Start-of-Session Newsletter
Sunday, August 30, 2020 by Rylin Erickson | Uncategorized
Hi Students! (This was also sent via email and posted in our Facebook Group)
In this newsletter:
- New Schedule
- Practice Club
- Polls in Lessons and Classes
- Special Events
- Event Reminder Settings
Our new schedule starts tomorrow! On a weekly basis Sept-Dec and Feb-May, each student has private/duo lessons, single instrument group classes, and our large group classes: Story Club (ages 4-12), Musicianship (all ages), and Proseminar (beginners ages 12+, int/adv ages 10+). Do your best to be present for group classes these first few weeks because the classes will be pursuing the interests of those who attend. In January and June the schedule changes to allow for ensemble rehearsals and playdowns/recitals, but every effort was made to keep it the same as or extremely close to the days and times you attend the rest of the year. The portal calendar should be accurate through June 2021.
Practice Club: In addition to the above, you will notice "Practice Club" listed on a daily basis from 6:45pm to 7pm. All students are welcome join this practice routine support group! Audio stays off throughout. Video can be off or option to have video on as long as student is practicing and not trying to distract others. TAs may sometimes be on hand to offer practice support before, during, or after practice club; ask for details on setting up coaching sessions with TAs. (Students who have been TAs in the past or are newly eligible to be TAs will be contacted later this week with details on participating in this program.)
Polls: All students will be asked to answer a quick poll at the beginning and end of their lessons and classes. This helps take the place of nonverbal communication which for some students is less obvious over Zoom and will also allow me to prepare group classes each week that fit the students' preferences as expressed the prior week. Perhaps most importantly, it gives me insight into how each student is handling the challenges posed by pandemic, fire season, and daily life so that I am better poised to offer support during difficult periods. If a child is not yet reading fluently it may be helpful for a parent or older sibling to be present at the beginning and end of each lesson or class to help them get the hang of the polls.
Special Events: Our large group classes on Tuesdays give us an opportunity to celebrate together! We will be having theme weeks in Musicianship class to honor occasions such as Talk Like a Pirate Day, Autumnal Equinox, Hispanic Heritage Month, Indigenous Peoples' Day, Disability Employment Awareness Month, Native American Heritage Month, Human Rights Day, Black History Month, Valentine's Day, Women's History Month, Asian & Pacific Heritage Month, Jewish Heritage Month, LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and Juneteenth. In addition, we will have longer events open to non-studio friends and family by invitation that will take place during the combined timeslots for Story Club, Musicianship, and Proseminar to celebrate Halloween, Winter Solstice, and St. Patrick's Day/Spring Equinox. See your portal calendar for details!
I am looking forward to our next session of classes starting this week! Event reminders have been turned on via email and text for all classes/lessons to ensure you get the hang of the new schedule. If you do not wish to receive reminders at any point you can turn them off in your portal.
Let me know if you have questions about any of the above!
Cheers,
Elizabeth
Lift Every Voice and Sing
Saturday, June 20, 2020 by Rylin Erickson | Uncategorized
Our grande finale for this afternoon’s online concert is “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Written by a pair of incredibly talented, well respected siblings, James Weldon Johnson & J. Rosamond Johnson, this ode to hope and resilience was premiered by a choir of five hundred children in 1900, became the official song of the NAACP in 1919, and occupies a place of honor in American culture as the Black National Anthem. Just yesterday, representing almost every state in the U.S. as well as several other countries, thousands of people sang it together in an online forum in celebration of Juneteenth!
It is essential that the pieces we perform be firmly rooted in healthy soil. Many well known popular and folk songs are stained with prejudice, bigotry, and racism. Setting aside music we may have previously enjoyed but can no longer stomach after learning of its background or lyrics is important work. It is common to feel frustration or sorrow at the onset of this process, a small disappointment that obviously pales in comparison to the harm these contaminated works cause when they are presented anywhere outside of a history lesson and one which is swiftly replaced by the joy of accomplishing one small piece of an enormous project and by doing so moving into better alignment with our moral compass.
Luckily, there is no shortage of beloved songs created throughout our nation’s history that are worthy of a brighter spotlight. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is a wonderful example, with its rhythmic pulse, strong word painting, and enduring significance. I loved singing this song in choirs growing up and was looking forward to performing it with students this summer in a little local parade. While the pandemic postponed that plan, the ongoing protests that are bringing racism to the forefront of mainstream awareness prompted me to introduce this anthem to all of my students without delay.
Our online format, which initially felt limiting, has been a profound invitation to dive both deeper and wider in our studies. We have listened to a wide variety of recordings, dissected various musical elements, discussed historical context, and brainstormed ways to effectively address injustice individually, as a community, and on a global scale. In these conversations, I was struck by the younger students’ clarity and wisdom, by the teens’ fierce rejection of the status quo and spirited vision for the future, by the adults’ openness and support, and by how well students of all ages noticed, responded to, and precisely articulated the song’s nuanced emotional timbre.
If you are not yet familiar with “Lift Every Voice and Sing” or would like to hear it again, check out our playlist below to listen to a diverse collection of recordings! This is a powerful anthem that seems to encourage interpretation and revisitation by being unusually adaptable to almost any tempo, register, and instrumentation. The words and music both exquisitely capture hope rising out of grief in a way that has resonated with listeners for 120 years and counting.
Whether this song is an old favorite or brand new to you, may it serve as a musical talisman as we each individually and collectively grapple with the realities of racial injustice.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgv7Eo4oqiZA37X4_SVmI5ZzjHPylaxlj
Black Lives Matter
Tuesday, June 9, 2020 by Rylin Erickson | Uncategorized
Black lives matter.
Black families matter.
Black musicians matter.
Elizabeth Erickson, KnightLizard Music studio, and Uncaged Musicians classes are strongly committed to protesting racism and police brutality and working towards social justice and the deep systemic change that requires.
Decolonizing our studio, which has previously been a long-term goal producing incremental change, is now receiving the majority of our efforts and will see improvement more swiftly as a result. Decolonization by its very nature produces an environment that more effectively serves each individual, which is particularly crucial for our BIPOC students, LGBTQ+ students, neuro-diverse students, and students with disabilities.
Because of this priority in combination with our pandemic-induced online study, current students may experience format changes more frequently than usual, always preserving their right to direct their personal study and collaborate on their vision for group study which is an integral part of decolonization. Our usual annual interview is happening in private lessons this week and includes questions that will help dial in what is working best and should be preserved and where there is ambivalence and therefore a perfect area for targeted innovation.
To allow for optimal focus on decolonization, we do not plan to accept new students until fall. To join our waiting list, fill out the registration form on our website: www.uncagedmusicians.com/Registration or visit the MusicLink Foundation to apply for a need-based scholarship: www.musiclinkfoundation.org
Prospective students please reach out with any questions prior to registration. Because we may be changing structure more frequently than usual this summer it is likely that our public website and Facebook page will sometimes temporarily lag behind in order to prioritize keeping the areas current students use (private online portal and private Facebook group) up to date. Your understanding and patience are appreciated!
I'd like to end with a quote from Shinichi Suzuki. This brilliant pedagogue created the Suzuki method in the aftermath of World War II and believed deeply in music's potential to preserve our humanity. He also tried to emphasize that each teacher continue the work he started and adapt their approach to suit their students, a belief that is at the core of my own philosophy.
"Teaching music is not my main purpose. I want to make good citizens.* If children hear fine music from the day of their birth and learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline, and endurance. They get a beautiful heart."
- Shinichi Suzuki
* I would replace the word "citizens" with "humans"
