Presentation by: Brian Weingartner
Session: E | Time: 11:05AM – 11:45AM | Location: Room 204A
The practice I am exploring is around the concept of “Decolonizing the Concert Band.” This is an idea I’ve thought a lot about as I finished my B.Ed in 2016 and have began teaching elementary music, and since January this year secondary band. I want to find ways to respectfully include and share music of local First Nations groups, as well as perform music of all cultures accurately and respectfully. While music can be one of the most innovative avenues of our new curriculum, the format of most secondary music programs is still structured very much in a traditional 19-20th century format. Our repertoire is rife with compositions taking “inspiration” from cultures across the globe with generic stylized aspects of their sound. There is the question of how best to represent and share music of other cultures, without turning into a satire or ignorantly appropriating sounds of specific cultures, particularly those of non-European/Western based cultures. How can we provide an educationally sound experience, maintain our own traditions of the concert band/wind ensemble format, but perform music in a socially and culturally authentic and respectful way? I hope to propose some of the thoughts I’ve had, share my own findings and ideas, and engage in a group discussion of how we can continue to maintain strong band programs that are used as positive vehicles for sharing and developing musical and cultural knowledge. I believe this topic is extremely important for all music teachers, but particularly secondary band, choir, and orchestra directors for us to take a critical look at our repertoire, practice as educators, and begin to think of how we can move forward in a positive way together.
Abstract: 548