Music and identity

Il futuro delle donne nel Music Business: Tra Oggetto e Qualità

by Giulia Di Simone

Giulia Di Simone

Sapendo che lo scopo della pop music è la vendita, e che sempre più spesso il messaggio utilizzato per raggiungere... more Sapendo che lo scopo della pop music è la vendita, e che sempre più spesso il messaggio utilizzato per raggiungere tale scopo è il sesso, non appare lecito interrogarsi su quanto oggi siano effettivamente importanti i contenuti musicali e quanto invece lo siano quelli visivi? Oppure quanto lʼimmagine femminile proposta rispecchi ed influenzi la cultura stessa?
Sulla base di questi principi e quesiti, questʼArticol Report si propone di analizzare mediante la comparazione di tre articoli, la posizione della donna come performer allʼinterno del music business, in termini di quantità e qualità. Partendo cronologicamente daglʼanni ʼ60 per arrivare fino ai giorni nostri, ponendo lʼattenzione sui nuovi modelli femminili e sul fenomeno Adele, in netto contrasto con un marketing musicale incentrato sulla vendita del proprio corpo.

Mzungu Kichaa and Figuring of Identity in Bongo Fleva Music in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

by Imani Sanga

This article draws from Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s notion of refrain and Louise Meintjes’ concept of music... more This article draws from Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s notion of refrain and Louise Meintjes’ concept of music figure examines various ways a Danish-born Bongo Fleva musician in Tanzania, Mzungu Kichaa deploys music figures to construct African and Tanzanian identities. It also examines how he uses these figures to negotiate his position in relation to these identities. To illustrate the performative effects of music figures on people’s identities the article examines how the deployment of musical figures serves a double function: to claim one’s Tanzanian or African identity and to announce one’s difference with other identities (e.g. European or English identities) at least with regard to musical taste. As a result, Mzungu Kichaa’s attempts to enter into the mainstream UK’s and Danish music industry were not successful since the music figures he used, the figures that justified his identity as a Tanzanian or African, occupied marginal spaces in European contexts.

‘I can’t believe the news today’: Music and the politics of change

by David 'Daithí' Kearney

published in Chimera Vol. 24 (2009) pp. 122-140.

For over a decade, geography has become increasingly aware of the role of music in understanding the world. The... more For over a decade, geography has become increasingly aware of the role of music in understanding the world. The importance of listening is often forgotten in a discipline criticised for being over dependent on the visual (Smith, 1994, 1997, 2000; Waterman, 2006). As well as listening it is important to consider the inherent power geometries in the creation of music and sound. In some instances, the messages being communicated or emphasised are not found in the music or lyrics but music provides a platform for engaging with particular issues. Two approaches are  considered here: the role of high profile musicians in highlighting global issues and the evocation of a sense of place by musicians in their music.

Wind Bands and Cultural Identity in Japanese Schools

by David Hebert

Hebert, D. G. (2012-published). Wind Bands and Cultural Identity in Japanese Schools. Dordrecht and New York: Springer. (Series–Landscapes: arts, aesthetics, education).

This well researched volume tells the story of music education in Japan and of the wind band contest organized by the... more This well researched volume tells the story of music education in Japan and of the wind band contest organized by the All-Japan Band Association. Identified here for the first time as the world’s largest musical competition, it attracts 14,000 bands and well over 500,000 competitors. The book’s insightful contribution to our understanding of both music and education chronicles music learning in Japanese schools and communities. It examines the contest from a range of perspectives, including those of policy makers, adjudicators, conductors and young musicians. The book is an illuminating window on the world of Japanese wind bands, a unique hybrid tradition that comingles contemporary western idioms with traditional Japanese influences. In addition to its social history of Japanese school music programs, it shows how participation in Japanese school bands contributes to students’ sense of identity, and sheds new light on the process of learning to play European orchestral instruments.

Content Level » Research

David G. Hebert, PhD is a Professor of Music with the Grieg Academy, Bergen University College, Norway. He previously held academic positions with universities in the USA, Japan, Finland, Russia, and New Zealand, and has directed (or currently directs) music research projects on 6 continents. Widely published and cited as a scholar of global music education, he is chair of the Historical Ethnomusicology special interest group of the Society for Ethnomusicology.

Keywords » All-Japan Band Association - European orchestral instruments - Japanese composers - Japanese influences - Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra - Yamaha - japanese schools - music education - wind bands - young musicians

Foreword (by Bonnie Wade).- Part I: A social history of wind bands in Japanese schools. Chapter 1: Introduction: The world’s finest school bands and largest music competition.- Chapter 2: Where are these bands from?: An historical overview.- Part II: An ethnography of wind bands in Japanese schools. Chapter 3: An invitation to the Tokyo middle school.- Chapter 4: The band rehearsal ritual and its participants.- Chapter 5: Instruction in the Japanese school band.- Chapter 6: Scenes from the 50th AJBA national band competition.- Chapter 7: Winning in the band: Views from beneath and within.- Chapter 8: Winning in the band: Views from above and beyond.- Chapter 9: Japanese composers and wind band repertoire.- Chapter 10: Leadership and duty in the ensemble.- Chapter 11: Cooperative learning and mentorship in band.- Chapter 12: Organizational training of the Japanese band director.- Chapter 13: Corporate giants: Yamaha and the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra.- Chapter 14: Metaphors of a Japanese band community.- Chapter 15: Musical identity in the band: Social class and gender.- Chapter 16: National identity in the Japanese school band.- Chapter 17: Ensemble ethos: Theorizing cultures of musical achievement.- Chapter 18: Conclusions.- Afterword.- Glossary.- Index

Multiculturalism and Music Education (editorial introduction to special issue)

by David Hebert

Hebert, D. G. & Karlsen, S. (2010). “Editorial Introduction: Multiculturalism and Music Education,” Finnish Journal of Music Education, Vol.13, No.1 (pp.6-11).

Introduces a special issue in English devoted to current polices and practices related to multiculturalism and music... more Introduces a special issue in English devoted to current polices and practices related to multiculturalism and music education, particularly within Europe. Offers a definition and overview of issues and concepts in multicultural music education as well as discussion of various critiques of the field and normative positions regarding the role that cultural 'authenticity' should play in music instruction. Introduces articles by contributors who discuss music education among various ethnic minorities in Europe.

Alchemy of Brass: Wind Music and Spirituality in Japan

by David Hebert

Hebert, D. G. (2008). Alchemy of Brass: Wind Music and Spirituality in Japan. In E. M. Richards & K. Tanosaki (Eds.), Music of Japan Today (pp. 236-244). Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Press. 

Investigates how the wind band genre has been adopted, radically reinvented, and imbued with new meanings by the... more Investigates how the wind band genre has been adopted, radically reinvented, and imbued with new meanings by the Japanese. Wind band music only came to be popularized in Japan during recent generations, but the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra is now regarded as the world's leading professional wind ensemble, and the All-Japan Band Association (AJBA) national contest has become the world's largest music competition, with nearly 500,000 contestants. The role of spirituality within Japanese wind bands is considered (from grade school through professional levels) in their mission (outreach activities), practices (rehearsal strategies), and repertoire (hybrid repertoire by Japanese composers).

Music Transculturation and Identity in a Maori Brass Band Tradition

by David Hebert

Hebert, D. G. (2008). Music Transculturation and Identity in a Maori Brass Band Tradition. In R. Camus & B. Habla, (Eds.), Alta Musica, 26 (pp. 173-200). Tutzing: Schneider.

Keywords: Maori music / Brass bands / Ratana bands / Juji Nakada

Genre: Original cross-national historical... more Keywords: Maori music / Brass bands / Ratana bands / Juji Nakada

Genre: Original cross-national historical research.

Discusses: "some musical implications of the historical relations between Maori prophet Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana (1873-1939) and Japanese Rev. Juji Nakada (1870-1939), as reflected in contemporary brass bands and liturgical practices."

Educating Professional Musicians for a Multicultural Society

by David Hebert

Hebert, D. G. (2010). Educating Professional Musicians for a Multicultural Society: Emerging Issues and New Developments. In proceedings of Orally Transmitted Music and Intercultural Education, symposium offered by EU Culture Initiative Music, Orality, Roots, Europe (MORE) at Cité de la Musique, Paris, France (December 3-4, 2009) 
[http://www.music-orality-roots.eu/sites/default/files/MORE-Symposium1-HebertD-EducatingProfessional.pdf].

Discusses three themes associated with how globalization is currently changing the education of professional musicians... more Discusses three themes associated with how globalization is currently changing the education of professional musicians in multicultural societies: (1) opportunities and risks of information technologies, (2) changing concepts of music 'rights', and (3) responses to both political and religious fundamentalism in educational contexts. Describes a new postgraduate program that recently emerged in Northern Europe in response to the changing conditions: Master of Global Music program.

Ethnicity and Music Education: Sociological Dimensions

by David Hebert

Hebert, D. G. (2010). Ethnicity and Music Education: Sociological Dimensions. In R. Wright (Ed.), Sociology and Music Education (pp.93-114). Aldershot: Ashgate Press.

Examines the concept of ethnicity in music education by considering relevant theories and findings from the fields of... more Examines the concept of ethnicity in music education by considering relevant theories and findings from the fields of sociology, musicology, and music education. The approaches to ethnicity of the three disciplines are compared, and current research findings in relation to three major themes are discussed: (1) ethnic diversity and music learning; (2) music, migration, and global understanding; (3) challenges of multicultural music education.

Rock music in American schools: Positions and practices since the 1960s

by David Hebert

International Journal of Music Education

The challenge that rock music has historically faced in achieving widespread acceptance within American music... more The challenge that rock music has historically faced in achieving widespread acceptance within American music education can be attributed to six common arguments: 1) Rock music is aesthetically inferior; 2) Rock music is damaging to the health of youth; 3) School time cannot be spent on the vernacular; 4) Music teachers are not trained in rock; 5) Rock music encourages rebelliousness and anti-educational behavior; and 6) Rock music curriculum is difficult to acquire. The strengths and weaknesses of each of these six claims is herein analyzed, and the authors' conclusions discuss the potential benefits of rock music studies.

The Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra: A Case Study of Intercultural Music Transmission

by David Hebert

Journal of Research in Music Education

Instrumental music education in Japan has long emphasized wind bands, and in recent decades, Japanese bands have... more Instrumental music education in Japan has long emphasized wind bands, and in recent decades, Japanese bands have achieved a level of performing excellence that arguably rivals all other nations. This case study of Japan's premier wind ensemble provides insights applicable to bands throughout the nation. The study explores the influence of the ensemble's repertoire and educational activities, traces its religious origins, and examines Frederick Fennell's role as musical ambassador. The findings suggest that Japan has not only assimilated and mastered the band genre, but it has transformed the tradition. Moreover, the subculture of wind bands is argued to be a domain of internationalization that challenges Japanese notions of gender roles and ethnic identity.

Music transmission in an Auckland Tongan community youth band

by David Hebert

International Journal of Community Music

This article reports on findings from a 2006 ethnographic study of a Tongan community youth band in Auckland, New... more This article reports on findings from a 2006 ethnographic study of a Tongan community youth band in Auckland, New Zealand. To begin, the study's rationale is discussed in relation to previous research, followed by a description of the band's repertoire and rehearsal strategies, instrumentation and uniforms, notational practices and institutional context. The youth band's role in the Tongan community of Auckland is then considered in relation to previous descriptions of ‘community music’. The band's significance in terms of musical identity and its socio-economic context are also examined, followed by a discussion of this study's implications for community music workers in other settings. The findings suggest that community ensembles rooted in musical hybridity may generate innovative models of music learning and play a unique role in cultural preservation.

Ong, J.C. (2009). “Watching the Nation, Singing the Nation: London-based Filipino Migrants’ Identity Constructions in News and Karaoke.” Communication, Culture and Critique, 2(2).

by Jonathan Corpus Ong