Eco-Literate Pedagogy
  • Blog
  • The Book
  • Classical
  • Songs for Eco-Literacy
    • Listening for Eco-Literacy
    • Choir for Eco-Literacy
    • Band for Eco-Literacy
    • School Orchestra for Eco-Literacy
    • Pieces my Students Brought to my Attention
  • Relevant Music Education Articles
  • Relevant Internet Sites

Reflecting on Covid and Creation

4/21/2021

0 Comments

 
Post 101.

The Covid pandemic, a powerful expression of our global ecological crises, provides distinctive challenges for teachers and students seeking uplifting, nature-infused, ecological experience. The move from not-nearly-living-enough classrooms to oft-worse digital screens has led many, myself included, to gloom and despair. So much disconnection. Detachment. Isolation. And yet, the pandemic has also provided opportunities for thinking differently. Opportunities for us to step outside, and learn in parks and front lawns; to cultivate gardens and our-selves as we learn music.

Stephen Nachmanovitch (1990) concluded his groundbreaking book Free Play discussing the power of limits and specific events, of “conflicting states of mind” (196) that happen when we surrender, in order to transcend hopelessness. He draws our attention to Oliver Messiaen, who composed one of the 20th Centuries most acclaimed works, Quartet for the End of Time, during the harsh winter of 1941, in the Nazi prisoner-of-war camp, Stalag VII. (Listen here, link: https://youtu.be/e2hbwINj7dE)

Like Messiaen, we and our students have been obliged to become distant (social distancing) and even to fear each others touch. This separateness has been harder one some teachers than others; on some students than others, but we have all experienced it, just as Messiaen and others in Stalag VII experienced separateness and despair. And like Messiaen, perhaps we can transform our despair into feelingful art.  

It is important we feel. We don’t aim to transcend gloom by ignoring it, pushing it into the deep recesses of our psyche, and pretending all is well. All is not well. Not societally or ecologically. “If life is full of joy, joy feeds the creative process. If life is full of grief, grief feeds the creative process” (Nachmanovitch 1990, 196). When we create music, we are able to create because we feel. And so, I recommend we help our students express their feelings through poetry and music, beat-making, lyric-writing, experimenting, playing, songwriting, and composing. In short, I call music educators to music educate.

DS
 
Reference
Nachmanovitch, Stephen. 1990. Free play: Improvisation in life and art. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam.
 
Link to image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Novel_Coronavirus_SARS-CoV-2.jpg/640px-Novel_Coronavirus_SARS-CoV-2.jpg

Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Eco-Literate Pedagogy Blog

    Daniel J. Shevock

    I am a musician and music education philosopher. My scholarship blends creativity, ecology, and critique. I authored the monograph Eco-Literate Music Pedagogy, published by Routledge, and a blog at eco-literate.com where I wrestle with ideas such as sustainability, place, culture, race, gender, and class; and recommend teaching ideas for music education professionals and others who want to teach music for ecoliteracy. I currently serve as a substitute music teacher with the State College Area School District.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    April 2022
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    April 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.