Building an Inclusive Practice Session 4: Creating Original Music as a Tool for Change

This session goes in-depth into why creating original music is important for learners, educators, and performers alike, and will include a hands-on activity that will help unlock your inner creative. We’ll ask questions like “What is a composer?” and “What stories and cultures need to be represented today?” We’ll explore which genres and instruments participants think best represent these issues and what method of composition is most suitable (written, aural, etc.) and how exploring the practice of creating original music empowers the individual as well as works to expand the canon and curriculum that have been hallmarked by erasure. There will be examples of transformative music through history with discussion of why this music was important and how it affected change. The session will culminate in participants utilizing the techniques gained in this course and beginning to write your own music for change. 

This six-session series of workshops will empower attendees to create a comprehensive, holistic, dynamic, and inclusive environment, whether for their students, their colleagues, their audience, or themselves. We will facilitate discussions of relevant topics in music education and research, provide resources for further learning, and share methods to make a tangible impact in the realms of allyship and activism. You will leave this course feeling confident in your ability to diversify repertoire and curriculum with intention and care, setting a stage for future practices that are reflective of all who participate and engage in the world of music. Course registrants will also receive access to the videos of each session until the end of the calendar year.