Old Town School - On The Road
Dispatches from the road from our wayfaring travelers.
More Reflections from the Trip
We’re home now, but I wanted to add a little to the narrative.
Some things we saw that could find a home in Chicago. In the British Museum, sculptures created by Mozambiquan artists using decommissioned weapons — beautiful and moving. In Heathrow airport, corridors lined with images depicting apparent opposites that could switch signs according to the viewer, i.e. a high heel and a hot pepper labeled variously as “pain” or “pleasure.” In our Helsinki hotel, elevator doors filled with photographic representations of the wondors of the Finnish environment, different on every floor. In every British pub, beautiful varnished mahogany bars that offer such a warm contrast to Americas chrome, formica and marble. In every classroom at Sibelius Academy, vitrines displaying ancient or exemplary instruments, a bit of musical heritage on permanent exhibit.
How to convey this energy? Our delegation saw some extraordinary performances and our immediate response was a desire to share this with the entire community at Old Town School — we’ve just got to figure out a way to get some of these amazing artists to Chicago. But the next challenge will be generating a critical mass of enthusiasm among our Chicago colleagues and students. Those of us who traveled have the experience of having witnessed these incredible artists, butmost people at the School have no particular reason to get excited about Northern English fiddle tunes, Chinese sheng players or ancient Finnish shamanic vocal styles. What is our strategy for impressing our friends with how really special some of these things can be? That something they’re probably never stopped to imaginecould offer sucha powerful experience. If our hoped-for exchange program is to work, somehow we’ll have to engender an open-ness, a desire to try something new, that is not most people’s default setting.
Prospects for future exchanges. Our hosts were very enthusiastic about their encounters with Old Town School teachers. In the last 24 hours in Finland, Boogie taught two hip hop classes, Barb taught a clogging workshop and a vocal class, Maria taught a fiddle class, Joe was whisked away by the harmonica students and gave them a seminar that occupaied about 7 hours over two days. Over our farewell meal I asked one of the faculty how she felt things had gone, and she responded that the students were “ecstatic.” I believe with both Britain and Finland the only hurdle left to surmount before we can initiate some serious faculty swaps is to consult the calendar to find dates that work for both institutions. There is an excitement from both sides that will drive this process forward.
What’s next? This trip represents a beginning. It is a beginning on what could evolve into ongoing relationships with the Sage Gateshead and Sibelius Academy. And it is also the first step in building a program that can and should expand to other cultures and parts of the world. Due to the MacArthur Foundation’s funding proclivities, I suspect the next steps will be with Mexico and India. In any case this trip was a success on multiple levels, for the School, for our hosts, for the individual teachers involved, and for the prospects that it opens for future evolution. I offer my deepest appreciation to the team from Old Town School who made this all possible. Thank you.
Bau Graves
Filed under: Uncategorized by Bau | April 12, 2008 |
3 Comments so far
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Bau and other OTS ambassadors of folk:
You needn’t worry, I think, about encouraging people in the school community to find enthusiasm for new musical styles and musicians that you have discovered on this trip. What attracts so many students at the OTS to the music they eventually adopt as their own is the passionate interest of the teachers. Perhaps a few come to these classes already knowledgeable about the genre or subgenre being taught, but most have a passing curiosity which good teachers lovingly fan into a serious passionate flame.
Put together a concert or workshop or experience with North English fiddle tunes or Sheng players or Finnish shamans with the same enthusiasm for which the OTS supports its own teachers and favorite artists, and people will come. As one of the “people,” I promise!
-Debi Lewis, member and big ole fan!
Dear All,
What a great trip! Thanks for the blogging. Both the Sage and the Helsinki Academy are perfect partners for the ongoing work of the Old Town School. Since my move to Chicago Public Schools, I’ve been busy connecting up with “el Sistema” in Venezuela, a program that reaches 250,000 kids annually (see recent “60 Minutes” segment) and reinvents the orchestra for the 21st century. Hopefully, “violins, not violence” will become the new order of the day for Chicago school kids. Congratulations on your new program of activity. I look forward to more connections in days to come. Best wishes!
Thanks for the blogging. It’s been an interesting read. It sounds like you had a great time in England and Finland.
If you ever decide to introduce Finnish music at Old Town School, don’t forget that you almost automatically will find support from the Finns who already study at the OTS. I’m one of them!