KEYNOTES

Dr. David Aarons

Take it Easy: A Slow Approach to Decolonial Musicking in the Classroom

What might it look and sound like if we resisted the fast-paced approach to music education and embraced slowness? What if we structured our ensembles as study groups rather than exclusively performance groups? Drawing on examples from Caribbean music cultures, I ask us to imagine musicking in the classroom as a slow(er) process that involves creating and embodying music while developing critical thinking and listening skills. 

Saturday, August 3rd at 1:30 PM ET

David Aarons is an assistant professor of ethnomusicology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he directs the UNCG Steelpan Ensemble and teaches courses such as American Music and Music of the Black Atlantic. He earned his PhD. in ethnomusicology from the University of Washington in 2017 and a Master of Music degree in steelpan performance from Northern Illinois University in 2012. He also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The University of the West Indies, St Augustine campus, Trinidad and Tobago (2008). His major research project focuses on Rastafari who repatriated to Ethiopia and who use reggae music as a mechanism for constructing their Promised Land amidst various challenges. His publications appear in Caribbean Quarterly and The Journal of Popular Music and Society.

This session is sponsored by Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. 

Czarina Jimenez

Harmony in Action

What is community care? How can it transform our classroom, our ensembles, and our life? 

Saturday, August 3rd at 3:00 PM ET

Czarina Jimenez (she/her) is a Secondary music educator in her 10th year of teaching. Throughout her career, Czarina has also taught Elementary general music and choir, bringing a rich background to her teaching practice. Czarina believes in the transformative power of the arts to nurture self-awareness, empathy, and community through self-expression and creativity.

This session is sponsored by Musically Minted. 

Allyssa Jones

Don’t Wait…CREATE: Composer Diversity in Pedagogical Repertoire

Only systemic solutions can solve systemic issues- particularly where composer diversity in K-12 music education is concerned. This session will share two successful approaches, with participants generating additional ideas to try in their own spaces.

Saturday, August 3rd at 11:30 AM ET

Allyssa Jones is an educator, conductor, and composer whose career spans 30 years in the classroom and on stage. An alum of Adelphi University and Northern Illinois University, she studied with baritone Robert Sims, soprano Jayne West, conductor Larry Newland, and composer Judith Lang Zaimont. Her creative credits include five solo recordings as a singer-songwriter, over 35 theatrical productions as a composer, music director, and sound designer, and commissioned works for professional artists and pedagogical projects. Currently the Assistant Director of the University of South Florida School of Music and Director of Vocal Ensembles, her service record includes the NAfME Council for Innovations, the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay Board of Trustees, the National Collegiate Choral Organization National Board, and the Institute for Composer Diversity. At the intersection of these experiences is Jones’ work with Rising Tide Music Press, a non-profit publishing company she founded to create pathways for emerging Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian composers.

This session is sponsored by Music for Kiddos. 

Brandi Waller-Pace

Co-Conspiratorship is Key

Waller-Pace will discuss ways to promote equity through respectful and responsible co-conspiratorship across music education and connected disciplines.

Saturday, August 3rd at 10:00 AM ET

Brandi Waller-Pace (they/she) is a Fort Worth-based musician, educator, and scholar-activist. They are a twelve-year veteran public school music teacher who has written music curriculum and served as a teacher mentor. A singer and multi-instrumentalist, Brandi performs jazz, neo-soul, and roots music. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit Decolonizing the Music Room and, under its programming, created and organizes the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival. They present and consult nationally and internationally on topics including decolonizing and antiracist approaches to music education and performance, Blackness in American roots music, and educational/organizational equity. Brandi is driven by centering the narratives of oppressed people and creating reflection and equity for children in their music learning spaces and communities.

This session is sponsored by Moosiko.