A Case for Global Music Education
by Derek Beckvold
It is an age-old idea to take musical ideas from other cultures and incorporate them into your own music , from Beethoven adding Turkish cymbals and kettle drums into his orchestral writing , or Ravel ' s use of a Spanish dance in his famous " Bolero ", to John Coltrane or the Beatles ' use of Indian classical concepts in their music , Steve Reich ' s influences ranging from Indonesia to West Africa , or take the many modern " fusion " bands that exist currently . There are countless more examples of this musical borrowing or appropriation , and while these composers just listed are all framed through a Western lens , which can at times border on looking to other music as a form of exoticism or an Edward Said-like Orientalism , most certainly the reverse exists today in a widespread way .
I lived for two years with the late composer and educator Gunther Schuller , who coined the term " Third Stream " in American musical discourse back in the late 1950 ' s . The idea was , at the time , to find a space where Western classical and jazz music could co-exist within a single piece of music , fully themselves and fully integrated . Gunther used to say that there is much room to use concepts from others ' music , as long as it is done with careful thought , deep respect , and extensive study of the tradition . But in the many conversations we had together on this subject , it became clear that he was not just talking about the integration of these two musics , classical and jazz , but the integration of all musics . This is a beautiful idea , which has social and political implications far exceeding the bounds of music-making , but it ' s also a dangerous one , as these musics and their superficial elements could easily be haphazardly used in compositions and improvisations without their proper understanding , thus diluting the beauty , respect and integrity of the original music .
The only way to achieve this goal is through education . Education of each other ' s music , to be delved into deeply , both spiritually and methodically . But , equally important , is the teaching of this music in the manner in which it is meant to be learned and transmitted through the traditional process in which a given music thrives . This is no easy task , but it is crucial . This is why I believe musicians and music educators around the world should look carefully at the delivery system they use , and whether it aligns with the content they are delivering . Only then will we be able to create artists who are deeply knowledgeable about another music and internalize it fully to the point where it is firmly a part of their own vocabulary .
For example , I spent the last year living in New Delhi as a Fulbright- Nehru Scholar , trying to find ways in my own thinking and teaching to align the content of Indian music and Western music , as well as the methods by which these musics are traditionally taught , ie : in a gurushishya parampara setting or in a Western classroom with staff notation . While I am predominantly a saxophonist , I have studied tabla for the past ten years , and had the privileged to learn from Guru
Shailendra Mishra Ji this year in India . He has an insightful way of organizing his lessons , especially in a group learning environment . He is a very effective teacher , giving his time and knowledge to share with me large musical concepts , repertoire , history , social context , traditional performance practices , and ideas of respect , discipline , love , beauty and life . I am fortunate to be able not only to learn this special instrument , but as an educator , to be able to be a student in a different , but equally engaging and effective , learning system .
We can represent the relationship of what we learn to how we learn in a simple ( and perhaps much too reductive ) matrix :
Indian Music
Western Music
Indian Pedagogical Practice
Western Pedagogical Practice
Within each of these four variables ( and there are many more if we broaden our views of what labels like " Indian " and " Western " mean ), we can look at effective ways to teach music . Borrowing from one teaching methodology from one place to deliver information about a subject from another place . This ability to borrow an education system I think can only come after one has gone through that process as a student , after which point one can tap into many sources and inspirations from which to teach .
There is not a perfect combination of these variables , but rather it is constantly shifting and prioritizing , based primarily on the needs of the student . There ' s no secret recipe or magic bullet , but I do believe how we learn music is not considered nearly enough , compared against what the actual music is that we are learning . My hope is that we , as musicians and curious explorers of the world around us , can continue to gain a deeper global perspective on the music of now , and the music of our humanity ' s collective past , to not only express ourselves individually as artists , but to be best equipped to teach this music to the next generation . We need to use and adapt music from around the world , while at the same time preserving its integrity and traditional livelihood . We need to be more empathetic and respectful when borrowing others music , but still feel it is malleable to make something new and personal . And we need to insure that , as educators , we are doing our part to take the best practice methods of each culture ' s unique approach to create a " Third Stream " platform for global music education
The Score Magazine
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