RTTF Monthly RECs May 17, 2021

The Starting Sphere In work on sustainability, we often come across the term “wicked problem.” A wicked problem is one that is located within the depths of multiple systems and is so complex that there is no one perfect solution. One thing, however, is clear. If we want to solve this problem, something must be done. As many of us in the WWU Music Department know or have been learning, racism is a persistent, systemic problem in our educational systems, so much to the point that scholars such as Bettina Love have referred to public K-12 school systems as “educational survival complexes” for BIPOC students (Love 2019). Others, such as Lawrence Ross, have traced how these issues persist on college campuses and are brought into public policy and the workplace upon graduation (Ross 2015). What can we do to help make our department be one that not only disagrees with this survival complex but actively works against it?

Racism is a wicked problem. Issues run so deep that they have poisoned our universities, making it impossible to find a perfect solution. However, in true wicked problem fashion, it is evident that we must begin this work, in whatever way possible, to create a better present and future for our students and colleagues. So where do we begin? How do we transition from being “not racist” to being actively anti-racist music educators (Kendi 2019)?

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Black Music Library

"This is a living collection of books, articles, documentaries, series, podcasts and more about the Black origins of traditional and popular music dating from the 18th century to present day. Resources are organized chronologically and by genre for ease of browsing.” Click Here to Access the Database

Decolonizing Your Syllabus

Our syllabi and the way we create classroom or rehearsal environments are both critically important in fostering equity, and they are comfortably within our “sphere” as faculty. This article offers relevant ideas to reflect upon and changes we can make when designing our courses. Click Here for the Article

Emergent Strategies for an Activist Music Education

Nine bite-sized nuggets to chew on before next year. For example:

Less Prep, More Presence - “Being present with students, and making space for presence, baking it into our practice, our lessons and our demeanor, is liberatory.” Click Here for the Article

RTTF Quarterly RECsResources | Education | Change

RTTF Monthly RECs May 17, 2021

I like to think of a starting sphere instead of a starting line, indicating that this process is not linear. We are acculturated from childhood to think and behave in certain ways based on the systems we are in and all of us are at different points in our anti-racist journeys. The lessons that we have learned from our life experiences influence our approaches and, therefore, it’s important to interrogate our past and present understandings of these topics in order to grow and make effective change. It takes time and energy to make the changes that we are seeking but don’t let this overwhelm you.

While making small adjustments to syllabi and daily interactions is not sufficient in solving all of our problems, it’s a place to start. Perhaps we can’t entirely dismantle hierarchical university systems overnight; however, we can focus on “small teaching” efforts, or simple, sustainable changes that can be effectively implemented in short order while planning for larger changes in that could be addressed over time (Lang 2016).

This can take the form of ensuring that our readings, music examples, and concerts are more representational beyond the add-and-stir methodology, which might look like only programming Black composers during Black History Month. As reflexive practitioners, we can interrogate our own practices of interacting with students in the classroom. Are we making sure everyone has a chance to be heard in discussion? Are we working to dismantle our biases when we choose a soloist? Are we making sure that our BIPOC students are being respected by their peers when leading sectional rehearsals?

There is so much great information out there that it can be overwhelming and difficult to know where to start. We are hoping that these quarterly newsletters can provide a digestible amount of information to encourage you to develop in your own sphere. Each quarter you will receive this newsletter with a section from the editor, a select reading/viewing list, definitions of DEI concepts/terms, a quarterly challenge, and a social justice song/composition of the quarter. While we recognize these efforts

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Definitions

Want to develop in your anti-racist journey by educating yourself on concepts and terms that are important to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)? We engage with such concepts and terms here. We recommend that you use these as a starting points for further research and the creation of new teaching strategies.

Microaggression: The everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership; You can use microinterventions to disrupt microaggressions. Both concepts were coined by Derald Wing Sue. Read more here: NYT Article.

Intersectionality is “a prism to see the interactive effects of various forms of discrimination and disempowerment. It looks at the way that racism, many times, interacts with patriarchy, heterosexism, classism, and xenophobia — seeing that the overlapping vulnerabilities created by these systems actually create specific kinds of challenges.” - Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw. Read more here: Them. Article.

These terms and resources are highlighted in the Racial Equity Tools Glossary.

RTTF Monthly RECs May 17, 2021

are in no way comprehensive, we hope that they provide you with the inspiration to “do the work” and the foundational means to accomplish meaningful and sustainable change in our department.

- Signing off from the sphere, Felicia K. Youngblood Spring 2021 RTTF Monthly REC Editor

Quarterly ChallengeThe Quarterly Challenge is a space where we encourage readers to engage in a practical task that can improve equity and inclusion in their classrooms. In line with this quarter’s theme of “The Starting Sphere”, we suggest that you choose a syllabus from a class that you plan to teach more than once. Look at the required assignments for reading/listening/practicing. What voices and stories are being represented by this group? How can you help diversify these assignments so that your students are provided with a more representational education? What learning must you accomplish before you can teach about these items? Make a plan for how you will tackle this syllabus reformation, starting with your own education and ending with concrete examples of what you could incorporate in your classroom.

Social Justice Song of the Quarter “A Change is Gonna Come” - Sam Cooke

The song of the quarter highlights a theme in social justice through the lens of what brings us all together in this department: music. Our first choice is a time-tested classic from Sam Cooke and encompasses our desires, needs, and hope for change in the fight for racial equity.

Throughout the track, Cooke’s voice is variously crooning, longing, and belting, leaning into both the beauty that change can bring while also revealing the pain and sadness in the raw emotion of his voice. Dynamically, Cooke drops into the vocal line at a loud volume at the beginning of each verse, catching the listener’s attention, and then backing off to a softer dynamic, forcing the listener to lean in to hear and understand the more intimate parts of his story (“in a little tent;” “I’m afraid to die;” “I couldn’t last for long”). At the end of each verse, Cooke repeats the main message of the song that a change is going to come. Yet, this is juxtaposed with the content of each verse and especially with the bridge, in which he explains that he has endured endless aggressions as a Black man in mid-20th century America.

The instrumental arrangement is complex, with rich harmonies, varied instrumentation, and a layered texture. Elements of jazz, R&B, soul, and European classical music are interwoven, which would have appealed to both BIPOC and White audiences, ensuring that the song would gain broader popularity and that the overall message would be heard. The final chord of the song might be perceived as hopeful; however, it goes unresolved and indicates that while change is going to come it has not yet arrived.

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RTTF Monthly RECs May 17, 2021

Before the song’s 1964 release, Sam Cooke tried to remain apolitical in his public image and music. However, after experiencing multiple injustices, including being barred from staying at a Louisiana motel while on tour because of his race, Cooke was motivated to create a musical statement that would eventually be performed on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Cooke is also said to have been inspired by the message of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” which is explored in the 2020 film, One Night in Miami. All things considered, Cooke wrote a song that came from his own life and experiences, regardless of other musicians’ work. As evidenced in the film and in covers of the song by modern-day popular artists, such as Lizzo, “A Change is Gonna Come” would stand the test of time and still be relevant to today’s audiences.

We thank you for interacting with this newsletter and invite you to engage in learning, unlearning, developing pedagogical techniques, and other forms of action to help create this change within the WWU Music Department.

ResourcesAhadi, Hossna Sadat and Luis A. Guerrero. “Decolonizing Your Syllabus, an Anti-Racist Guide for Your College.” Academic Senate for California Community Colleges: November 2020. <https://www.asccc.org/content/decolonizing-your-syllabus-anti-racist-guide-your-college>

Burgos, Jenzia. “The Black Music History Library.” Black Music Library: Updated March 2021. <https://blackmusiclibrary.com/Library>

Guobadia, Otamere. “Kimberlé Crenshaw and Lady Phyll Talk Intersectionality, Solidarity, and Self-Care.” Them: August 31, 2018.

Kendi, Ibram X. How to Be an Antiracist. New York: One World, 2019.

Lang, James M. Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2016.

Love, Bettina. We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom. Boston: Beacon Press, 2019.

Racial Equity Tools. “Racial Equity Tools Glossary.” Racial Equity Tools, 2020. <https://www.racialequitytools.org/glossary>

Ross, Lawrence. Blackballed: The Black & White Politics of Race on America’s Campuses. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2015.

Urbach, Martin. “Emergent Strategies for an Activist Music Education.” Decolonizing the Music Room. 31 August, 2019. <https://decolonizingthemusicroom.com/in-practice/f/emergent-strategies-for-an-activist-music-education>

Wing Sue, Derald. “Microaggressions: More than Just Race.” Psychology Today: 2010.

Yoon, Hahna. “How to Respond to Microaggressions.” The New York Times: March 3, 2020.

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