Among the many examples of musical reciprocity and interchanges between the school music program and the community were the many standard invitations for my music ensembles to perform at service group events, extended care facilities, and public events, as well as my invitations to community music groups and individual musicians to perform at fundraisers, concerts, and in the classroom. These interactions formed a solid foundation for long term and larger school-community partnerships such as the annual community-centered, school-supported music festival we initiated in our community that featured school music groups from across the province, local music mak- ing groups (First Nations drumming and singing groups, fiddlers, hand-bell choirs, Old Age Pensioner choirs, garage rock bands, and folk singers), plus professional ensembles.
The music festival: an example of school-community music partnerships.
The band parent executive, interested community members, and I conceived the music festival as a means to foster cultural, social, and economic vitality in our community and to provide a public forum for the wide range of music making by local youth and adults. Annually, for a ten-year period, we welcomed up to 600 music students, teach- ers, and chaperones to our community (in addition to the music students at our school), also hiring professional wind ensembles, classical pianists, and folk artists from across Canada to perform and provide clinics and workshops for the students. All concerts were free to the public.
Approximately 250 community volunteers (the village, First Nations reserves, and surrounding unincorporated area comprised under 5000 people) contributed their efforts to ensure the festival was successful. All local businesses advertised in our program or donated gifts in kind, and all levels of government (municipal, regional district, provin- cial, and federal) contributed financially. The school district provided venues, janitorial support, and time in lieu; addi- tionally, school district administrators, school trustees, and local dignitaries emceed evening concerts. Approximately 100 local amateur musicians participated each year. Half the students in our school volunteered and/or performed either as part of school ensembles and/or student-initiated groups, or independently at the various venues.
This annual event contributed substantially to the economic wellbeing of our community, also encouraging other volun- teers to initiate an annual antique car event and an agri- cultural festival. It augmented local pride and drew people together through “the satisfaction derived from a sense of sharing in creative activities” (Dewey, 1939, p. 88). Most importantly, it enabled us to more fully comprehend that collaboration makes possible those dreams we have in common.
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The strengths of the rural
The intensive and extensive musical experiences derived from the music festival awakened me to the many strengths existing in rural communities, contradicting the prevalent economic discourse of deficit concerning rural education and rural living I had encountered previously (Markey, Halseth, & Manson, 2008). I believe that some of these ru- ral qualities not only contributed to our music festival; they made it possible. First, rural schools and their communities often enjoy an established close and symbiotic relation- ship. Rural community residents value their schools, aware that they contribute to local stability. Thus, music educa- tors working in rural schools often enjoy a favorable set of circumstances that enables them to contribute “to the well- being of local communities by highlighting and encourag- ing expressive cultural practices through which residents can augment the intensity of local gatherings, stimulate discussions about locally relevant issues, or simply provide occasions for locals to gather together in the first place” (Ball & Lai, 2006, pp. 279-80).
Second, and connected to the first, relationships are central to rural community living, existing as much between people and the local environment as between people. “Rural people have connections to working the land, and to a set of concepts about place, kinship, and community … rural edu- cation, then, is about realms of meaning already in play in everyday life in rural communities and families” (Howley, 2009, pp. 549-550). I came to view my relationships with students, colleagues, and community members as central to my job, informing and informed by music making and music education.
Third, the unique social configuration of each rural commu- nity offers clues to music teachers regarding their particular community’s musical and music-related strengths. My com- munity had attracted a large contingent of retired people; many possessed a veritable wealth of expertise and experi- ences, and actively sought volunteer opportunities, includ- ing those that related to school music making, be it playing in an intergenerational community/school band (Alfano, 2008) or helping to organize events like our music festi- val. This community comprised ranchers, orchardists, and agriculturalists, entrepreneurs who understood the value of working cooperatively in order to succeed financially. Their “can do” attitude was inspirational. My community also consisted of hundreds of First Nations residents, the major- ity of whom were part of the Okanagan First Nation whose cultural practices were integrated into the school with the assistance of First Nations support workers and cultural bearers. Recent waves of immigration had carried families from Portugal, Germany, and India to this agricultural val- ley, each culture with its own musical traditions. By noting these varied musical practices and finding ways to highlight
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