or play an instrument can have opportunities to learn both at a basic level
- ESL students can join the course as performances will be local
- Can be a way for students to develop their musical skills and tryout for band/choir (travel groups), the following year
Unaddressed concerns:
- We have no plan for students with disabilities; even though we don’t have any students with impairments, it is important to have a plan for the art’s department
- Lack of technology to help students who may have impairments
- We have a diverse school but not many opportunities to exchange culturally and learn from each other.
Tom Shakespeare social model of disability accounts for individual impairment while focusing on the social constructs of oppression that people with disabilities face (Davis, 2017, p. 195). While adhering to the physical limitations they face, medicalizing disability has consequences. It ignores the social discrimination, exclusion, and societal barriers that they face. The general music course seeks to not only help abled students, but students with disabilities. Our school is becoming more aware of the disabled community, with reserved parking spots, easy access to top and bottom floor, different entrances so students with disabilities are not late for class, etc. We don’t have any students with disabilities, but we do have students with health and other physical limitations that may not be defined as a disability. The general music course seeks to be an inclusive environment. Below is what we should do:
- Students with physical impairments will meet the music teacher to see which area they can contribute the best. This will be an interactive explorative exercise between student and teacher
- Intentional feedback and mainstream participation. The goal is to treat all students as equals, recognizing privilege and needs, in the process.
- Inspired by Baldwin’s article “Community Music-Making for Everyone via performing ensembles”, I will like to incorporate some of the resources it listed to assist students with disabilities. A couple of examples include, using SoundBeam and other assistive technology (Baldwin, 2017, p. 19), and using Figure Notes and writing in letter names instead of traditional notation (Balwin, 2017, p. 21).
Lastly, to find ways to help students become more culturally responsive, our music program will seek to apply some of the techniques Don DeVito mentions in his article “Culturally responsive research projects in a Title I elementary center for fine arts”. Cultural relevancy is important and music, where students share the songs and musical games they learn in their community. This knowledge can be shared using technology and communities from around the world can learn to interact. This interaction is a cultural exchange, and students will learn different perspectives and practices in music.
References:
DeVito, D., Telles, T., & Hidalgo, B. (2020). Culturally responsive research projects in a Title I elementary center for fine arts. Visions of Research in Music Education, 35. Retrieved from http://www.rider.edu/~vrme.
Baldwin, A. (2017). Community music-making for everyone via performing ensembles: here are five groups that make an inclusive, musical difference in their communities. (Lectern). Teaching Music, 24(3).
Davis, L. (2017). The disability studies reader / Lennard J. Davis [electronic resource] (Fifth edition.). Routledge.