Working Towards Inclusion of Gender, Race, and Intersectionality in Piano Curriculum
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She’s Still Sounding: Working Towards Inclusion of Gender, Race, and Intersectionality in Piano Curriculum Olivia Adams A thesis submitted to the University of Ottawa in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA in Music, Specialization: Feminist and Gender Studies School of Music Faculty of Arts University of Ottawa © Olivia Adams, Ottawa, Canada, 2021 This thesis addresses the gender-race intersectional inequality in Canadian conservatory piano syllabi revealing that women make up less than 14% of piano music in 20th and 21st Century piano repertoire in Canadian conservatories. By drawing on feminist musicology, critical race, and intersectionality studies, the thesis addresses elements of patriarchy and white supremacy found within specific conservatory repertoire examples. Using the SongData methodology, Adams presents 50 years of data points of gender-race representation in the Royal Conservatory of Music and Conservatory Canada piano syllabi, reporting that white women make up 13.1% of 20th and 21st-century music and Black, Indigenous, and Women of Colour make up less than 0.6%. Piano music by BIPOC women is then leveled and broken down according to conservatory standards and compared to repertoire within existing syllabi. Also included is an original graded syllabus of over 3,000 pieces by women and additional curricular resources for the piano studio. Olivia Adele Adams submitted this thesis on May 18, 2021 The members of the supervisory committee are: Dr. Lori Burns Supervising Professor, School of Music Dr. Julie Pedneault-Deslauriers Advisory Committee, School of Music Dr. Shoshana Magnet Advisory Committee, Institute of Feminist and Gender Studies ii Acknowledgements This thesis is possible only through the support of some key people. I would like to give a heartfelt thank-you to my mentor and supervisor Dr. Lori Burns for your guidance, wisdom, and edits over the last two years. Thank you to my advisory committee Dr. Shoshana Magnet, and Dr. Julie Pedneault- Deslauriers for their guidance. A special thanks to my piano professor, Cecile Desrosiers for your unwavering support of my research and for your mentorship at the piano. I am a better teacher and scholar because of you. Thank you to my partner, Nicholas Busch for your unwavering support and encouragement throughout this degree. Thank you for believing in me when all this was just a pipe dream. I love you. Thank you to my parents, Grant and Robin Adams, for believing in me. You raised me to believe that nothing was impossible. Thank you for your support through many moves and degrees. Finally, Thank you to my students. You are the inspiration for this research, and you are my favourite musicians of all. iii Table of Contents Title Page……………………………………………………….…………………………………....……i Abstract and Advisory Committee …………….…………………………………………..…….….… ii Acknowledgements…………………………………………….……………………………...….......... iii Table of Contents………………………………………………..…………………………….....….….. iv Preface ………………………………………………………………..…………………………......…... v Introduction ……………………………………………………………….….………………....…....…xi Chapter 1: Literature Review …………………………………………………...……………….…...... 1 Chapter 2: Research Methodology …………………………………………………...………...…….. 16 Chapter 3: The Politics of Inclusion: Gatekeeping in Piano Pedagogy ……………………..…....… 27 Chapter 4: Whose Music is it Anyways?: Theft, Appropriation, and Misrepresentation in Piano Music ……….……………………….…………………….…………….. 36 Chapter 5: Numbers Never Lie: The Presentation and Discussion of Conservatory Data ……...... 49 Chapter 6: Leveling Music by BIPOC Women Composers ……………..………….……...………. 65 Chapter 7: Conclusion: Becoming a Co-Conspirator in the Music Studio ……………...……….....99 Bibliography …………………………………………………………………………....………..….... 104 Appendix 1: Loud and Clear: A Graded Piano Syllabus of Music Women Composers Appendix 2: Composer Trading Cards Let’s Learn About Composers Appendix 3: Let’s Learn About Composers iv Preface “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change” - Brené Brown An Autoethnographic Statement To authentically present this thesis, I chose to begin with a statement of my autoethnographic ties to this topic. Just as the opening epigraph suggests, my vulnerability in acknowledging my heritage was the impetus for my desire for innovation and change within the Canadian piano curriculum. I write this thesis as a white-passing, mixed-race Japanese Canadian. My paternal grandmother, Eileen Emiko Umada was a Japanese Canadian born into an internment camp. Her first memories were of experiences picking onions during the second World War. After learning about Canada’s past treatment of the Japanese people, I see how white supremacy inherently tried to erase her and erase her history. I have loved and played classical music my whole life. It is a part of my history. I have also loved learning about my Japanese roots, they too are part of my history. Western classical music holds its roots in European history. The majority of recognized composers throughout classical history are white and male. I first became interested in intersectionality and music when I began to connect to my Asian heritage through the music of Alexina Louie, a Chinese Canadian composer. I fell madly in love with her work “Memories in an Ancient Garden," based on Japanese folklore while the pianist imitates Japanese instruments. I was mesmerized by her writing, and when I played it, I felt connected to my Japanese heritage, to my ancestors, and my grandma. I, an Asian Canadian woman, performed music by an Asian Canadian woman on Canadian, US, and European stages. This act claims back the music of my ancestors in a country that attempted to erase the Japanese heritage. After this experience in my undergraduate degree, I began to question how patriarchy and white supremacy continue to abound in classical music education. It is from this position that I write this thesis. While I do not address all the effects of patriarchy and white supremacy on classical music curriculum in one thesis, I critically examine the content of the piano curriculum with feminist and critical race perspectives to reveal where and how the piano curriculum excludes the voices of QTBIPOC women composers. As a music teacher, I do not have a perfect v history of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the music studio. I have spent years examining and scrutinizing my practices and learning from diverse voices on inclusion in the music studio. I continue to learn from BIPOC musician’s experiences and incorporate their music into the music curriculum to the best of my ability. I firmly believe that change happens at the grassroots level. Music teachers must challenge the narrative that classical music is white, male, and privileged, and change the narrative to inclusivity and equity. Young music students are the future conductors, orchestral musicians, music teachers, and arts administrators. If students learn in an environment that respects and includes the voices of women, Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour, then they carry that perspective into their future careers. I firmly believe that if we change the gender and racial inclusion practices within the music curriculum, then we will change what classical music looks and sounds like in the future. The political moment I wish to preface this thesis with a few words addressing the current social and political climate. The social, political, economic, and racial tensions are palpable across the globe. Institutions are looking to address and improve the racial inclusivity and ethical practices of their organizations. From the time I submitted my thesis proposal on increasing inclusivity and intersectionality on piano curricula, to the time I defended my proposal in June of 2020, the global race-based conversation shifted. On February 25, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery was shot while running through his neighborhood (McLaughlin 2020). A witness released the video of Arbery's death in May. People protested, called, emailed, and stormed the district attorney's office, advocating they arrest Arbery's killers. On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African American woman, and paramedic, an officer from the Louisville Metro Police Department shot and killed Breonna Taylor. The officer mistakenly took her for a convict that lived in a different building and was arrested earlier that day (Oppel et.al. 2021). The officers responsible for her death were terminated but not charged for her death as per the court ruling on September 23, 2020 (McKay, Global News, October 20, 2020). On May 25, 2020, a police officer from the Minneapolis Police Department African American murdered George Floyd while leaning on his neck. Floyd died in a chokehold pleading, “Please, I can’t breathe” (Fitz- Gibbon 2020). Following this incident, people across the globe took to the streets in protest against the institutionalized racism in the United States. Canada, Sweden, England, Japan, Brazil, vi Spain, Senegal, Denmark, Scotland, South Korea, Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Australia, Poland, Turkey, France, Switzerland, Portugal, and Germany in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States (Taylor, The Atlantic, June 8, 2020). In response to the events of spring 2020 and the subsequent resurgence of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, many music organizations pivoted their conversations to focus on racism in the arts. Although many race-based conversations centre around the events in the United States, Canadians also responded. In