August has been a powerful month in musical regard.
The American Gospel Music world sadly lost two giants in piano, Shaun Martin (of Kirk Franklin and Snarky Puppy notoriety) and the piano and organ virtuoso, Quennel Gaskin.
Listen: Shaun Martin, The Yellow Jacket
Youtube; Last accessed: 20.08.24
In England, given the challenging summer of unrest, we saw the power of chant, voice and rhythm in the peaceful protests that combatted the race riots seen and experienced across the country, as well as those voices used to incite hate.
The first night of the BBC Proms and subsequent series saw a broad range of performers, composers and conductors take to the stage. From the musicians of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, to conductor Elim Chan, composer Ben Nobuto, to pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason collectively opening up the series.
It was another powerful summer of UK festivals set against a backdrop of cool temperatures, inclusive of Heritage Live in Audley End, to Reggae Land and more recently, All Points East in London and the Reading Festival. A time for people to come together sharing a love for music and celebration.
I am excited as to how we, as music educators leverage the power of music as we return to work with our young people and local communities.
Remembering that there will be those who wish to share the joy of exciting memories made, those who return to school with trepidation, and those who wish to express experiences they have had during the summer break through effective song and lyric-writing.
Those of you who currently engage with The Creative Educator social media accounts will have seen that I had the honour of meeting and briefly talking with the international musical maestro Adam Blackstone, Musical Director for Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Alicia Keys and Eminem, to name just a few.
I asked Mr Blackstone to share his perspective on ‘The Power of Music’ and here’s what he said
“Music has the power to transform, has the power to save lives. Continue what
you’re doing, in a creative space. Listen to the words, ingest it in your soul, and I
promise you, you will be healed.”
Visit @thecreative-educator on Instagram to view snippets from the night.
A great book titled ‘How Music Can Make You Better’ (Viskontas, I., 2019) summarises the power of music in all areas of our lives. As an antidote to the daily pressures faced by young and old, the book poses a question
So how, exactly, does music ease pain and reduce anxiety? It comes down to three
things: distraction, feeling good, and lowering stress…Finally, music decreases levels
of the stress hormone cortisol and lowers the activity of the amygdala, which is
involved in anxiety.
Viskontas, I., 2019.
Taking all of this into consideration, here are some ideas for leveraging the power of music in the music room this academic year:
Creating spaces for unstructured music-making, supported by key scaffolds for structuring and layering the music
Using student voice as a tool to hear more from your students. As an example, hearing from students about their favourite artists will give you scope to reach and engage increased numbers and to have students inspire others with their musical selections. Viskontas’ text includes an excellent analogy about the power of listening to new music, daily.
Encouraging students to make use of a regular practice routine
Encouraging students to create and improvise in small groups, providing scaffolds for support where needed
Try asking a group of students to curate a school or community concert, this academic year
Listen: Quennel Gaskin, Praise Him
Youtube; Last Accessed 20.08.24
This summer was such a powerful summer of music, that I have been inspired to get back into my own regular practice again, this year! I’ll be setting myself some specific obtainable goals and will share with you in a future blog, the progress and impact this action has on my academic year! We can so easily become bogged down by key planning, important data drops, crucial pastoral responsibilities and the day-to-day challenges of classroom teaching, directing rehearsals and workshop leading, that creating opportunities to play ourselves can at times be a challenge.
Set off in your new academic year by mapping out your time to incorporate a bit of each component that motivates you in music, and keep these things at the forefront of your weekly work routine. After all, it has been said that in doing something that you love, you will never feel as though you worked a day in your life!
I invite you to join me in continuing to build The Creative Educator community of arts educators:
Join me online at the upcoming Music Mark Secondary Music Teaching series*. Details for our Nuts and Bolts of Behaviour in the Music Room opening session on Wednesday 16th October 2024 can be found here.
Use Vanessa Wilson’s Composing Cube** (resource linked below) to facilitate effective songwriting in the new term.
*Places are free of charge to Music Mark members and £12.50 for non-members.
**Vanessa’s Composing Cube was originally shared through Every Copy Counts’ Teacher Studio.
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