Brisson, J. (2015).

Exoticism in multicultural choral repertoire: A comparison

of Lydia Adams
Mikmaq Honour Song and Stephen Hatfields Nukapianguaq Canadian
Music Educator /
Musicien Educateur Au Canada, 56(4): 30-34.
Jeremie Brisson touches on some theories of multicultural music
education; he also compares Lydia Adams Mikmaq Honour Song and
Stephen Hatfields Nukapianguaq and their approaches of non-western
musical material. He quotes Deborah Bradleys theory of
multicultural human subjectivity: learning world music can build
communities and music performers can provide a commonality of
experience that breaks barriers of race and religion, etc.
In response to this, I can relate this article to Dr. Veblens chapter of
Community music making: challenging the stereotypes of music
education. Veblen mentions the biggest challenge is to combine both
community music and music education to work programs to be
accessible for all. There is a connection because learning multicultural
music leads to community music. It brings people together without
judgment and without discrimination. However, universities and
conservatories do not teach multicultural music, its not part of the
formal education. As a first year undergraduate student, we are not
exposed to the music of different cultures. The only multicultural
aspect in our repertoire is the fact that Vivaldi was Italian and
Tchaikovsky was Russian. In addition to that, the music we are taught is
from hundreds of years old. Cultures and customs change overtime
and therefore the music from these cultures also change. If music
performers can provide commonality of experience that transcends
socially constructed boundaries, how can we portray that if we are not
being taught the different multicultural music?
Brisson brings up an excellent point about learning and teaching
multicultural music. If a teacher brings in music from a different culture
to a classroom they know nothing about, the teacher needs to do extra
research on that specific culture to ensure that the music is
respectfully presented. Looking at it from the other side, if a teacher
were to teach music from the Hispanic culture but knows nothing about
it, I would be offended because that teacher wouldnt be accurately
representing the Hispanic culture. There is beauty in every culture and
the music that represents that culture has a lot of meaning in it; it
forms a community.