Hallelujah Chorus

There are lots of heated comments on YouTube right now debating whether or not a Christian piece such as the Hallelujah Chorus is appropriate for schools, and if this particular performance is disrespectful.

I think people getting worked up over the religious content--one way or another--are off the mark. If students or audiences want to relate to it religiously, fine, but the reason it's part of school music programs is because it's a great piece of music, not because a majority of the county is Christian, as some have suggested.

When I say "great" I'm not just making a value judgment; the Hallelujah Chorus is like a European cathedral--a colossal, historically significant accomplishment. If you were a student of architectural history, you'd study how cathedrals were built and understand how they represented the cutting-edge building techniques of their time. You'd probably walk inside a few of them. If you did, you'd likely feel a sense of awe, regardless of whether or not you're a Christian believer.

One can gain equivalent musical understanding through experiencing pieces like the Hallelujah Chorus, and be inspired by their construction and beauty, as well--which is why high school kids should sing them. In fact, it's impossible to be well informed about the roots of contemporary music without studying the religious music of the past.

As for the video, I think it's funny. Having some creative fun with the piece may, or may not, do justice to it's depth of expression and technique. But it doesn't, in my opinion, degrade it or reduce our ability to take it seriously.

Essential Questions for an Arts Educator

Recently my school has channeled most of its professional development energy towards an institution-wide curriculum mapping project -- a detailed charting of skills, content, assessments, and “essential questions” throughout the academic year and across grade levels and curricular areas. Sound like fun?

I've never felt my curriculum fit neatly into the model of month-by-month units so often served up as an example, but I've been fascinated and challenged by one aspect of curriculum mapping: formulating essential questions. Usually described as open-ended, thought provoking, and encouraging of critical thinking, essential questions may or may not have definite answers, but pondering them can spark the imagination and help probe more deeply into a subject. The question "what is an essential question" is itself an essential question, and educators such as Pat Clifford and Sharon Friesen, Jamie McKenzie, and Ted Nellen provide some interesting answers.

I’ve considered some essential questions for music in previous posts:
• Is everybody a singer?
• What's music?
• Is music transformational?

Lately, though, I've been thinking not about musical questions, in particular, but essential questions for myself as a teacher. Richard Sennett’s recent, fascinating book “The Craftsman,” which probes craftsmanship’s history through time and across domains, in search of its essential elements, has been my inspiration. Reflecting on the book’s themes and on my own experience, I’ve created a working list of essential questions for myself as an arts educator. I'll be commenting on some of these in future posts.

Essential Questions for an Arts Educator

1. To what lineage(s) does my teaching and subject matter belong?
2. Who are my students?
3. What’s the relationship between authority and autonomy in my classroom?
4. How is value of expression determined within my discipline, in my program?
5. What is the role of modeling in my classroom?
6. Am I training artists or craftspeople?
7. What role, if any, do objective standards play in my classroom?
8. What role, if any, does “failure” play in my classroom?
9. Is there an ethical dimension to my discipline?
10. What is "practice?"
11. Is there a place for "obsessive" energy in the practice of my discipline?
12. Is artistic practice spiritual practice?