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Danielle Sirek, Phd Candidate Danielle.Sirek@Gmail.Com 418-5340 Supervisor: Dr MUSICKING AND IDENTITY IN GRENADA: STORIES OF TRANSMISSION, REMEMBERING, AND LOSS DANIELLE DAWN SIREK A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Manchester Metropolitan University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Awarded for a Collaborative Programme of Research at the Royal Northern College of Music by the Manchester Metropolitan University December 2013 For my family, for my colleagues, for my students: May you find stories of ‘who you are’, and feel connected to others, through your musicking ii Acknowledgements I am grateful for the unending support, academic and personal, that I have received throughout the research and writing of this dissertation. Firstly I would like to thank my husband Adam Sirek, my parents Kim and Marius LaCasse, and my father- and mother-in-law Jan and Elizabeth Sirek, who have been my constant support in every possible way throughout this journey. My thankfulness to you is immeasurable. And to my baby Kathryn, whose smiles were a constant source of strength and encouragement, my thanks and love to you. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my co-supervisory team, Drs Felicity Laurence and Byron Dueck, who devoted seemingly unending hours closely analysing my thesis, discussing ideas with me, and providing me with encouragement and inspiration in many more ways than just academic. I am truly grateful for their guidance, expertise, and for being so giving of their time and of themselves. I learned so much more than research techniques and writing style from both of them. I would also like to thank the various informants, colleagues, and friends who read the thesis at various stages of completion: particularly Rebecca Miller, for her critical examination of my work, keen eye, and encouragement; Ann Wilder, for her expertise on the Grenada revolution and witty commentary; Phil Beaman, who provided for me many anecdotes of Grenadian life and experience; Joel Verkaik for his editing expertise; and also to Trish Bethany, Michelle Colton, Sarah Topple Faber, Samuel Leung, Susan Meltzer, Michelle Lutz, Adam Sirek, and Elizabeth Sirek, who all read my thesis in its later stages and provided me with critical feedback. And finally, to my friends in Grenada, of whom there are too many to name here, thank you for being so giving of your time, your music, and your stories – from the bottom of my heart, thank you. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... iii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... vi List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................... vii PART ONE ‘This song is for love of country…’: Contexts and Methodologies ..................... 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 2 Chapter 1: Historical Context, Overview, and Introduction to Underpinning Concepts ....... 7 A Brief History of Grenada .............................................................................................................. 7 An Introduction to Music in Present-Day Grenada ........................................................................ 17 Overview of the Study .................................................................................................................... 18 Previous Studies on Grenada .......................................................................................................... 23 Identity ............................................................................................................................................ 27 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 41 Chapter 2: Methodological Resonances ..................................................................................... 43 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 43 Perspectives from Ethnomusicology and Music Education ........................................................... 44 Exploring Relevancy, Meaningfulness, & Engagement through Ethnography ............................. 51 Teacher Musical Identity ................................................................................................................ 57 Turning Toward an Ethnographic Approach .................................................................................. 59 The Study: Methodology and Methods .......................................................................................... 66 Epistemological Underpinnings ..................................................................................................... 83 Methods .......................................................................................................................................... 90 Reflexivity ...................................................................................................................................... 99 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 101 PART TWO ‘Until I die, I will sing my calypso song’: Musical Transmission and a Tumultuous Political History ............................................................................. 102 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 102 Negotiating Identity Across the Generation Gap ......................................................................... 102 Music in Everyday Life ................................................................................................................ 106 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 114 The Chapters to Come .................................................................................................................. 114 Chapter 3: The Gairy Era (1951-1979) .................................................................................... 117 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 117 Historical Antecedents: The Social Revolution of 1951 .............................................................. 119 Music as a Means of Political Gain during the Gairy Era ............................................................ 122 Steel Pan and Calypso: Past and Present ...................................................................................... 127 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 149 Chapter 4: The Revolutionary Era (1979-1983) ...................................................................... 151 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 151 Historical Antecedents .................................................................................................................. 153 Revolutionary Propaganda in Music ............................................................................................ 157 Resistance to Anti-Revolutionary Ideology in Music .................................................................. 169 Appropriation and Reunderstanding ............................................................................................. 182 Music and Young People in the Revolutionary Era ..................................................................... 185 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 189 iv PART THREE ‘Sing the chorus louder! Tell them ‘bout Grenada!’: Competing Musical Understandings of Present-Day Grenada ..................................................... 191 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 191 Chapter 5: The Present Day ...................................................................................................... 195 Musicking after the American Invasion ....................................................................................... 199 Soca Music ................................................................................................................................... 205 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 225 Chapter 6: Cultural Education and Carnival in Grenada ..................................................... 227 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 227 A Case Study of Controversies of Musicking and Identity in Spicemas ..................................... 246 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................
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