For most of my life, I didn't think music was colonial. Music was piano lessons and band class but it was also powwows on the weekend or hand drums in ceremony. Even when I began small actions of advocacy or sitting in my music history classes, it never crossed my mind.
It wasn't till my second year of my undergrad that it all started to come to. I was majoring in percussion performance, still taking my foundations like musicianship, theory, and history. I've even had to join the universities vocal ensemble but the more I learned about music and how this industry works, I also learned just how much it doesn't have genuine space for other cultures and traditions, specifically mine.
Now I fully understand this might seem like a crazy concept to some because although the industry has gotten farther in reconciling by commissioning and programming more indigenous artists or perhaps adding land acknowledgements to the beginning of their programs, websites, or even emails… These ultimately are actions of inclusion, which I'll talk about another day.
To continue on with when I realized music was colonial.
I was fortunate to have taken a course on this very topic. We had difficult conversations, we practiced circle work, reflected, read very academic articles I struggled to understand but the meaning became quite clear. I was learning about decolonial thinking. Specifically how music is behind in it's reconciliation efforts and how most of us are so accustomed to this way that we can't even imagine what it could be.
Currently, as I write this, I reflect. Constantly. And honestly it get quite exhausting thinking about all the things our industry forgets about or looks the other way. It's hard when I meet people who are new here and they get so excited about all these things and aren't aware of the history.
To end this little spiel I'm going to leave you with some thoughts:
- How can we approach music ethically? learning instruments or styles from other cultures
- Can others really see why Inclusion isn't great?
- Are land acknowledgements ACTUALLY helping anyone?
- How many of us feel guilt?