Ethno Research held a series of online events that considered essential issues for inclusive, accessible and intercultural music-making practices and pedagogies through the lens of Ethno. These events brought together perspectives from Ethno global music gatherings, with leading experts in the fields of ethnomusicology, intercultural music-making, music education and music activism from across the globe.
This particular event was free to attend, open to all, and took place online on Thur, 3 November 2022, 18:00-19:30 (GMT) / Fri, 4 Nov, 07:00-08:30 (NZDT).
An edited version of the full discussion is available at the bottom of this page, or get a taste of the discussion through this short trailer:
At the second of 3 events, Professor Te Oti Rakena, along with Ethno organizers Willie Tekatoha (Ethno Solomon Islands) and Sarah Macdonald (Ethno New Zealand), discuss issues of inclusion, identity and cultural diversity in collaborative music-making. Things they will consider include; navigating identity through group music-making, valuing, respecting and opening out to others, decoloniality and pluralities of doing/knowing.
Speaker bios:
Te Oti Rakena comes from Aotearoa New Zealand and is an active performer, teacher and researcher. He is Indigenous Māori and has tribal affiliations to Ngāpuhi, Ngati Ruanui and Kāi Tahu. He is known for his willingness to sing in different vocal genres and perform in diverse performance contexts. His research interests are equally diverse and he has published in the areas of non-western and western vocal arts, studio pedagogy, community music, health and wellbeing and performance learning cultures.
He has participated in a number of research initiatives aimed at improving the quality of education for Māori and Pacific students in New Zealand, and has worked closely with other researchers interested in non-western research methodologies and their associated analytical frameworks. He is currently a Principal Investigator on the Centre of Brain Research, an expert advisor for the Centre for Arts and Social Transformation (CAST), and a research fellow in the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community in Canada. He was the first New Zealander and indigenous academic to be appointed as Chair to the Community Music Activities (CMA) research commission of the International Society for Music Education (ISME) and a founding member of the ISME Special Interest Group, Decolonising and Indigenising Music Education.
Sarah Macdonald is a Community Development Professional with particular skills and passion in the development and promotion of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. She is passionate about creating safe, informative, research-based learning environments and resources, to help explore how we can create more connected and ultimately healthy, strong communities. Sarah believes that we need to take creative and multi-dimensional approaches to support this Mahi. With the end goal to inspire bravery, to be able to have the deeper more uncomfortable conversations.
Willie Tekatoha is from the Polynesian outlier of Mungiki Solomon Islands. He resides in Auckland, New Zealand. Willie is a traditional musician, player and manager of ‘Kaumaakonga’ aka KMK, whose debut album was reviewed by Songlines magazine and charted by Transglobal music chart in 2019. He is part of Ethno New Zealand’s organising team, as well as coordinator of Ethno Solomon Islands. Alongside working full-time, Willie is studying part-time towards BA- Pacific Studies/ Anthropology at The University of Auckland.
Photo: Jason Keefer
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