Hello Everyone,
If you have not already, I encourage you to use the following link to listen to the most recent episode of the TCC Podcast, featuring Professor Nadine Silverman and her piece Voix des Femmes.
https://www.tccollaboration.com/22-voix-des-femmes-professor-nadine-silverman/
I am incredibly thankful to Professor Silverman for coming onto the podcast, but most especially for her contribution in the discussion of the inclusion of female composers. More specifically in the world of clarinet composition and performance, certainly a controversy that I had absolutely no notion of prior to the interview. I mean, imagine completing your first-ever professional commission, subverting the sexist framings of classical form, and then speaking up in front of a room of people you are unfamiliar with (in a very unfamiliar environment), commenting on the most poignant parts of the highly controversial backlash to the clarequality movement (which had not too long before started). That is a lot of pressure, and it really speak to both the conviction and courage of Professor Silverman to stand up to all of the heat and say/present what she did. The music itself, even when removed from all of the exterior meanings is a pleasant and masterful piece, subverting and engaging in older ideas or styles of music.
A very special thank you again to Professor Nadine Silverman for coming onto the podcast and for sharing her piece, Voix des Femmes.
I am excited to preview the next episode of the TCC Podcast which will be the 2nd TCC Roundtable with performer/educator Dr. Pamela Mireles and music theorist Albert Wheeler, discussing The Classical Canon. Both Dr. Mireles and Albert are two people that I have been trying for many months to have onto the podcast for this topic and, after scheduling and travel deliberation, it has finally arrived! Dr. Mireles is someone who is both intimately familiar with the ins-and-outs of string and orchestral repertoire in the classical canon, as well as performing newly composed works, namely music from outside of Western European traditions. Albert is also well versed in the tentpoles of the classical canon with his experience as both a performer and theorist. On the experience of the latter, and I can say this myself, to be an effective music theory educator you almost certainly need a healthy knowledge of the established canon (whether this is personally preferred or not), and Albert certainly fits this bill. The Classical Canon is a fixture throughout all of music whether you choose to engage with it or not. It informs our formal music institutions and the majority of instrumental pedagogy. If you want to participate in higher music education, whether performance, theory, or formal composition lessons, you have to contend with the benefits and shortcomings of its contents. The amazing music, cultural exclusiveness, beautiful harmonic developments, gender and racial biases. In short, it is a highly mixed bag of stunning and controversial. This is going to be a fascinating and engaging episode, and you won’t want to miss it!
I also want to thank everyone for the support of the announcement last week that the TCC is moving to bi-weekly episode releases in light of my academic workload drastically increasing as the semester begins. Warning, personal rant: It truly has been a weird experience coming back into the world of music academia and, extensively, formal music theory after having done this podcast throughout the summer. I enjoy my position as a graduate student at Florida State University, and I recognize the privilege of such, but the feeling towards music is so, so different in this atmosphere. When working on the podcast, whether editing, studying the music, managing social media, or scheduling new content, I feel such an energy and soulful excitement in everything. On some days do I not want to keep up with it, certainly, but it really feels like purposeful, active engagement with art, community, and the wonderful people who all make it possible. The same, and especially so, with the class that I teach as a graduate assistant at Florida State, the art of songwriting. The best parts of my week are the cumulative three hours I get to spend with those amazing students, and then the many more hours of preparing for the next lesson, homework and class. Although I am very sure that this is not unique to my institution, or maybe it is just unique to myself in this case, but it is very hard to find similar joy in my own studies. Some days it feels like working through calculus or engineering. The content is certainly not as dry, no offense to such fields, but the excitement for art and connection feels like it gets surgically removed. For it being a music theory, so many have the attitude of it being a music science, not to name anything or anyone. Like I said before, there is a fair chance the problem is with myself, but these are just the feelings that I have experienced after coming back from such an engaging and amazing summer of new music and people. Regardless, even if it is now less as frequent, I am really looking forward to the coming material for the TCC, and I hope you all do too!
Again, don’t forget to listen to the most previous episode if you missed it, featuring Professor Nadine Silverman and her piece Voix des Femmes. Make sure to follow our social media links below and the podcast streaming platform of your choice to keep up-to-date on new episodes and blog posts from the TCC. Additionally, set your calendar and or streaming subscriptions to this coming Monday, September 16th for the 2nd TCC Roundtable with Dr. Pamela Mireles and Albert Wheeler. You won’t want to miss it, and we’ll see you there!
- Aaron
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