Musicians in Motor Vehicles Getting Mochas: Cris Derksen
Yes, this blog title is definitely a play on Jerry Seinfeld's show "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee".
This week is the Brandon University Indigenous New Music Festival. The festival brings in Indigenous composers from across the country to perform and work with the New Music Ensemble (BUNME). Because of my weekly travels to Winnipeg, I was asked to pick up one of our guests from the airport, Cris Derksen.
Cris Derksen is Juno-nominated cellist and composer from NorthTall Cree Reserve in northern Alberta. She is of Cree and Mennonite heritage. She combines her classical training, Indigenous background, and electronic effects to create new sounds and share new perspectives. She has performed and collaborated with other notable artists including Tanya Tagaq, Buffy St. Marie, Kanye West, and A Tribe Called Red. Derksen completed her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of British Columbia where she played principal cello in the UBC Symphony Orchestra.
Our "motor vehicle" ride began later than it was supposed to. Flights were cancelled Sunday night and rescheduled for Monday morning. I knew Cris had a presentation to give at 11:40, and it was already 9:30. It was going to be a tight schedule, that's for sure. Too tight to pick up mochas for the road, unfortunately.
After loading up Cris' cello and her four suitcases (all her personal sound equipment travels with her), we finally hit the road by 9:45. I was excited to have the chance to talk to her one-on-one, but anxious about making a fool of myself. Sometimes when I get anxious I have a habit of running my mouth.
On My Mind
This week is the Brandon University Indigenous New Music Festival. The festival brings in Indigenous composers from across the country to perform and work with the New Music Ensemble (BUNME). Because of my weekly travels to Winnipeg, I was asked to pick up one of our guests from the airport, Cris Derksen.
Cris Derksen is Juno-nominated cellist and composer from NorthTall Cree Reserve in northern Alberta. She is of Cree and Mennonite heritage. She combines her classical training, Indigenous background, and electronic effects to create new sounds and share new perspectives. She has performed and collaborated with other notable artists including Tanya Tagaq, Buffy St. Marie, Kanye West, and A Tribe Called Red. Derksen completed her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of British Columbia where she played principal cello in the UBC Symphony Orchestra.
The "Motor Vehicle" Ride
Seinfeld's show always begins with introducing the cool car that he'll be driving along with his comedian guest. In this case, enter my 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx, complete with a burnt out turn-signal and one door that's a slightly different colour than all the others. She's a looker. And instead of a comedian, I have a composer. Even better!Our "motor vehicle" ride began later than it was supposed to. Flights were cancelled Sunday night and rescheduled for Monday morning. I knew Cris had a presentation to give at 11:40, and it was already 9:30. It was going to be a tight schedule, that's for sure. Too tight to pick up mochas for the road, unfortunately.
After loading up Cris' cello and her four suitcases (all her personal sound equipment travels with her), we finally hit the road by 9:45. I was excited to have the chance to talk to her one-on-one, but anxious about making a fool of myself. Sometimes when I get anxious I have a habit of running my mouth.
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The previous week, the director of BUNME shared a document with the ensemble to get us thinking about the topic set for a discussion with Cris and Melody McKiver (composer, our other festival guest) to happen during the New Music Festival. This document, titled "Indigenous Musical Sovereignty", was made by the combined efforts of Indigenous composers and musicians throughout the country, including Jeremy Dutcher (winner of the Polaris Prize, 2018), Ian Cusson (composer-in-residence, Canadian Opera Company), and Andrew Balfour (composer and artistic director, Camerata Nova).
From the document, this stuck out to me the most: "We seek an end to those musical works by outsiders that shock audiences and re-traumatize our most painful experiences. To non-Indigenous composers who seek to tell “Indigenous-inspired” works: be honest with yourself and ask why you feel compelled to tell this story and whether you are the
right person to do so."
Not as a composer, but an educator, this stuck out to me. The calls to action as suggested by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission include making age-appropriate curriculum to teach about residential schools, treaties, and Indigenous history and having post-secondary institutions provide education for teachers on how to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms.
While we do have a course for this at Brandon University, I think there is a specific struggle as a music educator that doesn't get addressed in this course. I want to integrate Indigenous songs and musical practices into my classroom... but is it my place? Music plays specific roles in a lot of Indigenous cultures - I don't think it's appropriate for me to find a song meant for washing wild rice and sing it just for classroom use.
While we do have a course for this at Brandon University, I think there is a specific struggle as a music educator that doesn't get addressed in this course. I want to integrate Indigenous songs and musical practices into my classroom... but is it my place? Music plays specific roles in a lot of Indigenous cultures - I don't think it's appropriate for me to find a song meant for washing wild rice and sing it just for classroom use.
Back to the ride...
Knowing I had another class during this discussion with Cris and Melody, I thought this was my best opportunity to discuss Cris' thoughts about non-Indigenous people teaching Indigenous music. Not just teaching, but presenting Indigenous music in education. I explained to her the things I had been thinking about lately and how I wanted to provide the best experience for my students.
Cris said that the fact I was even asking that question was a great place to be. Some educators, in an act to integrate Indigenous themes may just do a Google search looking for Indigenous materials. Then there comes the problems of authenticity and if the song is being used for the right purposes. Cris recommended making connections with the Indigenous community, whether to share appropriate materials with me or to actually come into my classroom themselves to demonstrate their music.
By having Indigenous people themselves come into the room, I think that adds another layer of authenticity to the material. I could sing a song with permission from Indigenous peoples, I could show a video of an Indigenous drummer or jingle dancer, but how much more engaging would it be for students to see these things from the original source right in front of them? I can see that other things may get in the way like budgeting or scheduling, but I think that students would gain a lot more from the in-person experience of having Indigenous people demonstrating their music!
Cris and I continued to discuss exactly how to go about demonstrating Indigenous music in a way that is respectful to the traditional values of music. She told me about a group called Roomful of Teeth that has a collection of teachers of world music traditions that they learn from for a few weeks, and these use these techniques in their music. Some of these techniques include Inuit throat singing. This may not sound terribly problematic from a quick glance, but think back to the quote from "Indigenous Musical Sovereignty": 'We seek an end to those musical works by outsiders that shock audiences and re-traumatize our most painful experiences....ask why you feel compelled to tell this story and whether you are the right person to do so'
The Indian Act of Canada was first passed in 1876. This act banned cultural practices of Indigenous people, in an attempt to remove Indigenous culture in favour of European-Canadian culture. These cultural practices would include the throat singing of the Inuit. This portion of the Indian Act wasn't amended until 1951. So, for 75 years, Indigenous people weren't allowed by law to practice their culture. How would you feel if for years, someone told you that you couldn't do something, and next thing you know they are the ones doing it? This is reflected in the problem seen with Roomful of Teeth. Why are they the right ones to be performing (and making money) from Inuit throat singing techniques? We are also lead back to using music for the authentic reasons. Inuit throat singing was traditionally used more as a competition, or a game, rather than a performance. Some artists, such as Tanya Tagaq have used throat singing as a performing art, but she is an Inuit woman.
Cris said that the fact I was even asking that question was a great place to be. Some educators, in an act to integrate Indigenous themes may just do a Google search looking for Indigenous materials. Then there comes the problems of authenticity and if the song is being used for the right purposes. Cris recommended making connections with the Indigenous community, whether to share appropriate materials with me or to actually come into my classroom themselves to demonstrate their music.
By having Indigenous people themselves come into the room, I think that adds another layer of authenticity to the material. I could sing a song with permission from Indigenous peoples, I could show a video of an Indigenous drummer or jingle dancer, but how much more engaging would it be for students to see these things from the original source right in front of them? I can see that other things may get in the way like budgeting or scheduling, but I think that students would gain a lot more from the in-person experience of having Indigenous people demonstrating their music!
Cris and I continued to discuss exactly how to go about demonstrating Indigenous music in a way that is respectful to the traditional values of music. She told me about a group called Roomful of Teeth that has a collection of teachers of world music traditions that they learn from for a few weeks, and these use these techniques in their music. Some of these techniques include Inuit throat singing. This may not sound terribly problematic from a quick glance, but think back to the quote from "Indigenous Musical Sovereignty": 'We seek an end to those musical works by outsiders that shock audiences and re-traumatize our most painful experiences....ask why you feel compelled to tell this story and whether you are the right person to do so'
This is appropriation. The third movement (at about 12 min) is entirely based on Inuit throat singing. Specifically the Love Song. No Inuit are named as composers, no Inuit hired. This won the @PulitzerPrizes @roomfulofteeth https://t.co/PURf0PFDnI— tanya tagaq (@tagaq) October 16, 2019
The Indian Act of Canada was first passed in 1876. This act banned cultural practices of Indigenous people, in an attempt to remove Indigenous culture in favour of European-Canadian culture. These cultural practices would include the throat singing of the Inuit. This portion of the Indian Act wasn't amended until 1951. So, for 75 years, Indigenous people weren't allowed by law to practice their culture. How would you feel if for years, someone told you that you couldn't do something, and next thing you know they are the ones doing it? This is reflected in the problem seen with Roomful of Teeth. Why are they the right ones to be performing (and making money) from Inuit throat singing techniques? We are also lead back to using music for the authentic reasons. Inuit throat singing was traditionally used more as a competition, or a game, rather than a performance. Some artists, such as Tanya Tagaq have used throat singing as a performing art, but she is an Inuit woman.
The Arrival
I dropped Cris off at the School of Music shortly after 12 noon. Sure, we were a little late, but nothing could be helped. The roads weren't very nice that day either! I helped Cris haul all her things upstairs and then took off for class.
I was glad I had the chance to talk to Cris individually, especially since I would be missing her presentation later in the week. The question of how to teach and expose my students to Indigenous music had been weighing on my mind for awhile. I told Cris about a conference I went to where the presenter, also a Cree woman from northern Alberta (turns out the presenter dated Cris' uncle at one point) gave us notation and activity ideas for Indigenous music in the classroom including Orff arrangements. Someone attending the session asked how non-Indigenous music teachers should teach Indigenous music, if at all. Cris laughed, and told me that that's a lifelong question to be asking. A little too much information for just a small question period at the end of a session.
Overall, my biggest takeaway from the two hour car ride? Authenticity. In demonstration, materials, and culture. Welcome a community member or group into your room to demonstrate, or ask if they would be willing to share their music for you to share with students, whether teaching you the song or allowing you to record their performance to show students. This should be any music educators goal with any cultural music - looking for the most authentic way possible. Ask yourself 'why you feel compelled to tell this story and whether you are the right person to do so'. If you don't have a good answer, it's a good opportunity for reflection.
Thanks for reading!
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