Bruce is a high school choral educator who teaches in a district in which a very small percentage of elementary students are presented with a choral music experience. Across the country, we have a vast inequity in access to choral music making opportunities at the Elementary level. Not only disparities in access to high level choral experiences, but also access to basic, school choirs.
When we don’t have choral students, we don’t have choral parents. When we don’t have choral parents, we don’t have administrators that see it as important. This is the danger of not tending the roots. We have developed a top down perspective on what we are concerned with.
We are concerned with equity and issues of representation at the top. “Who makes all state choir?” “Who’s music is being programmed?” These are fine things to ask. But, this like noticing blemishes on a leaf and continuously pruning without bothering to check the tree under the earth.
We also discuss the problem of our professional organizations being run by mostly Collegiate directors. These directors may be very supportive of elementary music, but may be separated from the consequences. You can have an inequitable system, and still have it look just fine at the top.
Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com.
For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and FB!
Choralosophy Podcast (@choralosophy) • Instagram photos and videos
Bruce Rockwell is the choir director at College Park High School in Pleasant Hill, California. He has taught choir, piano and guitar at College Park for 15 years, instrumental music at the San Francisco Waldorf schools, and theory and musicianship at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s pre-college division. Mr. Rockwell received is MM in Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and his BA in Music from the University of California at Santa Cruz.
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Car Thoughts: How To Get Choirs to “Sing Louder”
Episode 65: The Art of Community with Dr. Iona Italia
How NOT to Write Your Cancellation Essay
Episode 63: “We Face People.” The Courage of the Choir with Bob Chilcott
Thoughts on What ‘Elitism” Means in Choral Music
Episode 62: Filling in the Gaps with Choir
Episode 61: Give Me Some Humanity! With Will Todd
Episode 60: Labels Won’t Stick to Isaac Cates
Motivational Message From Dr. Emily Williams Burch!
Episode 59: Married to the Choir with The Robison’s and the The Munces
Why You May Have Misunderstood Singers Masks and the Aerosol Study
Episode 58: Telling the Story of American Choral Singing
Episode 57: Working Between Worlds with Reena Esmail
Car Thoughts: I Think We Dis the Super Bowl Music Because We’re Jealous
Car Thoughts: Why Conversations Online End Badly
Episode 56: Sound Engineering for Dummies with Josh Williams
Car Thoughts: The Performance is still critical.
Episode 55: Music At the Intersection of Identities with Deborah Stephens
Episode 54: Choir Teacher TikTok and Tips for Social Media Use for Educators with Katherine Rosenfeld
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