Questions and Answers in connection with the Agreement On



Shand, Patricia. “Fifty Years of Canadian Music in the Canadian Music Educator.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 51, No. 3 (Spring 2010), pp. 13-14.

KEYWORDS

Canadian music in education

Canadian Music Educator

Canadian composers

Canadian folk music

Canadian identity

Canadian choral music

Canadian band repertoire

student composers

teacher-composers

teacher-arrangers

Canadian Music Centre

Alliance for Canadian New Music Projects

SUMMARY

Following up on articles in the Canadian Music Educator in 2000 and 2007, Shand analyzes the coverage of Canadian music in the Canadian Music Educator Volumes 46-50. She organizes her study by themes, such as teacher-guided explorations, identity, Canadian music in elementary classrooms, and student singer-songwriter projects.

Fifty Years of Canadian Music in the Canadian Music Educator

Patricia Shand

Reproduced with the permission of CMEA/Acme.

CMEA’s 50th anniversary provided many opportunities for CMEA members to reflect on and celebrate half a century of achievements. Because of my on-going commitment to Canadian music in education, I have been interested to look back on CMEA’s impressive contributions in this area. In 2000 I contributed an article to 4 Decades of Leadership (Roberts and Hanley, 2000), published in honour of CMEA’s 40th anniversary. That article (Shand, 2000) analysed the focus on various aspects of Canadian music in Volumes 1 to 40 of CME. In a follow-up article (Shand, 2007), I analysed the Canadian music coverage in Volumes 41 to 45 of CME. What follows is an analysis of Canadian music articles in CME Volumes 46 to 50.1

A sense of history was evident in quite a number of CME articles from the past five years. Several articles celebrated the work of important composer-educators who were early leaders of CMEA: Keith Bissell (Vogan, 2008) and Richard Johnson (Vogan, 2009). Roberta Lamb (2005) looked back to the significant work of composer-teacher Barbara Pentland. Two articles (Shand, 2008 and Ward, 2009) described the many contributions of Murray Schafer to music and to music education as he celebrated his 75th birthday. Eleanor Stubley (2005) looked back to a significant Canadian opera – Harry Somers’ 1967 Louis Riel – and then moved to the present as she described the McGill Faculty of Music production of the opera almost 40 years later. Steven Duff (2007) described his delight upon discovering in1965 an early recording by the Howard Cable Concert Band, a recording which he used for many years with his students, and for which he thanked Cable in person at a concert in 2007. In a follow-up article, Duff (2009) again looked back as a retired teacher, recalling introducing his students to the music of Canadian composers.

Other CME articles have reported on recent efforts by teachers to introduce their students to Canadian music. For example, Deborah Smith (2008) focused on using a band composition by a fellow teacher and a student-created piece to help her grade 9 beginning band students explore their own Canadian identity. In “Teaching Canadian Music in a Rural Setting,” Janet Spring (2007) reported on how she integrated Canadian folk and composed music in her music, literacy, and social studies classes in a rural Ontario elementary school. Marilyn Jenkins (2006) reported on an Ottawa inter-school project which she initiated in which music students developed a website featuring Canadian composers. Gillian MacKay (2006) described the challenges and rewards for the members of the University of Toronto Wind Ensemble as they rehearsed and performed a new work by Brian Cherney, Quelques espaces entre les anges et la terre (A Few Spaces Between the Angels and the Earth). Ronald Royer (2007), himself a composer as well as a teacher, described a Soundstreams project in which his high school string students were involved. The Toronto project gave his students the opportunity to interact with professional performers and composers in exploring contemporary Canadian music. In “Cross-Cultural Arts Exchanges: Connecting Canada and India Through the Arts,” Gaumond and Morrison (2007) described an ambitious international exchange project in which their students were involved. Their students explored a variety of Canadian materials, and then, during a visit to India, presented those materials for their hosts.

A number of articles explored issues related to Canadian music and identity. For example, in “Multiculturalism in Canada: An Opportunity to Nurture and Develop the Individual Musical Identities of Students within the Music Classroom,” Catherine Gillis (2009) reflected on her own experiences teaching abroad, and her realization of the importance of her sense of Canadian identity to her work as a teacher. She emphasized the need for teachers to foster multicultural musical identities in Canadian classrooms. Nina Hollington (2005) reflected on the need for more Canadian content in music curricula. She argued that students’ encounters with Canadian music help foster their pride in Canadian culture and identity, and she also stressed the need for teachers to be familiar with Canadian music so they can feel confident including Canadian content in their music programs. Nancy Dawe (2005) wrote about the role of Canadian music in schools and in teacher education. She reported on her research which focused on three music education students and their experience and understanding of Canadian music and their sense of identity.

Other research-based articles included “Canadian Choral Music Partnerships” (Shand, 2004a) which described the first phase of a Canadian choral music project which produced a guide to recently published choral music by B.C. composers. Teachers/choral directors provided descriptions of each selected composition, based on their experience teaching and performing the music. Rodger Beatty (2006) described the second phase of the Canadian choral music project, and invited choral specialists to submit their assessments of choral music by Ontario composers, music suitable for use in school and community contexts. “Canadian Band Repertoire” (Shand, 2005a) described the Canadian Wind Band Repertoire Project which promotes the use of Canadian music by identifying suitable high quality band compositions and by educating band directors about such music. Shand (2005b) explored possible approaches researchers might take to answer the question: “What is the current status of Canadian music in education?” The article included a brief summary of the presentation on that topic at the Pan-Canadian Symposium on the State of the Art of Music Education, held at the University of Western Ontario in May 2005. In “Border Crossings and the Music of Stephen Hatfield,” Juliet Hess (2008) drew on her research into multicultural music education as she focused on the value of Canadian composer Hatfield’s music in introducing students to a variety of challenging types and styles of music.

In “Canadian Songs for Canadian Children,” Rika Ruebsaat (2005) emphasized the importance of including Canadian folksongs in elementary classrooms, and described a CD-ROM song collection developed as a resource for teachers. In an article on guitar ensemble arrangements for classroom use, Randy Haley (2008) included information on suitable Canadian arrangements. Several recent articles dealt with the challenges and satisfaction experienced by Canadian teachers who arrange and compose music for their own students. Teacher-composer Ben Bolden (2006) described his experiences teaching his own compositions, sharing them with his students, and invited other teacher-composers to share their work with fellow teachers. “Teachers as Composers and Arrangers” (Shand, 2009) focused on the important work done by teachers who arrange and compose music to meet the particular needs of their own students, and who serve as valuable models of creativity for their students.

A description of students’ involvement with singer-songwriter Gregg Lawless was the focus of “Using Popular Music to Challenge Social Justice Issues” (Morrison, 2008). Classroom workshops by another singer-songwriter, Mike Ford, were described in “Canada in Song” (Shand, 2006). Ford brings Canadian history and geography to life through his music. Co-operative work involving student composers and professional performers was described by Cecilia Livingston (2009). The context was a “Composing for Percussion” course at the University of Toronto, taught by composer Christos Hatzis. The student composers worked closely with TorQ, a percussion ensemble whose members workshopped the compositions as they developed, advising and assisting the students in their compositional processes.

Volumes 46 to 50 of CME provide strong evidence of CMEA’s continued commitment to the promotion of Canadian music in education. Articles in CME over the past five years have looked back to previous achievements and contributions, have celebrated the present, and have looked ahead to the future. “Support for Teaching Canadian Music” (Shand, 2004b) summarized past efforts by CMEA and other organizations (e.g., the Canadian Music Centre and the Alliance for Canadian New Music Projects) to promote Canadian music in education and to provide resources to support teachers in their use of Canadian music. The article also asked teachers to report on Canadian music and other curricular materials currently in use, and to offer suggestions for additional Canadian music support services and resource materials to assist teachers in their future work. Richard Marsella (2008), composer, performer, teacher, and arts administrator, looked to the future, calling on teachers to help “further develop a Canadian Canon, a repertoire we can call our own and celebrate accordingly.” He wrote: “If Canadian music is to survive, it needs to resonate with more of its people, and become more of a necessity.” I believe CMEA can continue to make an important contribution to this on-going work.

1 I am grateful for the valuable research assistance provided by Cecilia Livingston.

References

Beatty, Rodger (2006). "Choral Works by Canadian Composers: A Selective Guidelist Phase 2: Published Choral Compositions by Ontario Composers." Canadian Music Educator, Volume 48, No. 2 (Winter 2006), pp. 18-19.

Bolden, Ben (2006). “Part One: Teacher-Composers.” Canadian Music Educator. Volume 48, No. 1 (Autumn 2006) pp. 56-57.

Dawe, Nancy (2005). “Canadian Content and Music Teacher Education: A Student Perspective.” Canadian Music Educator, Vol. 47, No. 2 (Winter 2005), pp. 39-43.

Duff, Steven (2007). “Meeting Mount Everest – An Encounter with Howard Cable.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 49, No. 1 (Fall 2007), p. 13.

Duff, Steven (2009). “The Stories Behind the Music.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 50, No. 3 (Spring 2009), pp. 22-23.

Gaumond, Allan and Sarah Morrison (2007). “Cross-Cultural Arts Exchanges: Connecting Canada and India Through the Arts.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 49, No. 1 (Fall 2007), pp. 15-17.

Gillis, Catherine (2009). “Multiculturalism in Canada: An Opportunity to Nurture and Develop the Individual Musical Identities of Students within the Music Classroom.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 50, No. 4 (Summer 2009), pp. 28-30.

Haley, Randy (2008). “Ensemble Arrangements: A Click Away.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 49, No. 4 (Summer 2008), 44-45.

Hess, Juliet (2008). "Border Crossings and the Music of Stephen Hatfield." Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 50, No. 2 (Winter 2008), pp. 18-19.

Hollington, Nina (2005). “Canadian Identity and Canadian Music in the Classroom.” Canadian Music Educator, Vol. 47, No. 2 (Winter 2005), pp. 10-11.

Jenkins, Marilyn (2006). “Canadian Music Projects.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 47, No. 3 (Spring 2006), p. 15.

Lamb, Roberta (2005). “Music for Teaching: Barbara Pentland (1912-2000).” Canadian Music Educator, Vol. 47, No. 2 (Winter 2005), pp. 12-14.

Livingston, Cecilia (2009). “Four Guys Hittin’ Stuff: Composing for TorQ Percussion Quartet.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 50, No. 4 (Summer 2009), pp. 22-23.

MacKay, Gillian (2006). “A New Composition for Wind Ensemble.” Canadian Music Educator, Vol. 47, No. 4 (Summer 2006), p. 10.

Marsella, Richard (2008). “The Canadian Food Guide: Why We Need a Canadian Musical Canon.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 49, No. 4 (Summer 2008), 17-18.

Morrison, Sarah (2008). “Using Popular Music to Challenge Social Justice Issues.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 49, No. 4 (Summer 2008), 48-49.

Roberts, Brian and Betty Hanley, ed. (2000). 4 Decades of Leadership, Canadian Music Educator, Vol. 41, No. 3 & 4 (Spring & Summer 2000, Special ISME Edition).

Royer, Ronald (2007). "Soundstreams Canada Educational Outreach String Project." Canadian Music Educator, Vol. 48, No. 4 (Summer 2007), pp. 18-19.

Ruebsaat, Rika (2005). “Canadian Songs for Canadian Children.” Canadian Music Educator, Vol. 47, No. 2 (Winter 2005), pp. 47-48.

Shand, Patricia (2006). “Canada in Song.” Canadian Music Educator. Volume 48, No. 1 (Autumn 2006) pp. 11-12.

Shand, Patricia (2005a). "Canadian Band Repertoire." Canadian Music Educator, Vol. 46, No. 3 (Spring 2005), p. 9.

Shand, Patricia (2004a). “Canadian Choral Music Partnerships.” Canadian Music Educator, Vol. 46, No. 1 (Fall 2004), p. 7.

Shand, Patricia Martin (2000). Canadian Music in the Canadian Music Educator. Canadian Music Educator, Vol. 41, No. 3 & 4 (Spring and Summer 2000), pp. 47-51.

Shand, Patricia (2007). “Canadian Music in the Canadian Music Educator: An update.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 49, No. 2 (Winter 2007), p. 23-24.

Shand, Patricia (2008). "Celebrating R. Murray Schafer." Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 49, No. 3 (Spring 2008), p. 18-19.

Shand, Patricia (2005b). “Status of Canadian Music in Education.” Canadian Music Educator, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Fall 2005), p. 13.

Shand, Patricia (2004b). "Support for Teaching Canadian Music." Canadian Music Educator, Vol. 46, No. 2 (Winter 2004), p. 9.

Shand, Patricia (2009). “Teachers as Composers and Arrangers.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 50, No. 3 (Spring 2009), pp. 18-19.

Smith, Deborah (2008). “Trains and Terrain: The Integration of Canadian Music into a Multicultural Grade 9 Instrumental Music Classroom.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 50, No. 1 (Fall 2008), pp. 21-25.

Spring, Janet (2007). "Teaching Canadian Music in a Rural Setting." Canadian Music Educator, Vol. 48, No. 3 (Spring 2007), pp. 19-20.

Stubley, Eleanor V. (2005). “Somers’ Opera Louis Riel in 2005: Extracts from a Diary.” Canadian Music Educator, Vol. 46, No. 4 (Summer 2005), pp. 11-12.

Vogan, Nancy (2008). “From Our Past: Keith Bissell, Our First Secretary-Treasurer.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 49, No. 4 (Summer 2008), 13-14.

Vogan, Nancy (2009). “From Our Past: Richard Johnson, Our First Vice-President.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 50, No. 3 (Spring 2009), pp. 11-12.

Ward, Kim Soleski (2009). “Musical Soundscape: Teaching the Concepts of R. Murray Schafer to Elementary Students.” Canadian Music Educator. Vol. 50, No. 4 (Summer 2009), pp. 40-42.

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