Dissecting the Role of Politics in Choral Spaces

This week, I am highlighting three conversations about the way our choral ecosystems, and by proximity, the education and performing arts ecosystems interact with the political landscape of our time.

For many who have followed this show over the last 4 and a half years, you might notice that this mission is also the mission of the Choralosophy Podcast. I believe that we in Music Education suffer from this affliction as well as the broader society. In many ways, because of the politically homogenous nature of the Education and Performing Arts communities, we have it WORSE than society at large. We are badly in need of a dose of our own Civic Renewal. To this end, I am proud to say that the Choralosophy Podcast is now a part of the Braver Network of organizations and media outlets willing to stand up for the value of bringing everyone to the table to find common ground. As listeners, YOU can join for FREE as part the Choralosophy community.

Composer Melissa Dunphy believes that artistic expression is inherently connected to the socio-political landscape of the world. Artists often create work that reflects their personal beliefs, experiences, and values. Even when an artist does not intend for their work to be explicitly political, it is influenced by the social and cultural contexts in which it is created.

Reginal Wright is a breath of fresh air discussing these topics. Like many of you, I have used Facebook to network with other choral directors that I don’t know in real life. This has benefits for me as a Podcast host, but can be a challenge on a personal level. Reginal, however, stood out to me because of his frequent posts inviting polite disagreement and creating a platform for multiple views to be expressed and treated with respect. So, I had to speak with a kindred spirit. In the course of this conversation, he and I talk about our approach to political discussions within professional spaces, in our classrooms, as well as the need to put our differences as choral directors aside in order to support each other, advocate for each other and build each other up.

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