SOCIAL PLACE JUSTICE IN THE SONGS CHOIR
Katy Lushman AND THEIR Travis Branam In her fourteenth year as a music educator, Katy Lushman has spent the last five teaching choir and other music classes at Denver North High School, where she works with students from diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. She is the co-founder of Vocal COalition along with Travis Branam. Each summer, she spends six weeks in rural Kansas as the Festival Director for the Ad Astra Music Festival. Katy sings professionally in the Denver area with the Anima Chamber Ensemble and other vocal groups in addition a folk trio, Falling for Annie, that she and her two dear friends started together. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College. Her husband, Andy, lovingly encourages her musical endeavors...as long as they don’t interfere with their mountain bike rides together.
Travis Branam is in his fourth year as Assistant Conductor of the Colorado Symphony Chorus and his first year teaching in the music department at North High School. He is the co-founder of Vocal COalition, a choir that pairs teenagers with professional artists of all musical genres on stage in an effort to build community through music. Travis recently spoke at Tedx Mile High on behalf of Vocal COalition in a presentation entitled “Here’s Why The Music You Listen To Matters.” Travis is also the worship minister at the Lakewood Church of Christ. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Abilene Christian University, and has been married to Emily, the love of his life, for nearly thirteen years. WHO ARE YOUR KIDS? WHAT SOCIAL ISSUES IMPACT THEM? - Gender - Sexuality - Class/Privilege - Religion - Race WHAT SOCIAL - Immigration - Gentrification ISSUES IMPACT - Poverty - Cultural Access THEM? - Indigenous People - Police Brutality - Environmental - Disabilities There is no such thing as a neutral education process. “ Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate the integration of generations into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes the 'practice of freedom', the means by which men and women deal critically with reality and discover
how to participate in the transformation of their world.
- Richard Shaull, drawing on Paulo Freire
Culture is not neutral and the arts do not “ exist in a socio-political vacuum. - Edward Nye in Mime, Music, and Drama on the Eighteenth Century Stage Cultural neutrality does not exist in choral music education because, as teachers, WE choose the content our kids receive...
...WE choose the lyrics our kids sing TO VALIDATE OUR WE HAVE AN STUDENTS AND OPPORTUNITY THEIR
EXPERIENCES PROGRAMMING CONSIDERATIONS - Musical level - Voicing - Ability to sightread it - Teachable skills (theory, technique) - Variety PROGRAMMING - Theme - Challenge students CONSIDERATIONS - What will be fun for kids - Audience reception - Administrator approval We can consider these pedagogical elements
AND honor diverse cultural perspectives, both of the students in our classrooms and those of people our students may not often encounter
THROUGH PROGRAMMING ONE TEACHER’S EXPERIENCE INCORPORATING SOCIAL JUSTICE INTO CHOIR
Students generate Survey students about Create additional themes for concerts the music of their media to present with cultural heritage music
Put music you are Bring in experts so Allow students to familiar with into that students can have engage with music in context authentic musical a more interactive way experiences RESOURCES
Repertoire you already know
Earthsongs
MusicSpoke
Justice Choir Songbook
Flobots NOENEMIES Songbook
Local Artists
Flobot’s Johnny 5 on why singing matters off the stage Intro to Flobots’ Fight With Tools By Emma Bechler Am C G F
Am C Our minds are our weapons, our souls our protection
G F Our feet will never uproot
Am C One body, one mind, we will all stand in line
G F And proclaim the once unspeakable truth Intro to Flobots’ Fight With Tools (cont.)
Am C Seamless repairs to the damage we share
G F Underneath we are all flesh and blood
Am C Slowly, we rise with our voices entwined
G F Am C G F The revival has only just begun. (repeat as desired)
It Doesn’t Have to Be Like This Attribution: Flobots We Are Building Up A New World Attribution: Vincent Harding, traditional melody We Are Building Up A New World Verse 1
F We are building up a new world C F We are building up a new world F We are building up a new world C F Builders must be strong We Are Building Up A New World Verse 2
F Courage, brothers, don’t get weary C F Courage, sisters, don’t get weary F Courage, people don’t get weary C F Though the way be long We Are Building Up A New World Verse 3
F Rise, shine, give God glory C F Rise, shine, give God glory F Rise, shine, give God glory C F Children of the light We Remember You Attribution: Flobots Danos un corazon Attribution: Juan Antonio Espinosa (from Hombre Nuevos)
Available at: songs.justicechoir.org/links Love is Love is Love is Love By Abbie Betinis
IT’S NOT EASY, BUT IT’S WORTH IT
IT TAKES CREATIVE TIME
TALK WITH COLLEAGUES ABOUT IDEAS
REACH OUT TO KATY OR TRAVIS
RICHER EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS
LEARN ALONGSIDE THEM
SPUR CREATIVITY Rising up from the ashes of the past There’s a people who are not afraid of loving each other at last Throwing all your pain in the dirt, all your fears to the curb You build your walls but we’ll break them down
‘Cause all our pain in the cries of those who fought before You’ve given us this world and we’ve opened up the door
I said a new generation is gonna rise up from the flames And gonna change your world
Segregation destroys a nation Hate has brought us nothing but greed Rise up together, unite and resist Love is the American dream
‘Cause all of our tears and all of your fears and the hope that the dark past has brought us This world is ours, yours and mine, the future belongs to us
I said a new generation is gonna rise up from the flames and gonna change your world
The future belongs to us - Amber (9th grade) Engage with resources and ideas at
vocalcoalition.org/CMEA