Andy Israelsen

Butter

Truth

I was tired today. I’ll admit it – the weekend and its big assignments had drained me of feeling. Yet – our shifting evolving group discussion throughout our 680 class today woke me up and got me running. It pulled what few threads of energy remained in my brain out for a firm strumming.

I feel I was really lucky to be in a group with Mischa and Jasmine today – they had such a strong opinion about the architecture of the racist white supremacy facing everyone in the world today. They had so much to say from the heart.

It was invigorating to talk with them how capitalist ideology and stratification seeps into the interactions of non-profits working for the good of the people – causing them to work against each other and claim autonomy. I felt humbled that we could talk about the issues of fighting upwards – making people aware of the challenges facing low class and minority peoples. How we got to discuss how important it is that we as a cadre are already talking about the macro concepts of culture, race, and discrimination.

We also got to discuss the challenges of buttering down the issues (as I fondly think of it). Its too easy to be a majority of race or privileged by race and high class and look at issues of those that are discriminated against and find something that makes their plight less valid. We can not look at an issue like preserving Tlin’git culture and language as something quantifiable. Culture is more important than its transferability and statistical benefits. We are all humans, and we deserve equity – the chance for all of us to succeed in our own way. Backwards buttering ideologies are what drive and protect ‘America’ and capitalism – a culture bent on preserving people in the roles of lesser, lower, and broken to keep a comfortable elite.

Humility

It was awesome to hear so many voices in the class truly striving to connect with the material we discussed today. Nothing about racism, sexism, and class-ism is easy. I feel proud being part of this cadre.

Thumbs up!

The Rice that Smells

Culturally Responsive Teaching

What is CRT?

Culturally Responsive Teaching is more than creating little lessons that showcase culture. Its more in depth than presenting music, dance, geography, etc. Its about sharing how people think about things, and using that thought process to solve problems. This makes a lesson about more than just “answer this question.” Its about connecting culture to learning.

MJ

Katie Kroko and I had the joy of chatting with MJ – one of the students at the Goldbelt Heritage Institute culture camp at Eagle River Methodist Camp. We all stumbled through the first few minutes of conversation, but once she started showing us around the camp, the power of culturally responsive teaching began to shine through. We arrived at the smokehouse, where the students had smoked porcupine, seal, and salmon. MJ talked about how awesome it was to be outdoors in the camp and get hands on with the tradition. Again and again she kept saying how she hoped she could share the food they had prepared with us – even though we were just visitors and hadn’t been apart of the preparation process.

It was humbling and warming – it put a smile on my face. She was that open to offer us something meaningful so quickly. We got to chat with her more – we asked her about the language and her heritage. She was only part Tlin’git, and expressed she was glad she was able to participate in the camp. She said that the opportunities to learn the language, songs, and dances inspired her to hopefully keep teaching the language, too. We were both excited to hear this. She had many wonderful things to say about the value of preserving culture and sharing it with a new generation. It was clear to me the hands-on intensive culture camp had matured her view of the world in ways other experiences may not have.

She also taught us the flowers of the wild rice smell like poo :O

Culturally Responsive Music Teaching

This is incredibly important as a music teacher – without Culturally Responsive teaching, you can’t teach music. Even the most abrasive, unkind, and dry music teacher will still point out the scotch snap or Neapolitan chord in the music, and explain how import that is to that music’s cultural heritage.

I feel I’ve already done culturally responsive teaching in music. Two years ago I focused on the story of Muddy Waters and the history of the blues. I taught this to my cello/bass students at the Youth Orchestra of Northern Alberta. It gave me a chance to talk about racism, segregation, and spiritual music – it connected to my students in a way that the classical music we had previously learned couldn’t. Another valuable thing the blues allowed me to do in the classroom was to truly teach self expression – once the kids had the fundamental pitches of the blues scale down, they could improvise their own solos as we explored the blues! The class had several students with behavior problems, and the blues increased the challenge to know the notes to perform, but eased the rules so they could be themselves. They didn’t have to feel defensive or afraid to participate.

I also like listening to music in my classes – I try to draw upon a wide variety of musics from all around the world. I always make sure the kids get to learn something about that music before we move on in class. Often, I try to tie that music into the lesson.

I feel its very easy to purvey culture in music education, buts its also very easy to just showcase an ethic composition and slap a gold star on your chest and feel proud. Really, you have to teach about the culture and the history – the students need context to understand that music and why its important that they play it!

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CRT Update!!!

Michelle and the Full Story

First, I really like Michelle’s lesson on the Aleutian Islands in World War II. IF it was mentioned in my public school history classes (I don’t remember it being mentioned) it was probably boiled down to a fact to memorize, wherein it happened and would be on a test. What I do remember is watching a documentary about the invasion of islands on the History Channel. Luckily I was a teen when the History Channel was still a quality source for documentaries, because I learned about the fascinating lead-up, logistics, and conflicts which played out on the islands.

After Michelle’s lesson, I realized I never learned the whole story. Even that documentary mentioned nothing about the capture of Aleut peoples by the Japanese, nor the systemic discrimination and domineering of the Aleuts by the Americans. It was haunting to learn about the relocation of the families with the likely intent of keeping them essentially in the role of slaves. It was disturbing to know families were torn apart on purpose, and kept in a place unfit for living.

Teaching the whole story – even when its unpleasant and disturbing – is incredibly important. The status quo will remain with the heroic “USA v. Japan” story of the war unless we teach the whole story. If the Japanese are always the enemy mistreating POWs, and raping civilians in Manchuria while the USA is liberating islands and saving lives – we are sustaining a story about racism. We are placing all of the violence and horrible acts upon the Japanese when the truth is our country performed many atrocities during WWII also; the Japanese relocation and internment, and the manipulation and exploitation of the Aleut. By ignoring these stories in our schools and texts, we are enforcing national discrimination and racism and calling it education. It seems subtle – we are just telling a story of nationalism and patriotism – but its not. Secretly, the sludge creeps its way out of the box – the dirty truth is there, we cannot abide ignorance.

The Full Story … has Pictures!

And now for something completely different. I enjoyed the challenge of finding ways to make multicultural picture books relevant to a music classroom. Thanks, Kathy! I really enjoyed the story, “Secret of the Dance”, because it resonated with so much of what I’ve learned from studying the Yup’ik and Inupiaq for the iBook lesson plans. The view of that magical moment of the dance posed before the true loss of culture was deep and sorrowful. Reading about living people who know so little about their thousands of years of history because of 200 years of Westernization is disheartening. To think how insensitive and corrupt the American generations before us were to so harshly destroy the rich heritage of other human beings…

Saying it Like it Is

I loved Ernestine’s presentation of her book Blonde Indian. Her way of speaking was so closely tied to the poetry of her writings. It was enthralled while listening to her. Her words were so powerful, I daresay those words bore a similar weight of wisdom and emotion akin to an Elder’s. I was fascinated to learn how she writes her books from multiple streams of narrative – fiction, memoir, nature, etc. – and then weaves them into a seamless multi-faceted whole. I loved her analysis of the (essentially) flippant Princess and the Pea fairy tail and the hilarious (but eye-opening) analysis of Dick, Jane, and Spot as a racist tome.

Most important to me though was hear fearlessness to say it as it is. To hear her flat out state the reality that Alaska as a state, despite its outward statements about making progress, is failing its native people. The schools – now 36 years after the Molly Hooch Rural School decision (sorry, just started learning about that part of AK history…) still isn’t providing adequate education to most of its peoples. In class we are learning about and from teachers who are doing it right, but the statistics still show Native students are not succeeding. It was so powerful to hear Ernestine say it straight, things have to change now, because things are only marginally better than they used to be.

Also, I know what book I’m reading next. I also know sometimes I may be weighty in these blog posts considering I don’t come from Alaska, nor have I experienced discrimination in the ways others have. I do, deep inside, believe in education as a medium for social justice. I have worked towards it in the classes I have taught in the past few years, and know it is a core value to how I build lessons and approach the conveyance of information. Often, Whites and others of privelidges see themselves as saviors of the impoverished, the discriminated, and the kicked around. Ernestine’s words resonated with me and my mission as a musician and an educator – We are not here to save them, we are here to believe in them.

A Place of Sounds

My lesson aims to inform students about recording and documenting the world around them with audio. The idea is founded around documenting the Yup’ik culture – west coast Alaskans with cultural heritage and language that has eroded over many generations.

I aim to present a resource for teaching students about the history of field recording, the genesis of the World Soundscape Project and its offshoot organizations, alongside a foundational focus on using audio to preserve culture.

This lesson would be appropriate for middle schoolers or high schoolers – and the depth of the resulting recording project would fit the age of the students. I am assuming it would take at least a week to introduce the material and share relevant projects – but it could really be a long term study supplemented with materials relevant to the local area. Furthermore, recording and editing practice could be included to add many weeks of learning and hands-on creativity for a technology focused music classroom.

I feel the big question I want to ask are what sounds, stories, songs, etc. can we preserve through recording? The words spoken are often as important as the place they are spoken. There are sonic artifacts – or keystones – in our communities. These are the sounds of the sea, the wind, the voice of an elder, and so much more.

I have found several student made documentaries from the Lower Kuskokwim School District on YouTube, like this one on the Responsibility of Culture – I am hoping to include one or two as external or internal materials (pending permission!).

I have other videos resources that show the intrigue of recording things in nature, like this blog post on the Soundscape Explorations Blog documenting aRaven‘s sounds.

I want to pose essential questions that can be used as inspirations for projects. E.g. What are sounds around you that are apart of your culture you would want to preserve and share with others? What sounds define a place for you? What sounds are a person? How do different people tell the same story? How do different people say the alphabet?

The student project would involve going out and recording these sounds. I am also considering the possibilities for them making something like a sound walk (where you follow a map and listen to recorded or ambient sounds) or a documentary style project where they share audio clips on Soundcloud or YouTube of stories, people, nature, places, etc.

Fishy Buisiness

Business as Unusual

The modern art and photography wing of the Alaska State Museum captured my attention for the majority of my visit. The intersection of tradition and modern cultural perspectives resonated with so much of what we have been discussing in our classes. Dynamic and changing, Alaskans as a people are working to preserve the past while embracing the future. Many of the works in that wing captured the now of Alaskan culture with respectful attention the state’s dynamic past.

Many thanks to SLAM for letting us visit and post media about their wonderful collection!

Snapper Charm

Fran Reed, 2000
ASM 2004-4-2

Body Fracture

Fran Reed, 2007
ASM 2007-31-1

I found these objects really fascinating – it impressed me as a modern retrospective on the indigenous practices of using all parts of an animal for food, tools, and art. The charm is magical in its construction – its familiar and foreign. (It is also a mix of natural and artificial materials). The second piece, Body Fracture seems more grounded as a fleshy reinvention of pottery. The interior texture of the artwork simultaneously intrigues me to touch it and feel the slightest bit nauseous.

Both made by Fran Reed who, according to my research, lives near Anchorage. I did a little bit of searching about Fran, and found out she’s a transplant to Alaska. Her Alaskan artwork grew from using fish skins as a medium. She was adopted into the Tsimshian Killer Whale clan. Her work has been featured around North America and in Europe.
Fran Reed Bio @ Alaska State Museum

Voices of Wisdom

The voices of elders are, for lack of a better word, impactful. I think the most stunning and enthralling trait that Salina Everson, David Katzeek, and Linda Belarde brought to our 680 classroom was the weight and impact of words. Their words send waves of meaning and emotion – the depth of their voices speak so much to their experiences.

Each talked about the value of the Tlingit language to their identity and their upbringing – each had a different experience, and each shared beautiful stories of how that changed their lives. Their challenges of having or discovering their cultural identity – something challenged by the schooling they received – is what made those words strong.

I feel an important part of this experience is how tender humans are when it comes to culture and identity. The words we say and write make

an impact which can shape lives. We often identify a person who said something to us that made us who we are. We regularly quote a few words, an aphorism, or a sentence to embody elaborate ideas.

Treasure Map for Open Ears

Treasure Map for Open Ears provides places I found interesting to go and meditate. Some of these are places I’ve lived, others I’ve just visited. Although many of these are far away (you can’t walk, for sure) they encompass the idea that sounds all around us is intriguing and often ignored. Even the sounds of a city are interesting – as much are the sounds of trees, birds, and the wind.

Even if you cannot visit these places, I hope the brief descriptions give you the slightest hint of intrigue or mystery about what sounds and experiences you can find in places otherwise normal or mundane. Some of these places are unique, fascinating, and unlike anything else in the world – they, too, offer something unique to listen to (obviously…).

I added some videos for certain places that are… hard to describe. Take a trip with me.

Happy listening.

Update! (June 15 2016)

I decided to add some recordings from these various places, so now I don’t feel so bad! 🙂

Visit my AlaskanCabbage SoundCloud to read the descriptions!

I suppose its silly to do an audio adventure (of sorts) that covers thousands of miles and has no snippets of audio… but they say the imagination is powerful.

I found this fun to make, and I rewrote my descriptions for the places many, many times. Just typing that a place is interesting or has fascinating sounds doesn’t make it a vibrant thing to think about – putting that place on my map and giving it a sense of time and breath of culture makes it alive and interesting. Thinking about those trips to those places reminds me of what sounds I would hear there, and what feelings those places evoked. Maybe, just maybe, I gave someone a thread of that experience.