falls in the “ positive ” column .
While we ’ ve talked primarily about the work of schoolteachers , all of this applies to private teachers who are coping with similar issues . Beyond that , they also apply to those of us who are not taking formal lessons at the moment .
With gigs being few and far between , there ’ s more than enough uncertainty to go around . For some , that uncertainty inspires ; for others , it can be a barrier to creativity , or to practicing , or to whatever motivates us to progress .
Although those barriers might seem tough to get past , doing so is incredibly rewarding . Personally , I believe the first step to ramping up your motivation is to schedule regular practice time . It doesn ’ t matter if it ’ s structured or not – just play . Take on a piece you ’ ve been meaning to go at for some time . Listen to music that ’ s outside your experience and comfort zone and play along . You don ’ t necessarily need to learn what you ’ re playing completely ; just noodle if you want to get some time at your instrument . If you find that your attention span is short , learn a few simple tunes you ’ re unfamiliar with . Watch that music documentary you ’ ve been meaning to check out . Search for online tutorials and commit to grasping the concepts and skills others are teaching . Read about music . And , in every case , remember that you don ’ t have to have some specific overarching goal .
You ’ re not going to be able to create the same situation that , pre-pandemic , was “ normal ,” but you can improvise and focus on what you can do instead of what you can ’ t .
DECOLONIZING MUSIC EDUCATION IN CANADA : Thinking Beyond the Western Music Box
MusiCounts Learn ’ s virtual town hall on September 9 th was presented by APTN and tackles what is unquestionably a massive and substantial subject .
As moderator Nick Godsoe explained during the town hall , this
SHERRYL SEWEPAGAHAM is an effort focused on starting a conversation about this issue with an eye to having more fulsome , “ precise and specific conversations ” in the future . While it may be an uncomfortable conversation to have , he adds , it ’ s a necessity in order to “ move toward more equitable music education practices that meet the needs of today ’ s students .”
This town hall brought together educators with different perspectives from across Canada and was aimed at critically re-examining and reimagining the foundations of the teaching practice in Canada .
Among the participants were : Sherryl Sewepagaham , a music therapist at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton and district consultant , and an elementary music educator for over two decades ; Antía González Ben , assistant professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music whose work explores contemporary music education discourses as they relate to notions of equity and justice ; Darren Hamilton , a secondary music educator in the Peel District School Board who is pursuing a Ph . D . in music education at the University of Toronto and researching formal gospel music education and equity , diversity , and social justice in music education ; and Nicole Schutz , a music specialist for 19 years with the Edmonton Public School District who co-authored Nitohta , the Indigenous music teacher ’ s guide for the National Arts Centre ’ s Music Alive Program .
When taking on the decolonization of music education , it ’ s important to understand that
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