Sociomusicology

4/24/08

Appearance vs. Reality

Appearance versus reality is an important theme in human life and discourse that is traceable to the ancients, including Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and even the stories of Noah, Job, and Elijah from among the ancient Hebrews. This theme is also relevant to so many of our assumptions regarding both music and education.

So often what we assume about our music students and teachers - or even about music itself - turns out to be wrong. It takes creativity, empathy, a familiarity with the dark side of human nature (deceit, delusion, etc.), a sense of humor, and a determination to be systematic and thorough, in order to stand some chance at finding the elusive “truths” in our field. This is perhaps the best justification for research.

Here are some hilarious video clips that illustrate this theme (don't worry - this was broadcast on American television and is not terribly risque):

[NOTE: This website is best viewed with the Mozilla Firefox browser - downloadable for free - rather than Internet Explorer or Netscape.]

4/14/08

Mahinarangi

Today the world lost a great songwriter, Mahinarangi Tocker.

A New Zealand Maori of Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Tuwharetoa, and Tainui-Ngati Maniapoto (as well as Hebrew and Celtic) ancestry, Mahinarangi was a unique and prolific yet under-appreciated, artist.

Please see my earlier post on Maori women songwriters:

http://sociomusicology.blogspot.com/2008/02/maori-women-songwriters_02.html

4/12/08

Music Education Conferences

I recently attended conferences of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in New York City, and Cultural Diversity in Music Education (CDIME-NINE), in Seattle.

At AERA, I had the great pleasure of finally meeting in person with the entire editorial team of International Journal of Education and the Arts. Other highlights of AERA included opportunities to see sessions on arts learning that developed from Liora Bresler's important new reference work International Handbook of Research in Arts Education, as well as a session on popular music that was organized by Randall Allsup.

CDIME was an amazing conference and I highly recommend it. There were really too many fascinating presentations there to mention. I especially enjoyed seeing my mentor Pat Campbell again, and Steven Morrison, as well as former classmates, and ethnomusicologists such as Bonnie Wade, Anthony Seeger, and Charles Keil. Some particularly insightful and memorable presentations were made by the great kiwi musicologist John Drummond and Seattle's music technology guru Jon Kertzer. I presented a paper there entitled Inside the World's Largest Music Competition: Application of an Ensemble Ethos Model.

At CDIME, it was a great pleasure to meet Huib Schippers, Ninja Kors, and Carlos Abril for the first time.

Between CDIME and AERA, I briefly visited the Honkfest West events with Charles Keil.

Yesterday I learned that MENC has cancelled its next national meeting because only 1,000 people - less than 1% of its membership - attended its national biennial meeting that is currently (today) running in Milwaukee. This is quite small compared to meetings of other relevant organizations, such as the Midwest Clinic (for bands) and the American Educational Research Association. Prior to the conference I had heard that proposals for presentations by many of the most well-known music education researchers had mysteriously been rejected this year. I did not submit a proposal, since I had a prior commitment to conduct an honor band in Connecticut.

MENC: The National Association for Music Education has historically played a very important role in the field of music education in the United States, essentially unrivaled in terms of its impact, but it is surprising to see how much it has transformed in recent years to become so closely allied with the music industry, the American military, and the educational agenda of George W. Bush's administration. In previous generations, MENC was known for taking a progressive view of music and education, so perhaps this 100-year old organization will manage to reorganize and survive its current crisis. The field of music education seems to be rapidly changing, and at this point it is difficult to know which organizations have become the most important sites for new ideas in the field. I suspect that the next conferences of AERA and CDIME will be well worth attending, as well as meetings of the International Society for Music Education.

Here are links to relevant websites:

American Educational Research Association (AERA) -

http://www.aera.net/

International Journal of Education and the Arts (IJEA) -

http://ijea.org/editors.html

Cultural Diversity in Music Education (CDIME) -

http://www.cdime-network.com/cdime/conference/080218105203702

Honkfest -

http://www.honkfestwest.com

http://sociomusicology.blogspot.com/2007/10/honkfest-is-here.html

MENC: National Association for Music Education -

http://menc.org/

ISME: International Society for Music Education -

http://www.isme.org/

Connecticut All-State Honor Band

Yesterday I conducted the honor band of the Connecticut Independent Schools Music Festival. It was held on the beautiful campus of the Avon Old Farms School, near Hartford.

We performed pieces by Japanese wind band composers Tetsunosuke Kushida and Hiroshi Hoshina, both of whom I have interviewed and discussed in my book on wind band music in Japan. It was a challenge to rehearse and quickly assemble the performance, but in the end the students did quite well. It was really a great experience and the students should be proud of what they accomplished.

Here is a link to a PDF file of the concert program.
The other conductors were Edward Bolkovac (chorus) and Petko Dimitrov (orchestra).

3/16/08

Is online music education here to stay?

People are often surprised to hear that part of my job as a music professor has been to teach online.

I suspect is quite possible that will start to become part of the job of most professors in the future.

Second Life, a popular Multi-User Virtual Environment (MUVE), is increasingly being used for virtual education, most notably by Harvard University:

http://secondlife.com/

Even Harvard University’s Law School is offering an online course:

http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/cyberone/

The SimTeach website provides detailed information regarding how teaching works in an online environment:

http://www.simteach.com/

Here are a few of my recent publications on this topic:

Hebert, D. G. (2008). “Reflections on Teaching the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music Online,” International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music, Vol. 39, No. 1 (pp.93-103).

Hebert, D. G. (2007). “Five Challenges and Solutions in Online Music Teacher Education,” Research and Issues in Music Education, Vol. 5 [www.stthomas.edu/rimeonline/index.htm].

*Update (8/14/08) The Music Education Technology Network is a useful new resource for academic exchange in this area:
http://musiceducationtechnology.ning.com/

3/12/08

Lamine Toure & Group Saloum

If you happen to live in the Boston area, this Senegalese band does great live shows . . .

LAMINE TOURE & GROUP SALOUM - in their first show of 2008!

FRIDAY, MARCH 14th @ 9:30 pm

at the Lizard Lounge

1667 Mass Ave in Cambridge

between Harvard & Porter Squares

For more info, visit

http://www.laminetoure.com or

http://www.myspace.com/groupsaloum

Venue info:

http://www.lizardloungeclub.com/

3/9/08

Honkfest Update

Honk! has returned.
This time it is in Seattle.
We will find out whether what Jim Morrison said is actually true: "The West is the best."

I look forward to playing trumpet with ethnomusicologist Charles Keil and all the wild brass bands on March 21-22.

This event will also mark the conclusion of the 2008 Cultural Diversity in Music Education conference.

Here are links to relevant websites:

http://www.honkfestwest.com

http://sociomusicology.blogspot.com/2007/10/honkfest-is-here.html

http://www.cdime-network.com/cdime/conference/080218105203702

-Charles Keil
[http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/archives/ead/1064/1064.frame.html].

HONK! FEST WEST, a convocation of 15 activist street bands from the PNW and around the country, will be activating Seattle on Easter weekend, Friday through Sunday, March 21-23. (See www.honkfestwest.com for details)

The bands will be honking their hearts out to energize the masses, embolden public discourse, and to bring a critical mass of energy and creativity to the streets and clubs of Ballard and Georgetown. People will be dancing, music will fill the streets, and everyone will be smiling. From noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, the bands will converge on Ballard Skate Park and Ballard Sunday Market to acknowledge the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq.

Honk! bands know how to have a good time because they provide the punchy soundtrack for progressive events in their communities---peace rallies, relief benefits, and community celebrations.

Bands are coming from across the country (Chicago, New York, Santa Cruz, Eugene, Seattle) and around the world (Canada) to make this inaugural West Coast Honk! event a honking huge success. Come join the fun!

Put this on your calendar, friends. You won't want to miss it! Check out the website for up-to-the-minute details: www.honkfestwest.com

Friday, March 21, 8 p.m. to midnight

Ballard venues: Ballard Jam House, Conor Byrne’s Pub, Mr. Spot’s Chai House, New York Fashion Academy Joint cover for all events with recommended donation of $10 – 20. (No one turned away due to lack of funds.)

Saturday, March 22, 9 p.m. to midnight

Georgetown venues: Calamity Jane’s, Jules Maes Saloon, Smarty Pants Patio Joint cover for all events with recommended donation of $10 – 20. (No one turned away due to lack of funds.)

Sunday, March 23, noon to 3 p.m.

Convergence on Ballard Skate Park and Ballard Sunday Market to recognize the fifth anniversary of the War in Iraq.

Band Participants for Honk! Fest West:

Anti-Fascist Marching Band (Seattle)

Carnival Band (Vancouver)

La Banda Gozona (Cascadia)

Samba OlyWa (Olympia)

Environmental Encroachment (Chicago)

Black Bear Combo (Chicago)

Hungry March Band (New York)

Muskrat Rabble (Seattle)

Samba Ja (Eugene)

Sammamish Sublimation Band (Cascadia)

Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra (Santa Cruz, CA)

Weapons of Marching Destruction (Seattle)

Yellow Hat Band (Seattle)

VamoLa! (Seattle)

Peace Bandits (Olympia)

Ballard Sedentary Sousa Band (Seattle)

Raging Grannies (Seattle) and more!

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

For New Englanders, here is an important message from popular music scholar Reebee Garofalo about a Honk! fundraising event:

We are organizing the third annual HONK! festival of activist street bands. We need your help to make it happen. read on and join us at

HELP US HONK!

a honk-style fundraiser party

Sunday March 30th, 6-9pm

The Dante Club

3 Dante Terrace

(entrance off Craigie St, between Somerville Ave & Summer St)

Somerville, MA

Free Parking!

Advance tickets available online (now) at

http://honkfest.org/fundraiser.htm

Did you LOVE HONKfest last year? Or the year before?

Do you agree with the NPR program producer who told us that it was the best event he'd experienced in the Boston area in 10 years?

Do you want another unforgettable honk in 2008?

Well now's the time to help us fund this street festival of socially and politically activist brass bands from around the world, to be held Columbus Day weekend, October 10-12, 2008.

The HONK! Festival is a non-profit, grassroots event, and although we are actively seeking grant money from various organizations, we depend primarily on donations to pay our expenses.

On Sunday March 30th, 6-9 PM, we will throw a fundraising party at the Dante Club, an awesome, little-known space in Somerville, featuring:

* the raucous, NOLA sounds of the Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band, and a chance to win them for a future party of your choice

* the uplifting, dance-inducing, ethnogroove music of Debo band

* the new film by Olivier Asselin, Honk You Very Much, based on last year's festival

* a showing of the 3-DVD set Return of HONK! by our friends at SCAT TV

* opportunities to support HONK! through the purchase of very very cool, unique and collectible HONK! buttons

* delicious food donated by fine local restaurants

* possible special appearance by comedian and political satirist Jimmy Tingle

Come join our party, and help us do what it takes to make this unique and inspiring event return again in 2008!

http://honkfest.org

http://www.myspace.com/deboband

http://slsaps.com

-Reebee Garofalo
[http://www.cpcs.umb.edu/faculty/garofalo.htm]

Welcome to Sociomusicology

For nearly 20 years (since 2007), this website has offered musings on contemporary society and its music by David G. Hebert, PhD. He is a sociomusicologist specializing in global music education who has held academic positions with universities on five continents. Dr. Hebert is now a tenured full Professor with Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen. There he leads the Grieg Academy Music Education (GAME) research group and manages the multinational government-funded Nordic Network for Music Education, which organizes annual intensive Master courses and exchange of teachers and students across eight countries. He is also an Affiliated Professor with both University of the Faroe Islands and Kyambogo University (Uganda), and an Honorary Professor in China with the Education University of Hong Kong.

Professor Hebert's research applies an international-comparative perspective to issues of pluralism, identity, and cultural relevance in music education, as well as processes by which new music traditions emerge and change - both sonically and socially - as they are adopted into institutions. Born in the 1970s, he is among the most widely-published and globally-active music scholars of his generation (h-index:23), with professional activities in an average of 8 countries per year across the past decade (2008-2020).