composition & improvisation
Embracing Diversity Through the Act of Creation
Leila Ramagopal Pertl, WMEA State Chair, Composition & Improvisation
“Hey Isabella, keep that groove going on the surdo, I want to try something!” exclaims Brady. Isabella holds down a samba-inspired pattern on this low drum, leaning into two and four. The
groove inspires movement in her body, which communicates directly to Brady, who finds his body in sync with hers. They keep intense eye contact during this wordless conversation. In a seamless flow, Brady’s improvisational vignettes emerge from this collaborative dance. He’s chosen a few instruments, some found, some already formed, to create a palette of color, texture and tones. Sophia hears a need for a high groove, so she picks
up the agogo and lays down a syncopated pattern on top of this sonic conversation; listening, moving, looking, locking in with her friends. Owen listens in carefully and decides there needs to be more melodic information, so he runs to the shelf to make some decisions. After choosing, he starts grooving on a metallophone and a bamboo xylophone. Each musician starts riffing off this new creation, and their ideas are met with delight, surprise, interest, and even with confusion as new sonic information is introduced. Sometimes the perceived groove is completely altered with new information, so much so that it throws everyone off, like a rhythmic ge- stalt switch, and they fall apart, laughing, astonished, frustrated, sometimes rolling on the floor with giddiness. But, intense and determined, they start again, and each time they start, some new information emerges, like finding a new treasure, and they fold their new discovery into their experience.
Creativity as a Foundational Element of the Inclusive Classroom Watching this improvised piece evolve from the collaborative workspace of these 11-year-olds is an almost sacred act. It is a witnessing of the birth of friendship, com- passion, deep listening and acceptance. It is a giving of space to individual ideas and the courage to share them, and to the adventure and necessity of their failure and regrouping. It is allowing the unknown to compel us to bring to life something that didn’t exist a moment before. In this student-centered classroom, this act of co-creation becomes our teacher, allowing us to listen, consider, shape and delight in our friends’ unique contributions: to see and hear our friends from a place of shared experience, and, therefore, from a place of respect, admiration, cherishing and affirmation. Our commitment as music teachers is to trust the wisdom of these
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“Reaching individual students at the core of their emotional and creative being is the very foundation of creating an inclusive
culture of music makers.”
children as their lessons of virtue unfold and work themselves into the students’ hearts, allowing for the vibrant classroom culture to blossom.
So, what does any of this have to do with embracing diversity? Well, everything.
The Unheard Frequencies of Diversity Reaching individual students at the core of their emotional and creative being is the very foundation of creating an inclusive culture of music makers. It develops what I call “emotional through lines” that cre- ate a radically inclusive classroom: “The Birthright of Music,” “The Power of the Creative Self,” “Embracing the Inherent Value of Every Child” and “Listening as an Act of Devotion.”
Randall Everett Allsup, in his brilliant book, Remixing the Classroom: Toward an Open Philosophy in Music Education, invites us in with this gift of thoughts from educational philosopher Maxine Greene: “To attend to music today is to find ourselves pushing back the boundar- ies of what we have thought of as beautiful music. I still wonder how unaware I was of so many frequencies; and I wonder how many remain unheard.”
September 2018
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