Multicultural News Jazz Rucker, Multicultural Chair More Than an “A”
This article is a script used for a speech given at an independent TEDx event. The video can be found at this link:
goo.gl/Gb0iRv or with the QR code below. To find out more about our TEDxBattle event go to this website:
http://www.cpsk12.org/Page/14269. [Click on 2nd
[Audio version one, then repeated in a second version] “Amazing Grace
Amazing grace how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found Twas blind but now I see.”
Same basic melodic structure. Same lyrics. Same song… but there is a world of difference between the two renditions. What is that difference? Why does the second version speak greater volumes? Well, the answer to those questions is in the very fabric of who I am and who you are. However, it cannot always be spun into a phrase, plotted on a chart or calculated in an equation.
My truth, my world, is wrapped in the science and more heavily the art of singing.
There are many technical aspects to learning and creating music. There is the mathematical configuration of rhythms with the division of beats and the fractions of counting. We always work to find the truest combination of vowel and consonant sounds that uphold the integrity of the poetry presented. Music covers some of the most interesting moments of history (my opinion of course). Both stories represented from near and far. Each deserving authentic performance practice. And let us not forget the complete use of the human anatomy the manipulation and physics of sound that needs to be both aesthetically pleasing and yet healthfully produced. Working through this mountain of details is the daily grind in the choral classroom. We work to uphold the black and white on the paper as accurately as we can. But, it’s not these tasks that make the experience transformative. Yes, it’s true mastering these concepts will make the grade. However, there is something more that is learned.
In a successful musical ensemble each member commits to routine sacrifice and vulnerability. In a choir, individuals must share without restraint or restriction in pursuit of musical excellence. Everyone’s performance anxiety is surrendered or channeled to the cause of creating live art in real time. Striving for these common goals eventually becomes something beyond what words can express. Because words will begin to fail me I have invited some Battle Vocal Art choir members to model what I’m trying to say.
See RUCKER, pg. 41 28 MISSOURI SCHOOL MUSIC | Volume 71, Number 4
block. It
begins at about 40 minutes into the YouTube video] To find out how to host your own event go to
ted.com and search TEDx!
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