First Session: Chaired by Dr Hannah Thuraisingam Robbins
Natasha Hendry
Strengths and weaknesses of anti-racist initiatives in music education for Global Majority pupils: A systematic review
In this presentation, Natasha Hendry outlined research detailing the barriers related to racial inequalities in music education and the need to develop a framework to inform Anti-racist praxis in this setting. The systematic review she undertook evaluated several initiatives developed to promote Anti-racism and social justice in music education and assessed their strengths and weaknesses. As part of this process, eight databases were searched, with inclusion criteria including: educational initiatives aimed at supporting Black pupils predominantly, and other Global Majority ethnic groups; those promoting Anti-racist perspectives and social justice; peer reviewed studies in English.
Synthesis of the data identified several enabling factors relevant to those wishing to undertake similar work: student-centred initiatives where student voice was consulted, giving space for and context to Black music/Black music creators and other cross-cultural music, the use of critical pedagogy with clear and unambiguous aims that explicitly addressed social justice and educator reflection and co-operation. Impeding factors included: limitations in music teachers’ training surround non-traditional music canons, assumptions and stereotypes about Black students’ lives and music preferences, a lack of robust evaluation of many initiatives, ineffective strategies to engage the White majority in anti-racism.
Hendry’s position during this session was that these findings are significant in terms of informing further evidence-based practice and policies in projects aiming to address common challenges such as racial inequalities in the music classroom and concerns around pipelines into the music industry and higher education.
Jaime Diaz
Towards a sociogenic methodological framework in western classical European music composition research
Jaime Diaz shared insights from their ongoing PhD project, A violent accumulation of identifications: composing in/through/with the Latina/o/x diaspora”, conducted at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Grounded in Black and brown feminist epistemologies and ontologies, Diaz's framework incorporates perspectives from scholars such as Sylvia Wynter, Patricia Hill Collins, Sarah Lawrence-Lightfoot, and Edgar Rodriguez-Dorans, as well as neuroqueer and disabled perspectives.
The framework aims to explore how Latina/o/x sound artists navigate their identities - including race, parenthood, gender, disability, and sexuality - within their creative practices, particularly addressing dialectical tensions artists may encounter. Drawing from Wynter's concept of sociogeny, Diaz proposes a sociogenic methodological research framework rooted in the study of rhetoricity and situated within liminal transcultural spaces. Preliminary findings suggest that some Western European classical music and computer music sound artists may experience epistemic harm as their identities are stripped away in the creative process. Diaz's framework offers valuable insights to inform creative, research, and pedagogical practices in these fields.
Marie Bashiru
Black British Belonging in English Folk Song Tradition
Marie Bashiru’s paper examined the underexplored intersection of English folk music and the Black British demographic. Bashiru's research of three years employing a mixed-method approach, investigated the historical cross-cultural exchange facilitated by the British Empire and its implications on the current landscape of English folk song. Through qualitative research, creative practice, and the production of a podcast, Bashiru examined the dearth of diverse practitioners in English folk music, particularly focusing on the absence of Black British voices.
The presentation highlighted several key findings, including the conflicted sense of belonging experienced by Black British practitioners within the English folk genre, the historical influence of Blackface Minstrelsy, and the adaptation of West African folk traditions into Western folk music. Bashiru's research sheds light on the complex dynamics of cultural exchange and identity within the English folk tradition and emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and reconciling diverse cultural contributions.
Second session: Chaired by Dr Ankna Arockiam
Robert Mitchell
The Illusion of One Hand
Robert Mitchell delivered a presentation which delved into the often-overlooked realm of left-hand-only piano music across classical and jazz/improvisation genres. Mitchell highlighted the wealth of compositions dating back 250 years that remain underexplored by many music enthusiasts and are seldom incorporated into piano education except in cases of injury or physical limitations. The presentation addressed the persistent question of enhancing left-hand pianistic abilities and explored the expansive creative possibilities within this hidden repertoire. Mitchell advocated for a greater appreciation of and education about left-hand-only piano music, offering insights from his ongoing research project focused on new compositions for the left hand.
Srijaa Kundu
Reflections of an Ethnochoreologist in training
In this presentation, Srijaa explored the role of the body within Ethnochoreology, starting with an investigation of the etymology of Ethnochorelogy. Building upon Kurath’s idea of ‘choreology’ and Berger’s conceptualisation of ‘modes of existence’, her paper endeavoured to understand the body within cultural contexts as a site of inquiry for the Ethnochoreologist in training. Employing Everett C Hughes’s framework, the study establishes the body as a primary site from where all inquiries begin. By incorporating Susan Leigh Foster’s cultural theory and Berger’s ‘focus, fringe, horizon’ framework, it sought to comprehend the body’s complexity and its conveyance of cultural meanings.
Acknowledging the necessity of situating the researcher’s background, the paper delved into the narrative of Kathak as embodying migration, assimilation, and erasure. This exploration adapted Appadurai’s concepts of ‘ethnoscape’ and ‘ideoscape’ to expound upon how migration to Ireland, prompted by a pursuit to study Ethnochoreology, transformed Kundu’s perception of the body into a moving site of inquiry.
Catherine Bissett
Placeholder
Catherine’s play Placeholder transports its audience to the year 1790 in Saint Domingue, setting the stage just before the onset of the Haitian Revolution. Amidst the oppressive heat of a sweltering theatre, Minette, a free woman of colour, finds herself grappling with her past and present. Memories of her courageous and intelligent enslaved mother intertwine with reflections on her own career as an opera singer. Through an emotional exchange between mother and daughter, the play delves into the insidious dynamics of divide and rule, the stark reality of freedom without equality, and the imperative of resistance. As Minette confronts her choices, the audience is left to ponder whether she will muster the courage to return to the opera or opt to remain a poignant symbol of societal injustice - a 'Placeholder'.
Third session: Chaired by Dr Uchenna Ngwe
Keith Cordew
Mending Severed Webs: Discovery and Recovery of Self through Improvisation in Senegal, Africa
Mending Severed Webs explored improvisational dance as a vehicle for discovery and recovery of self. Focusing on time spent in Senegal, Africa at l’École des Sables in the Performance, Visibility, and Blackness module of the Training Diaspora Africa program, this presentation reflected on improvisational experiences in the studio, the streets, and the club. Through these reflections the paper engaged with improvisational dance in a curated Black context and the ways in which it allowed space for the emergence of embodied knowledge, embrace and integration of the masculine and feminine within, and encouraged courageous connectivity and creativity.
Cordew highlighted the impact of dancing in the streets and clubs in Senegal, which contributed to a different level of engagement with his improvisational practice and self-awareness. Within the presentation of this paper, he reflected on his experiences following time in Senegal, across the US and in London, explaining how new levels of freedom and confidence were found in creative practice that has evidenced a transformed sense of being in the world.
Sebanti Chatterjee
Degrees of Sacred and Cosmopolitan Belonging
Sebanti Chatterjee explored Mizos' (North East Indians from the state of Mizoram) dual identity as both Mizos and Christians by the early twentieth century. The acceptance of Christianity among Mizos marked a significant aspect of self-identification, with Christianity serving as a pivotal marker. While Christianity had roots predating the Welsh missionaries' arrival, it was in 1841, with the advent of William Jones, that Welsh Presbyterian missionaries established Christianity's stronghold in the Khasi-Jaintia hills. Mizoram achieved statehood in 1986, while Meghalaya became a state in 1970, further influencing the religious and cultural landscape. Chatterjee's paper delved into the profound impact of Christianity on indigenous musical practices, particularly through sacred hymns and gospel traditions. The presentation referenced the 2023 film Ki Sur, co-directed by Sebanti Chatterjee and Soumik Mukherjee, which explores choral practices in Meghalaya and Mizoram, delving into questions surrounding the nature of choral singing as a community ritual and the framing of choral singing as a genre by choristers and choir conductors.
Alaba Ilesanmi
Echoes of the Past in the Present: Fela’s (Re)Incarnations in the #EndSARS 2020 Protest
In this presentation, Alaba Ilesanmi delved into the historical and contemporary significance of two iconic songs by Fela Kuti, Sorrow, Tear and Blood and Unknown Soldiers, released after the sack of his ‘Kalakuta Republic’ commune. By tracing the narratives embedded within these songs, Ilesanmi explored the interconnected historical threads between two tragic events in Nigeria's history: the ‘Kalakuta Inferno’ of 1977 and the ‘Lekki Massacre’ of 2020.
Through a meticulous examination of divergent stories and controversies surrounding these events, he illuminated how these histories resonate within Nigeria's sociopolitical landscape, particularly in the context of state-sponsored violence. Ultimately, Ilesanmi highlighted how the ‘Kalakuta Inferno’ tragedy solidified Fela's legacy as a fighter and continues to shape his posthumous persona, particularly in the wake of the ‘Lekki Massacre’. This presentation provided valuable insights into the enduring relevance of Fela's music and activism in contemporary Nigerian society.
Panel Discussion
The session titled Navigating Wellbeing: Addressing Challenges and Interventions for People of Colour in the Performing Arts was an informal panel discussion lead by four practitioners whose work centres on identifying and finding new ways through challenging situations for performing artists of colour. Following a brief introduction by each member of the panel, conference participants were encouraged to join the conversation by sharing their own experiences and ideas for providing support and holding space for each other.
- Catherine Bissett (Actor / Playwright)
- Gerrard Martin (Choreographer / Movement Director / Yoga Practitioner / Co founder Black Artists in Dance (BAiD))
- Sital Panesar (Founder of MusicaTherapy / Psychotherapist)
- Roger Wilson (Director of Operations, Black Lives in Music)
As with previous iterations of Shared Narratives, the day was well-attended online with participants ranging from undergraduate students to interested research and arts enthusiasts from within the sponsoring institutions and further afield. Feedback has been very positive since the conference, and we are still receiving requests to organise other networking and research events to continue discussions raised during the sessions such as semi-regular hybrid meetings and reading groups.