Donald DeVito
Sidney Lanier Center, Gainesville, Florida United States
devitodr@gm.sbac.edu Steven Bingham
Santa Fe College, Gainesville, Florida United States
slbingham@bellsouth.net Abstract
This paper highlights the development of a community music project currently taking place at the Notre Maison Orphanage in Port a Prince, Haiti organized by CMA practitioners Dr. Donald DeVito, Dr. Steven Bingham, U.S. primary school educator Trudy Bingham, Notre Maison administrator Gertrude Azor, and staff member
“Gabriel”. The approach aligns with a community music philosophy of identity, context, community, and pedagogy discussed in Higgins (2012) Community Music in Theory and in Practice. Using a facilitated approach to community music education, this project integrates musical concepts, engagement, and practice for children in the Notre Maison Orphanage in Haiti with countries such as the U.S., England, Brazil, and Pakistan using Skype and in person collaboration.
Identity
Lina Cloutier’s Story
At age 17, Sidney Lanier student and Haiti native Lina Cloutier had already performed in Carnegie Hall with students and music education professors in Africa, South America, the US, and the European Union. Lina’s adopted father, Raymond Cloutier, explains “She has a condition called Hydrocephalus…that causes little babies heads to grow 4 times their normal size at birth. She was abandoned which meant her mother passed in childbirth and Haiti is so poor no one could take care of her. They actually have a room in the hospital in Haiti called the Abandonment ward where they let the babies that cannot be taken care of die. Gertrude Azor who is director of the Notre Maison orphanage for children with special needs saved her from the hospital and brought her into the orphanage (Hamrick, 2013). Lina was blessed to come to the US and have the lifesaving surgery needed for her to survive. In 2014, she was a music student in the Sidney Lanier Center in Gainesville, Florida.
Sidney Lanier Center
The Sidney Lanier Center is a public school in Gainesville, Florida for students with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 22. The music program is global in scope and is linked with universities and music programs internationally through research, online
cooperative music making, and professional music education organizations. The International Society for Music Education (ISME), and the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC, an international organization for special education teachers generate many of Lanier’s collaborative experiences.
Lina’s experience in music education
DIScovering ABILITIES: New York and Carnegie Hall
As the music director of the Sidney Lanier Center, it is always my goal to provide the students with the same life experiences enjoyed by non-disabled young adults.
Performing at Carnegie Hall is one of the most prestigious activities for which a music ensemble can strive and one that I was eager to explore for my students. The natural answer was to look at all the music we had learned on Skype through our international ISME Community Music Activity practitioners who arranged to perform inclusively with us in an event we called “DIScovering ABILITES”. Lina and her classmates either sang or performed instrumentally with a repertoire including: “ Amazing Grace” with Syracuse University music education majors under the direction of Dr. Emma Rodriguez Suarez, “ Jambo Bwana” with Kenyan professor Dr. David Akombo of James Madison University, “ Hold On” with the Bergen Community College Popular Music Ensemble led by Andy Krikun, “Meu Balaio” (My Basket) with Londrina University professor Dr. Magali Kleber, traditional music of Guinea with Lansana Camara, “An Poc ar Buile” (The Mad Billy Goat) with Irish ISME board member Phil Mullen, and a variety of jazz selections such as “Blue Skies” with the Santa Fe College Jazz Band under the direction of fellow Florida Music Educator Association members Dr. Steve Bingham and Dr. Chris Sharp (Seminole College). Our students were incorporated into each ensemble through a tiered level of participation on percussion involving maintaining a steady beat, performing a repeated rhythm pattern, or improvising to the style of music. Lina had full access to this once in a lifetime music experience and was performing at our highest level of inclusion, which was improvisation and non-accommodated lyrics. The inclusion of the Sidney Lanier students with the Santa Fe College jazz band has become an annual local experience and reports of these activities have been published internationally (Bingham & DeVito, 2012).
One of our most memorable moments came in the rehearsal session. We had thought that the guest musicians would perform separately the music of Ireland, Africa, Spain, and Brazil. At the rehearsal however, they all wanted to support and accompany Lina and her classmates as they improvised arrangements as a combined group. This meant African Kora (harp) incorporated into Irish traditional songs and Irish violin and flute performers into Brazilian traditional music. This combination of performers and instrumentation truly represented an international approach we have taken at the Sidney Lanier Center. This process would soon lead to a very important addition to our students’ experiences, live interaction with the music of Haiti and children who remain at Lina’s orphanage, Notre Maison.
Washington, DC and Capitol Hill
After performing in Carnegie Hall, Lina participated in a trip to Washington, DC to perform with CEC special education teachers who had gathered from around the country to visit Senators and discuss special education needs and funding. Lina performed in front of the Capitol and visited Senator Harkin (education committee chair from Iowa) and Senator Marco Rubio (Florida).
Community
Each student in the Lanier program has a different disability, but the performances are adapted to find each student’s strength and the unique skill he/she brings to the ensemble to achieve success. Leadership is highlighted over control and this is facilitated through a tiered level of performance meant to give students access to voice and percussion performance in which the student is free to progress from steady beat, single measure repeated rhythmic patterns (including international jazz, Asian, samba, and African rhythm), to integrate and improvise on the music being performed. The students perform either on drum set, snare, tritom, symbol, balafone (African marimba), djembe, or singing (students with speech language impairments sing on adapted syllables at each music event). When asked if she was nervous about her inclusion in music Lina said she was not nervous at all, just “excited!” She is one of the many brave members who do not let their disability stop them from playing and integrating with the world through music.
Lina has returned to visit the Notre Maison Orphanage to visit all the children and tell them about her experience with music in the United States. Many children at the orphanage were abandoned at birth and have physical disabilities. “I am so happy to be in Haiti to meet all of the children and see all of their smiling faces,” said Lina (Hamrick, 2013). This visit by Lina is not the only interaction with Sidney Lanier students for the children of Notre Maison – their opportunity to learn the benefits of music education are in fact just beginning. The Sidney Lanier students share the enjoyment of music education with the children at Notre Maison and learn collaboratively each week using Skype. This process includes taking traditional children’s songs such as “If You’re Happy and You Know It” and performing for each other in English and French Creole. Students sing the portions they are able to and those who are non-verbal can perform on percussion and replicate the appropriate movements to the songs. We have also improvised rhythms together as well as performing music for each other on special occasions such as Flag Day in Haiti.
Context
An orphanage for abandoned children with disabilities in Port a Prince Haiti
The Gatorland Chapter of the CEC, of which I am president, has sent $500 to the orphanage to purchase percussion instruments for our collaborative project. Jamie Schumacher, a visiting teacher at the orphanage, stated during one of our lessons, “Most of the teaching is done through songs such as the days of the week, washing their hands before they eat…They use the drums to accompany the music. They have worked very hard at utilizing the drums” (Jamie Schumacher, personal communication).
Pedagogy
After a year of shared lessons with Notre Maison, From December 27 to 30, 2014 I will travel with Santa Fe College Band director Steve Bingham and his wife, Trudy, an elementary school teacher, to Haiti. We will stay at the orphanage, conduct workshops, which can be reinforced through Skype when we return to the U.S. and install a plan to use online course technology offered by Blackboard as a central lesson base. We can connect the network of universities, schools, and community programs used at Sidney Lanier to the children of Notre Maison. A variety of events for the children and training opportunities in music and special education for the teachers can be developed. The children’s responses can be typed by their staff and translated using Google Translate.
This removes the real time requirement for Skyping so students can respond to comments and discussion topics with the Haitian staff when they have electricity available. There are two dated laptops at the orphanage and the same goal can be accomplished with YouTube and emailing if needed. The prepared lessons can be put on YouTube and placed on a link on the Sidney Lanier site for Notre Maison to access.
Emails can be used for responses and the responses placed on the website for everyone to read. Dr. Magali Kleber, whose students at the University of Londrina frequently share lessons with the Lanier students, is already planning a Skype performance between Brazilian percussionists and the children in Notre Maison.
Constitution
The music supplies at the orphanage consist of a few congas previously sent from the Sidney Lanier staff, ten hand drums, recorders, drum sticks and guitar brought on the initial trip to remain at the orphanage upon completion of the workshops. A variety of song events will take place with the children. Students with speech language impairments will have the opportunity to express themselves through adapted songs.
Due to safety, this first visit is unlikely to include members from outside of the Notre Maison community in the workshop. Each event will be designed to provide for the greatest autonomy and music expression from the participants.
Workshop
A variety of open music events will take place during the four days in Haiti facilitated for the children and staff of the orphanage. Each event will be designed to provide for the greatest autonomy and music expression from the participants.
Percussion Activities
Students will be taught traditional Haitian rhythmic patterns on the donated hand drums and congas. Student can take turns contributing their favorite songs with percussion arrangements facilitated with the students by the instructors.
Jazz Improvisation
Call and response in its basic form is the very essence of jazz improvisation. To engage these students in a simple call and response session we will use hand percussion like
small hand drums, congas, boxes, or anything that incorporates a membrane or “head”
that will produce a tone.
The students will be arranged in a circle facing inward-where there can be facial interaction during the session. The leader will begin with a simple rhythmic motive and then ask the group to respond in rhythmic acuity. A simple “heartbeat” pattern will be used for the first session consisting of the rhythm “an 1” (eighth note, quarter note) rest, rest, rest will be stated and then repeated until all participants become engaged in rhythmic synchronization. Once the heartbeat rhythm is established, the leader can demonstrate creative rhythmic patterns during the “rest, rest, rest” portion of the
“heartbeat” motive. Sharing creative ability is the key as each participant attempts to play “in the hole” (during the rests) with their own version or rhythmic style as others in the group maintains the “heartbeat” rhythmic motive. This activity can be passed around the group until all have had a chance to perform their individual creative
“solos.” To end the session each participant will perform the “heartbeat” rhythmic motive until the whole group comes into rhythmic acuity then slows down and finishes with “an one.”
Once the “Heartbeat” activity has been presented and established, the leader may choose to incorporate the singing of Haitian folk songs using the same call and response technique. The leader sings a phrase and then the participants sign the phrase back to the leader-via call and then response. The leader may establish the first phrase until all participants are comfortable singing the melody. The leader will attempt to introduce a variation of the melody’s first phrase then have the participants sing back the new variation.
When the theme is varied, it releases an element of improvisation or creativity in the response. When the leader feels like the new melodic material has been grasped by all participants the original theme will be repeated, reconnecting the participants to the beginning idea and creating a sense of unity. We will attempt to combine the
“heartbeat” and the children’s folk song together to give a steady rhythmic pulse to the folk song.
Recorder
Students will be taught simple melodies to accompany their favorite Haitian Folk Songs.
For those students whose disabilities are too severe to participate with the recorder hand drums will be provided for the duration of the activity. The Brazilian Pifano will be introduced so the students can create simple accompaniment through recorder, dance, singing, or hand drum.
Conclusion
The experiences discussed with Lina are at the heart of music education and have so much more to do with collaboration and empowerment than with charity or outreach.
When we engage in the arts with people from other communities and backgrounds, we all benefit from community music education. Sending drums to Haiti is not charity, but the sharing of resources so we can all learn together. They are experts in Haitian music
and culture and bring that expertise as equals to our lessons and music making. The same is true for those from China, Guinea, Pakistan, and all of the other people our Sidney students, and soon our Haitian friends, will learn from and share their expertise with in return.
Replicating any aspect of this approach requires at its base level nothing more than a computer with a camera and an internet connection. The path to the students’
experiences began by simply approaching music educators at universities and community programs in person or through email with a proposal to share music education experiences. To a greater degree, it requires the heart to take the key element of music activity, shared affective responses, and then developing that with all people regardless of their backgrounds or disabilities. As the title of the Carnegie performance announced, the purpose is to allow people with special needs to DIScover their ABILITIES and Lina has definitely thrived with these opportunities.
Lina’s adopted mother, Renee Cloutier, summed it up by stating, “What the children experience brings great joy to them, especially in a world that does not always see their value through their disabilities” (Suarez et al., 2010).
References
Bingham, S. & DeVito, D. (2012). New pathways of community music inclusion:
Children with disabilities in college jazz ensembles. In D. Coffman (Ed.), ISME CMA XIII: Transitioning from historical foundations to 21st century global initiatives (pp. 14- 19) Corfu, Greece: ISME.
Hamrick, V. (Narrator). (April 8, 2013). Interview of Raymond and Lina Cloutier [Radio Broadcast]. In All Things Considered. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida 89.1 WUFT FM.
Higgins, L. (2012). Community music in theory and in practice. New York: Oxford University Press.
Suarez, E. R., DeVito, D., Kleber, M., Akombo D., Krikun, A., & Bingham, S. (2010).
Discovering abilities through harmony: An interdisciplinary music approach for students with disabilities with the Sidney Lanier Center. In D. Coffman (Ed.), CMA XII: Harmonizing the diversity that is community music activity (pp. 87-92). Hangzhou, China: ISME.