This
week I wanted to find a video that I thought would encourage my students to
reach beyond their comfort zones. As I've mentioned in previous posts, the
members of our newly formed jazz band are working on improvisation, but are
doing so very timidly. The video I choose is of Bonnie J. Jenson on piano and
Graham Jesse on tenor saxophone. They are at the Mongolia State University of
Arts and Culture in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for an international jazz festival. During
one of the sessions they met a Mongolian vocalist and created an impromptu workshop
of their own. The Mongolian singer performed a traditional song while Bonnie
and Graham improvised behind her.
The performance starts at :40 and ends at 1:50.
The performance starts at :40 and ends at 1:50.
I can appreciate the way Campbell
reassures us in chapter 6 that culture bearers feel it’s okay for us (and our
students) to create and recreate world music for educational purposes. I think
it is tough to appropriately integrate world music in the classroom, partly because
of the fear of doing it wrong and accidentally producing something offensive. I
also like that Campbell broke down the various levels of creating world music
and included “extending what is already there.” Jenson and Graham did a great job finding a way to extend what was already there in the video with the Mongolian
singer.
Wow, Stefanie. I can only imagine how challenging it must have been for Bonnie and Graham to improvise underneath her powerful singing, yet it seemed that they did so with ease. I am curious if they listened to her perform the piece alone prior to performing it with her. It would also be interesting to see what Bonnie and Graham showed and explained as examples prior to this performance. It is definitely challenging to recreate and integrate world music in our classroom, but it is a challenge that will help enrich our students and their appreciation of music. It will also make us stronger educators. Have you showed this video to your students? What were their responses like?
ReplyDeleteHi Kate, thank you for your response! I have not shown this video to my students yet. I would love to show the jazz band, however our once a week rehearsals are being all being totally consumed for contest prep right now. The hope is that in May (after the contest) we will watch it!
DeletePerhaps they can do so as they enter the space or you can use it as an at-home prompt for reflection.
DeleteHi Stephanie - thanks for sharing this video! I also found Campbell's description of "extending what's already there" helpful and encouraging. I have always felt that creating "in the style of" a music is the pinnacle of musicianship, although I have not always known how to approach this concept in the classroom. This video is an excellent example of collaboration and creativity for students to see. I am also curious to see how your students respond when they see it!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved this video! Being a tenor sax player myself this was so intriguing to watch. This is a true example of collaboration, and working together despite different musical backgrounds. I feel that Bonnie and Graham did an exceptional job adapting to the style of the Mongolian vocalist, and truly listening to the musical characteristics she used in her performance. I think if I showed this to my students, it's important to explain that what may be considered "normal" to us may be taboo elsewhere and vice versa. I think that we must remind students to keep an open mind, as well as provide sufficient background information about a particular musical culture. I agree that the video depicts "Extending what is already there." The Mongolian vocalist led the small ensemble, with the two instrumentalists demonstrating careful listening and adjusting their accompaniment performance to match the singer. Overall, wonderful post and very thoughtful information.
ReplyDeleteInteresting choice this week, Stefanie! Like Katie posted above me, I am also a tenor sax player and watching him and the pianist adapt to such a unique piece is so intriguing. I could not even fathom having to do that, and to do is so well. They make it look so natural. I agree with your's and Campbell's view on creating and re-creating world music. Sometimes it is difficult to keep things totally authentic, and many teachers do shy away from it for fear of producing something offensive. This makes our job that much harder, but the benefits that are received from the recreation of world music, I believe, far outweighs the negatives. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteStefanie,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I had considered a Mongolian throat singing fusion piece as well, so I was happy to see your video. I also felt comforted to read this week that it's okay to give our students some creative license with music of other cultures without being accused of cultural appropriation. Creating is incredibly important to really understanding a concept, and as long as one is sensitive to cultural taboos (such as not taking a sacred song and using it in a profane manner) it is important to let our students explore that area with music from other cultures.
Stefanie,
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic way to inspire your students! In my opinion, I consider this video to be an example of exactly what Campbell (2004) was talking about when she discussed finding ways to incorporate music of other cultures into an educational setting. I think this video is an example of how cultures can be combined to create a truly musical experience. Thanks for your post!