composition & improvisation Music Is a Birthright: Emotional Through
Lines in Inclusive Music Classrooms Leila Ramagopal Pertl, Guest Writer
“Mrs. Pertl, Mrs. Pertl! Look, look!” Joseph exclaims as he nearly covers my face with his new composition. After leaning my head back so that I could make out anything at all, my eyes widen
and jaw drops. Joseph has composed eight measures of 4/2, using middle C though G, in an “almost canon.” Wow, I’m thinking, he really soaked in that tangent the other day during “Music College,” about what else besides a 4 can go into the bottom of a time signature! Joseph, by the way, is in first grade. Now his friend Maxim wants to know how he did that, so, they sit down and work together. In the meantime, their classmate Fiona is in another part of the room creating her own version of call and response, based on our Samba drumming. Today the actual drums aren’t out, so she adapts, using her Crocs to beat the different textures of the rug and the tile floor. She sings with such passion, and her made-up language has meaning and purpose, result- ing in an appropriate response on the drum, which she teaches to her delighted fellow music explorers. One skips off to try some harp. Her name is Eva. Eva thought that the harp would help her own song sound more like the sun, so she took her written composition over to the harp to try out a few ideas. I hear her squeal when she creates just the right “sun sound!” Now her friend Colin wants to hear about what she did and try some of his own ideas, so he brings the bamboo xylophone over to collaborate with Eva. He likes the bamboo sound better, but talking with Eva about her process is valuable to him. Today seven-year-old Everett has chosen to draw the whole octave of Curwen hand signs and proceeds to create his classroom in a corner of the room, teaching his peers the finer points of solfége.
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I head over to the older kid wing where some of my fifth- and sixth-graders prac- tice gumbooting in the hallway. It’s a mix of boys and girls who collaborate to pro- duce rhythmically powerful, synchronistic steps. I hear Meredith instruct, “People! It’s exactly like when we are playing Samba. It has to lock! It’s not locking yet!” Michael chimes in, “Well, it would if we’d listen!” Some of the students groan, but then Owen steps up, “He’s right, you know! Again, 5, 6, 7, 8...” Music class hasn’t actually started yet, so I leave them to practice as I head into their room to prep for their annual Music-Maker Projects. This year the students have chosen to collaboratively create interactive music exhibits on themes of kindness.
This slice of my day illustrates what I call Emotional Through Lines. They are: The Birthright of Music, The Power of the Cre- ative Self, Embracing the Inherent Value of Every Child and Listening as an Act of Devotion. These are what I consider the very foundations of creating an inclusive culture of music makers: reaching the individual at the core of their emotional and creative being.
It begins with the profound belief that music is a birthright. We are all musical beings whose life experiences must often be perceived and expressed in musical ways. When we truly believe all of our students possess the ability to create music and think musically, we have formed the foundation for an open, trusting and inclu- sive community of music-makers.
Every child in my school knows without a doubt that they are musicians. I expect success in their musical development as if it were necessary to their survival. In many ways it is. We make music together every day. We sing, we drum and we dance to- gether, but perhaps most importantly, we create together.
Every child needs to be a creator, not just an interpreter. Students must person- ally connect to the act of music creating. In fact, it is their right to do so. Composition, improvisation, and even choreography, should be woven into our curricula from the beginning. What better way to build an inclusive classroom than by empowering everyone’s unique musical voice? When students come together in collaborative composition and improvisation groups, they create relationships with a profound understanding of how music bridges di- verse viewpoints, approaches and ideas. Music making becomes a fertile ground for empathy and understanding.
Creating music, rather than only perform- ing it, gives each student an opportunity to bring themselves and their diverse life experiences to the process of musical de- velopment. When a student is truly seen, truly heard, and knows that their ideas truly matter, the world changes. They know they are valued. In this inclusive, supportive environment, the devotional act of listening binds and elevates every aspect of the journey. We practice deep lis- tening at my school, a type of active listen- ing which develops heightened awareness of sound, silence and community.
When every student believes they are a musician; when every student is given the opportunity to create; when every student knows their ideas matter; when every stu- dent listens compassionately to the ideas of another; when every student bonds into a community of fearless musical explorers and one idea sparks a dozen more across a classroom; then inclusivity isn’t only about diversifying repertoire, it is at the heart of everything we do.
Leila Ramagopal Pertl teaches music education at Lawrence University and is the performing arts teacher at Appleton Public Montessori. Email:
leila.r.pertl@
lawrence.edu
January 2018
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