GENDER RESEARCH IN MUSIC EDUCATION NEWSLETTER
GRIME Newsletter v1, n1 (September 1991)
In this Issue:
1. Welcome
2. Future Plans
3.1 MENC Conference
3.2 Abstracts from Feminist Theory and Music: Toward a Common Language
4. Research-in-Progress & Classroom Practices
A Study of Feminist Pedagogy in Music, Roberta Lamb
5. New Members
6. A Brief History of GRIME (according to R. Lamb)
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1. WELCOME! to the first issue of the Gender Research in Music Education Newsletter. GRIME? If you've doubts about that acronym help us find a better one. In this issue you will find a summary of who we are and how we came to be, some future plans, music education abstracts from the Feminist Theory and Music Conference, a current mailing list, and conference news. This newsletter is put together by Roberta Lamb, who bears responsibility for all errors and omissions (may they be few!).
We will be rotating responsibilities for the newsletter, so if any of you are interested in producing an issue let us know. The next newsletter will be produced by Rachel Brett Harley, Dept. of Music, 315 Alexander, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI 48197. Any material for that issue should be sent to Rachel by April 1992. Your contributions are needed to keep this network alive.
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Immediate plans are for GRIME to meet at as many music education and/or feminist and/or music conferences as we can, MENC being the next major one. (If you know of others, let us know & organize a gathering.) As we grow we will need to establish such things as a membership fee (currently we rotate this newsletter through various depts.). Membership fees will mean we need someone stable to be treasurer and by then we're talking about by-laws, etc. When we have more people involved & a structure, we might want to affiliate with MENC as a SRIG, or with ISME or some other music organization. Now, being very grassroots & small, we encourage each of you to support gender research through established channels, while continuing to support each other through GRIME. Tell others about GRIME and tell us- through this newsletter- what organizational direction we should take.
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This column will contain information about upcoming conferences and where we might meet, as well as news of sessions relevant to gender issues and summaries from previous conferences.
3.1 MENC Conference, New Orleans 8-11 April 1992
Rachel Brett Harley will organize an informal meeting of GRIME at MENC. This will probably be a brown-bag affair or coffee break. Watch for notices on the conference bulletin boards. Contact Rachel now if you would like to help her or are planning to attend MENC in New Orleans.
There were two music education-related sessions at the Feminist Theory and Music Conference. See abstracts on a separate page. The conference was unique and wonderful in many respects, not the least was that it provided a chance for music educators and others interested in pedagogy and gender in music to present papers that are often lost in the cracks because they don't 'fit' within a particular discipline. Still, because we were a minority group (feminist mus. ed.) within a minority group (feminist musicology), there were times we were a bit on the outside, specifically in terms of scheduling. These problems were discussed with the organizers, who understood our points, such that they will be considered in future FT & M Conferences. We do have many struggles ahead of us, but it is important to remember who are our most likely allies, i.e., other feminists.
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4. Research-in-Progress & Classroom Practices
Share a summary of your current work, whether in the classroom or as a researcher! Ask for help locating resources. Ask for respondents to research questions. Tell us what works . . . with your students, administrators, colleagues.Etc., etc. Contribute to this column!
For a study of Feminist Pedagogy in Music: I need to hear about your experiences incorporating feminist content, practice and/or theory into your music teaching situation, whether you are a k-12 music teacher, private or applied teacher, graduate TA, or music education professor (or other music professor). Copies of course outlines, assignments or reading lists that demonstrate any aspect of feminist pedagogy would be appreciated. I would like to hear your anecdotes about using feminist pedagogy- positive and negative. Where do you find materials? What do colleagues and supervisors say? How do students respond? Do classroom dynamics change? What is successful? What is frustrating about trying to teach music as a feminist? Please include a paragraph or two describing your teaching situation (type of class & music taught, level, students' ages/background, type of school, etc.). All responses will be confidential and I will be glad to share the resulting paper with those who contribute. If you are willing to share these experiences, please send them by November 1991 to Roberta Lamb, School of Music Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6.
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A "Members Directory" is included with this newsletter. Future newsletters will include only new members until such time as it is expedient to re-do the directory. Do you know someone who would be interested in joining this network? Send names and addresses to: Roberta Lamb, School of Music, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6 (May Canada Post avoid a strike!)
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6. A Brief History of GRIME (according to R. Lamb)
Gender Research in Music Education was formed as a direct result of the music education sessions at the Feminist Theory and Music Conference in Minneapolis. Over a dozen people signed a sheet indicating interest in developing a network to discuss, support, and research in the areas of gender and gender issues in music education. While still at the conference but following those sessions, Rachel Brett Harley, Roberta Lamb, Carol Richardson, and Laree Trollinger held a planning meeting. It was decided at that meeting to remain unaffiliated and 'grassroots' for the current time, to produce a rotating newsletter, to encourage people to pursue gender issues wherever possible, and to meet at the MENC convention in April 1992.
The idea for a gender issues-related network goes back a few years to February 1989. After attending a conference on research in general music in Arizona, I attempted to organize a gender issues panel for the following MENC conference. I wrote a column to stimulate interest called "Are there Gender Issues in School Music?" I had hoped that General Music Today would be interested in it, but it was published in the Canadian Music Educator, May 1990. At the Arizona conference I asked women if they were interested in gender issues and was quite surprised at the uneasiness my question seemed to provoke. However, I did get a few names, including Laree Trollinger's, and so I wrote letters to see if a panel were possible. A "Gender Issues in Music Education" panel proposal featuring papers by Laree Trollinger, Carol Pemberton and myself was submitted but rejected (Although not included in the proposal itself due to delays in the mail service, Jane Palmquist and Carolynn Lindeman indicated strong interest in participation.). I submitted an announcement regarding formation of a gender issues SRIG (Special Research Interest Group) to the Music Researcher's Exchange for its September issue, resulting in a few positive replies. Unfortunately, I could not continue this work until 1991 due to health problems. Then, when as a result of the interest generated by Lydia Hamessley's call-for-papers for Feminist Theory and Music and some phone calls, it became clear we would have two sessions, it seemed the time had come to re-activate the gender research network idea. And that's how we got to Minneapolis.
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