Sophia Butler

Music in Southcentral Alaska

At this point, I know I want my students to think about music as a way of telling stories, passing on values of the culture, and to consider non-western ways of representing music. The Southcentral region of Alaska has Alutiiq, Aleut, and Athabaskan native representation, so I think it would be important for students to look at some of the similarities and differences of music in those different tribes. While, the lesson should only take 1 or 2 class periods (1 hour each), I would like it to be designed for older students, who probably have some background knowledge to music notation and performance. I have two main ideas for what students can do to obtain some discussion and experience with the essential question and resources below. I would love some feedback on either activity and am open to other ideas as well:

Students will dictate an Athabaskan, Alutiiq, or Aleut, song by listening to it to discover the risks and difficulties in using western ways of notation to pass along non-western music. Then, after listening to and analyzing music from the different tribes, students will compose a short song based on the values, vocables, ornamentations, and pitch sets we’ve identified as a class.
Students will compare and contrast the values and characteristics of the 3 main groups’ songs, and have a discussion about the various sounds inspired by animals, nature, or stories that make up the music. After broadening our definition of music (organized sound) students will consider a parallel example of organized sound by looking at a modern composer who has used different sounds (John Cage or Steve Reich) and then think about sounds in their world that could represent their values or stories.

EQ: How are the values of the native people in Southeast Alaska reflected in their music?

Resources for students include several modern videos of native dance groups, recordings collected of songs, and examples of western dictations of these songs. Here are a few videos that could be a starting point.

https://youtu.be/B4cpqtQffVQ

https://youtu.be/TOXXwG4MZbw

Giinaruaq

As I was perusing through the many many links to the different cultures of Alaska in the Alaska State Museum, I was most struck by the masks. Besides photographs or paintings, they are the only faces in the whole museum, yet they stand to represent so much. The mask pictured below caught my attention in particular because I was intrigued by the asymmetrical placement of the eyes and eyebrows.

Giinaruaq courtesy of the Alaska State Museum– Juneau.

The mask was made by an Alutiiq native in Old Sovonoski of southcentral Alaska. The mask, or giinaruaq comes from an ancient tradition, and is at least a couple hundred years old. It has remnants of red paint on it and drilled holes in the sides most likely to allow the mask to be tied to a dancers face, which was typical for an Alutiiq ornamented mask. An Alutiiq who wore this mask would have been transformed into an embodied spirit during a ceremony celebrating hunting, or keeping away evil spirits. It is remarkable that this object has been recovered, because after a ceremony, most masks were were burned, destroyed or buried, as a way to take away the spiritual power of the mask. I wonder what kind of spirit this mask represented. From my background knowledge, I would guess this mask was a silly/trickster spirit, but I am using symbols and cues from modern masks (ie: clowns) to inform my gut reaction, and it could be completely inaccurate. I also am curious what kind of music or dance would accompany this mask in particular and why this mask survived other masks that were destroyed by tradition or by the natural disasters that affected that community afterwards.

It is in us!

I was struck and inspired by the value and appreciation our guests had for us as teachers. They believe in our power to educate their descendants with intention and respect. When Selina told her story about her experience at Sheldon Jackson college, being forbidden to speak her native language, I thought that memory maybe would have jaded her view and trust of educators, but she was so thrilled to speak to us about the improvement she has seen with Tlingit language in the schools. She was so passionate in sharing her story with people who can make that difference for students in the future.

David talked about how everything we need and all our students need to be successful is within us. “It is in you” was really empowering to hear, and definitely something I will pass on to empower my students. In a similar vein, Linda’s coping mechanism focused on the teacher’s boundaries and agency. She took away some pressure by saying we can only control our response to what we are given in the classroom, we can’t control how other people act or react. In that way, it is within us to choose our responsible, yet respectful boundaries. Having completed my student teaching already for the program, I feel fairly burnt out and without direction. Their wisdom was a source of strength today. They convinced me that I really do have it within me to teach 6 hours a week, take 9 credits of graduate school, and plan for what’s next in the next 3 weeks. I wish I could have had their words with me during times of my student teaching this year, when I really questioned whether I was cut out for this extremely hard job I’ve signed up for. Now I will carry it with me as inspiration and pass it along to my students, so that they know everyday that they are unique, precious, and capable of VERY much.

Telling a Story Through Images

Place is very complex and dynamic. It is always changing because the essence of place has a lot to do with our relationship to that place. Even if two people are from the same place, their collection of objects or memories will tell a different story about their experience with that place. In reflecting on my own sense of place, I found myself gravitating towards experiences I could have had anywhere in the world as well as unique characteristics of my home town. As I have moved away from home, I have used many of the elements of “where I’m from,” such as campfire or gardening as a source of comfort in times of homesickness. My sense of place in my home town has also changed with time, since I have mostly memories instead of current experiences in that place. My presentation below represents my childhood experiences of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, though most of my words and images represent the relational and experiential sense of place, instead of the geographical or physical.

Where I’m From – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

Between experiences, memories, and concrete items, it can be very difficult to describe what “home” or “place” means to any one individual or group of people. I found it incredibly hard to find phrases to represent my relationship with place, so I found the visual elements of Haiku Deck to be very helpful as I tried to convey the meaning of my poem. For some categories or phrases, I wished there were more image options, and some images lent themselves to needing smaller texts due to the limited text placement options. However, I think the simplicity of the tool is very accessible to students in a classroom, so that not so much time is spent learning the technology, but more time can be focused on developing the content. The limited templates force students to use few words on each slide, which is a great skill for developing conciseness and word choice. There is also great value in choosing images with purpose, as they add meaning to words in different ways. For example, I chose a picture of a parent with a child at the piano for “I am from musicians” because my dad would sit at the piano with me as I learned. I would use this tool with my students as a presentation aid or review tool for students to create meaning using short phrases, buzz words, and images. I may even have my students explore place and identity with this tool!