New Neighbors Music Project

Vermont Folklife CenterSarah Yahm and Evangeline Mee

Guiding Questions

• What role does music play in the lives of New American youth?

• Does music bridge barriers?• What conversations can music generate?• Does making music create new relationships?

Our Fieldwork Process

• Why fieldwork matters:– Qualitative – Local and individualized– Reveals effects of policy

change– Nuanced and Dynamic

• Burundians and Somali Bantu

– Prevents stereotyping and promotes positive change

Community Stakeholders

• Who did we talk to?– Music Teachers– Educators – Youth– Community Activists– Policy Makers– Musicians

• What did we learn from them?

Music Teachers

• Nellie Mae Diversity and Equity Conference – Want New American Music in classrooms– Obtain International Instruments – Learn “New American” Standards – Bring in “traditional” musicians– Gain cultural competence

Community Activists• “Nice is not enough” • Tokenizing• Empowering students

Youth• Music Matters

– Puru’s Tabla• Vibrant and active New American youth

music scene– Paying for studio time

• Music crosses cultures to forge friendships– Puru at Colchester High School

• Rap in particular is the common language– Sagar

• “Mix tape model” • Music is a primary form of expression and

storytelling • Music is a way to adapt and form new

identity– Said: “We’re in Vermont, but we’re also all

around the world. When we’re in the studio singing in our own languages, we’re home. We’re good.”

Takeaway

• Music is already informally functioning as a tool for intercultural conversations and could be used effectively in schools

• Experiential education can be effective in creating connections across culture

• Hip hop is the ideal genre

Why Hip Hop?

• Relevant• Cheap • Flexible • Syncretic

Theoretical Framework

• Songprint: “a song repertoire distinctive in [a person’s] culture, age, and personality as unique in its configuration as a fingerprint or footprint” (Vander 1988: xi)– Safe (but not simplistic) way to talk about identity

and families– Window in to complex conversations about

culture– Interdisciplinary

Songprint

1. Students as family and cultural historians– Oral histories– Fingerprint handout

2. Creative expression through songwriting/producing (whatever creative outlet works for them)– Mix tape model: music producer David Cooper

calls it advanced Karaoke.

Songprint Activities: Part 1

• Personal Histories/Cultural Background– A2VT video

Discussion Questions

– What is the first song that you learned?– Where did you learn it and who taught it to you?– What is your “home music,” and the music you listen

to with your friends? Are they they same or different? Do they overlap?

– Do you share your home music with your friends? Why or why not?

– How does your home music reflect what you and your family believe in and value?

– List three songs that reflect who you are?

Make your own songprint

Songprint Activities: Part 2

• Creative Production: Mix Tape– English and Musical

Literacy• Sagar: “there are some

things I can only express in Nepali and some things I can only express in English”

• Empowering through storytelling- Telling our stories on our

own terms: Cadoux

Moving Forward

• Forging Partnerships:– Youth– Musicians– Educators– Administrators– Funders– Community Partners

• Piloting Curriculum• Leading teacher workshops

Our Recommendations• Work collaboratively with a targeted English Teacher, Social

Studies Teacher, and Music teacher to model different aspects of this curriculum

• After School Programs– (e.g. Laura Clemmons Shades of Ebony) to collaboratively “try out” and

write this curriculum. • Pilot with 9th grade team• Find funds for a part time project coordinator• Lead a workshop on New American music at the Vermont Music

Educator’s Association on October 8th which connects traditional musicians with music teachers

• Facilitate instrument purchase

Conclusion: Discussion Questions

• How can you see yourself intersecting with this project?

• Making connections – instruments• Recommendations?• Observations?