Collaborations with Culture Bearers – An Advocacy and Collaboration Monthly Blog Post

I’m writing this blog on a, yet-again-warm, “fall” day in the south. The sun is shining, it’s nearly 90 degrees outside, and I’m happily glancing out a window with my office door open just in case a student wants to drop into office hours.

Why all the random details? Well, if you have never lived in the south, you may not realize that we have this thing called “false fall” which always disappears and brings us back to “summer” in October…oh how jealous I am of you folks who are already in “sweater weather,” but back to the point. I can give you all the descriptions of life in Savannah, Georgia, but one can never fully understand everyone’s lived experience, just as we cannot be everything for everyone. BUT, back to my window…while staring out this same window earlier this summer, I brainstormed and identified folks who could Zoom into my various classes to ensure that my students felt like they saw themselves in our course topics and were able to learn from other perspectives, too.

So many of you host fantastic collaborations, just like I’m describing. We would love to hear how you’re collaborating with culture bearers in your community! How are you bringing other lived experiences into your musical community? Just click here and tell us all about it, we’d love to feature your story on our social media!

Not sure where to start? Check out this blog, interview (audio or video available), and resources from the Choral Commons featuring Dr. Jace Kaholokula Saplan speaking on Indigeneity and Decolonial Choral Practice. The conversation starts with a definition of what they are advocating for, “framing away from a eurocentric gaze, topically and structurally,” and then explores ways to unify and get to work to create the necessary space.