2024 National Conference Keynote Address: Our Journey in Authenticity by Joan Litman

Posted on July 1, 2024 in , ,

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Joan Litman, author.

This is a transcript of the Conference Keynote Address presented by Joan Litman at the 2024 OAKE National Conference in Chicago, Illinois:

It’s an honor to stand with you this evening. It really is. I want you to know that I do so as one who has listened. A lady who drops herself into conversations – many, many conversations. I’ve been listening hard, listening to our people talk about various paths of the journey. The authenticity they long for… always singing.

I wrote a very proper keynote on the dimensions of authenticity. I rehearsed – in front of two witty musician friends. They smiled and said… “Just STOP! Don’t say that”, “It would be more helpful,” they continued — to share “more of your own journey, even, when shifting the lens of some more traditional approaches”, “This focus would enable all of the audience to reflect more on their own journey.” Isn’t this what matters in the end? So I will touch on some main aspects of our teaching artistry; the craft, the questions, the observations, repertoire, folksongs and research, and authentic childhood experiences. Hopefully we’ll shine a little light on some of the challenges we face as educators and musicians; maybe even suggesting a couple of ways to navigate the roadblocks. Yes. My own stories will weave their way in —– throughout.

We’ve had fifty years on the ground! And throughout all fifty years there have been landmarks of genuine intention; our people have asked questions… and made observations! Can we move faster? (I’m moving faster.) Are we getting to master works? (We’re supposed to be getting to the masterworks!) Who defines masterworks, anyway? We’ve gleaned insights from colleagues in other disciplines! “The reading specialist in our school says she does three reading activities, then one writing… three, then one. (I wonder if this would be a good “ratio” for me?!)”. How about this, from another music teacher: “I’ve been watching my son’s ballet class… ‘plié, pliez, relevé…. pliez, relevez’…descending, ascending. It’s making me wonder, could I sing ascending patterns immediately after descending ? Why not? Why wait? We’ve had fifty years on the ground… Questions rise and are refined in healthy, evolving movements! This happens in continuing, honest conversations — without judgment. We don’t work alone.

Let’s consider repertoire: we’ve had fifty years to savor repertoire! Repertoire is… delicious; Not one of you would be in this field if you didn’t love repertoire. Repertoire is the nourishment of pedagogy in process. Looking back, once it seemed, we had very tidy lists of songs that perfectly supported our elements; our concepts. Many of these songs are still wonderful! Loved! In addition, most of us are now enjoying musical jewels from many cultures; cultures represented in our own music classrooms and beyond.

We listen and learn. We craft sequence in new ways. Importantly, we ask: How do we honor the people who have shared their musical heritage with us? There’s more, of course: “We’ve put songs aside…”, songs we now know for certain to have a hurtful origin. Have we set these songs aside? No, we’ve put them away. For good. Many of our folks have been troubled — certain these changes were overdue. Others remain genuinely uneasy. Some feel judged. I pray that there will be continuing space for ongoing conversations, and in the hard conversations, we “call in” rather than “call out.” Let there be no judgmental vibes toward anyone who has not had the exposure, experience, or even privilege of having been in the conversations as long or as broadly as I have or as you have had. Radical repertoire changes are far more than an adding, or clearing, of a path in the journey. In these changes, we hear the humanistic voice deeply undergirding Kodály’s philosophy. We don’t stop singing! Live singing! Playing games! Dancing. Moving. Moving. Moving.

Time out! – someone asked a question earlier this evening! What would an outsider see if they peaked through your classroom window? I know! You teach in the basement. No window. I taught in that basement! Please keep listening! The question is … What. Would. Be. Going. On? One of our members has reflected, “I keep coming back to the authenticity of the childhood experience. Children explore, play, invent, create, navigate! They test boundaries, build friendships, learn and create new words and contexts! New songs, poems. Children discover the way their bodies move and interact with the physical world.” Would the person peering through the window see children in the midst of “authentic childhood?” Someone else has added: “JOY! They’d better see JOY!” Yes! Joy! And… of course, at times, there would be songs, reflecting the complexity of childhood experience; the kind of experiences that often go unacknowledged at school:

“Old Blue died and he died so hard, scratched little holes in my front yard.” Moments of rest, without pedagogy, just time to let lyrics and the little tune do their holy work. And classroom time following for student connections.
“My cat died!”
“My goldfish died…”
“I wish my Daddy didn’t die.”

But, overwhelmingly…oy! and occasional places to perch– with other emotions.

Let’s consider Folk songs! Do we analyze folk songs? Ha! Does anyone analyze folksongs more than we do? We’ll continue to analyze them. To summarize a wise elder, Folk songs are NOT analysis. “See Saw” was was not born as a construct to teach “so-mi” but a blast of ecstatic childhood–imagine, “See saw, up and….. THUD!” I wonder… is there a way to gift the context of this magical little tune back to today’s children?

We remember the very roots of our communal journey – Kodály and Bartók. Their friends. The plans, collaboration; those machines… the schlep west and east, across Transylvania… to collect and record authentic, uncorrupted, endangered songs. Say! On the topic of folk song research, the world has changed! Technology! Accessibility! Let’s consider two directions, so to speak.

First—we consider the repertoire which has been collected, recorded, notated; published, and disseminated. When we have these resources, the term “Authenticity” means “going back to the music, going back to recordings.” “A transcript from a recording is one person’s ‘Snap-shot in time’ of a performance” Folk song research “Is not ever just from one book!”

The second path, the second “method,” and this is where I dwell, is the pursuit of songs from less represented, or misrepresented cultures—These are the songs which typically don’t have much in print, (at least that you or I can read.) There will not be so many easily accessible recordings.

What can be said of our journey in authenticity when gathering the songs of less represented cultures? School parents and faculty members are often our first and most accessible culture bearers. Let me share a couple of my own examples. For Arabic language children’s songs, one particular Egyptian father sat with me in the school cafeteria–over many cups of …watery coffee. I handed him the one book… the one precious book that I had gone all the way to Egypt to get. The father flipped page after page, in, well, disgust… “Lah! Lah! No, No. We don’t sing it that way! Nobody sings it that way.” He was not referring to the notation, but to the
“sanitized lyrics….” which the editor had thoughtfully cleaned up, wanting the book to be appropriate for school use. The book was actually an excellent resource in my hand—it was a real place to start. You might be legitimately thinking, “How did you corroborate this father’s critique of the lyrics?” Here’s how!

I spoke with others who’d grown up in Egypt – teachers…waiters, Uber drivers… You say– there are not too many Egyptians in your neighborhood? Okay! Sorry! But please keep listening! With either method of folk song research — in pursuit of authenticity — it should be acknowledged right now that folk song research is a major highway to the future ! The world our students inherit … Will. Not. Be. Monocultural.

What’s important to know about folk song research? It’s time consuming! It takes time to find and compare recordings. It takes unrushed time to demonstrate respectful and genuine interest; to listen to the memories that inevitably surface from your culture bearers — with even the shortest little songs. Dedicated folksong research will almost certainly mean collaboration. This is not a journey made in solitude.

Let’s consider the topic of cultural context! What we hear a lot.. is.. “DO the research,” but – how do we do the research? How?
-Is Google the authority? A beginning? An end? We are spinning. Questions come from everywhere! Who’s actually around to help us understand cultural context? Other music teachers? Yes! Of course! Yes! Music teachers. Sometimes. Sometimes not.

Often there are better — richer sources….

On to the reveal of some of my favorite resources! But first, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t mention that sometimes students can contribute startling insights!

We’re in the midst of a middle school choral rehearsal, working on the Mexican folksong “Las Amarillas.” It’s complex! Meters on top of each other, snapping, clapping – the piece is starting to gel and it’s the moment every student in your choirs know, that this is not the time to ask questions. But from the back of the room, Thomas’ arm shoots straight up, like a flag pole. It stays up. I pray he’ll take it down. He doesn’t. Finally I surrender. “Okay, Thomas, what’s your question?” “Hey! What’s a Phrygian mode doing in a Mexican folk song?” (Okay, highly unusual… you’re the only ones that get this :). As I scrambled for a response, Thomas himself says “Oh, I guess it was brought over by the conquistadors.”

On to some of my consistently best sources for contextual translation and cultural context.

First, Language teachers! Who teaches AP Spanish/or Latin American literature in the high school? Or a local college?

Another personal story… One day, across a faculty lunch table, a Latin American literature teacher blew open the meaning of a song I’d treasured for decades- What I did have was a literal translation of the lyrics, and a tidy analysis of the musical elements. I loved the tune— Under “geographic origin” I had written “South America”– The year I learned this song? I believe it was 1986, long before YouTube. Across the lunch table, I started to sing, “Una flor de la cantuta” The Spanish teacher eagerly interrupted me!
“Oh, That’s a very well known song from the Andes.. ..it’s an Incas legend.” She then proceeded to unpack a fascinating ancient narrative, and the song came to life. A shepherd’s flute falls into the river- and the river refuses to give the music back..

I’ve been asked how I explained the legend to my students. I always respond there was little need to talk because student created mimes brought the narrative to life, the full text easily leans itself to dramatic expression. Of course, the song is on YouTube now. There are many variations and many verses

A second source for rich cultural context : Historians, historical societies, and folklore organizations, both local and international.

Another source: the cultural desks of specific countries at the United Nations. in New York. I’ve had success finding rich sources when I’ve been in a pinch. “Can someone share a Tanzanian children’s song with me? Maybe a counting song?”

Finally, university librarians. University librarians are the sanctum of knowledge! If they don’t know what you need to know, – they will know who does know,

Another personal tale. Years ago, I invited myself to have a conversation—with a librarian from the Middle Eastern studies division of a major university. (UC Berkeley). I needed contextual understanding of a Kurdish song. In an email response to my email, the librarian let me know she was. A very busy woman! but she agreed to meet at a coffee shop for 30 minutes. Our meeting began. Hours later, we were alone– sipping wine together in her living room while listening to her father’s treasured LPs—the records he’d brought from Iraq decades before. People whose lives have transported music and cultural context —would often would love to share it. It may or may not have occurred to them that “someone might be interested”…I wonder. Could lyrics and context be the reason a song endures—(Dare I say this?) even as important as the actual “music?” AUTHENTICITY, folks. This is the long game.

Final thoughts… roadblocks and dreams. At the edge of the path, the path of our journey,– we see teachers, sitting down– discouraged, “I just do not have enough time with my students…” one laments. We hear you. “I’ve got fifty students in my chorus. Many really don’t want to be there!” We hear you, too.

I’d like to briefly address roadblocks. Some are obvious and visible, many are less visible but real, such as a prevailing view in our country, is that Music is really about talent. With this generally accepted view in the air, music education is sabotaged; understood to be for the “talented”. In the Kodaly philosophy—this way of thinking is NOT a journey in authenticity.

Ouch.

It’s time to step aside, once again, to address – very briefly– the subject of PR. Public relations. I hear someone shouting ! “The MATH TEACHER DOESN’T HAVE TO DO PR!” That’s right….. We know. Please keep listening… There is always wisdom in being proactive— You know, getting admin into the classroom-on other-than-official observation days, Having them play the games with the students… hopefully picking up on the eye contact, the partnering, all the important “social/emotional” dynamics that are always going on in your classrooms and endlessly talked about in PD’s. The list of PR strategies is long- is anyone keeping a list? Let’s keep a list.

Let me mention one more idea for now. Do you have a particularly enchanting third grade class? How about bringing that class to sing for the school board? What? You’ve never been invited? Invite yourselves! Their perception may shift– because – Singing is in our human DNA!.

Here’s one final thought– Kodály’s proclamation “Music is for everyone.” In my own 50th year in music education, my “authentic” hope is that every one of us will intentionally look out for —the students who may have never stood out as “the talented”. The student whose attention may drift, with no consistent focus… the seventh grader, always semi-slumped in his chair. Kodály himself once alerted us, “We may assume the child’s musical imagination is fully awake.”

Once more, I’m turning back the clock, remembering the year 1988. February, a cozy evening at home. The phone rings: “Mrs.Litman!” There is panic in the boy’s voice (I’m certain that someone has been hit by a car), “It’s Tom! Are you watching the Olympics? They’re skating… to the Moldau.” (The speaker was the seventh grade boy, usually slumped in his chair)

Another memory surfaces! (You’ve all had a version of this one.) A woman in the nail salon is staring across the room –– she’s trying to place me. Finally, recognition kicks in and she says loudly, (Loudly……) “Oh… you’re Melanie’s music teacher! Melanie doesn’t really like to sing… It’s not her thing. She likes drums.” Sigh. But one year later, in some other music teacher’s music class, Melanie has a recorder solo. What comes out is not mere “notes,” but a song…

If I were still young enough to have a day job, I’d still be bringing my students to OAKE honor choirs, like I did for years… St.Louis, Boston, Manitowoc, Dallas/Ft.Worth, Virginia? Year after year! An Unfulfilled dream of mine is to experience– some day– somewhere– an additional, new sort of “choral festival”— where some of the students selected would intentionally include young choristers whose light really hasn’t appeared yet, at least not in comparison with “the obvious stars”: The Toms. The Melanies.

Impossible?
Possible
A risk? I don’t think so.
Maybe life changing.

Off we go—on whichever paths in the journey in authenticity speak to us today-We’ll listen and trust our own “truths.” We’ll remember the essence of childhood. We’ll make sure we are helping our students experience or understand “the best of the world a bit more.” And I wonder… Will there ever be a clear indication- a sign, “Authenticity. You have arrived”?

Or perhaps – we will just realize that the journey, is in fact, a continual opening – rising from the heart, for us — most clearly, when we sing together.

Sing on. Friends. Sing on.
God’s blessings on your journey.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

Una Flor de la Cantuta – PDF download

 

Una Flor de la Cantuta – Spoken Lyrics

 

Una Flor de la Cantuta – Sung

 

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