What is a winter song on your playlist? What is a winter song you love bringing to the classroom?

Ruth:                                                                                                                                         

Personal- Vamo turu a Bele https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=196&v=0R0HP59kd2Q&feature=emb_logo

This is a song written by a Mexican female composer in the Baroque period, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. This particular setting was performed by Ensamble Tierra Mestiza who promotes both Mexican and Latin American folkloric and popular music.

Classroom- Mi Burrito Sabanero - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wrc6Q7acME  This song is popular in much of Latin America, and was a song that I heard and sang often as a child. I taught this song to my students, and it centered my students’ linguistic and cultural wealth.

Natasha:                                     

Personal-“The Christmas Song,” performed by Nat King Cole. I discovered Nat King Cole as a ten-year-old girl, shuffling through my grampa’s old cassette tapes one day, and haven’t looked back since. I love all of Nat King Cole’s holiday recordings, but this is one of my favorites.

Classroom-Not sure I can choose just one song. I love using the album “Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas” (sans Jingle Bells) as pieces to focus on the steady beat with my primary aged students, and share a bit about Ella with them.

Alice:                                                                                                                                 

Personal-“My Boots” - Lights (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiLHe3mkJf0)            I personally love Winter, and listening to this song makes me want to skip, dance, and play in the snow to the rhythm of the twinkling synth beats. My favorite lyric: “If the air was meant to be glitter” - what if it is?! This song makes me feel carefree in a world that I feel like is often weighing me down.

Classroom-“Dream It Possible” - Jane Zhang (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5TaDzMOKf0)

Especially at the end of a calendar year, we imagine our wishes, our goals, and our dreams. “Dream It Possible” empowers you and each young musician make dreams come alive. The song begins with the self-affirmation: “I will run, I will climb, I will soar, I’m undefeated”, and continues later on with “Out of my cage, like a bird in the night, I know I'm changing, I know I'm changing”. How will you change? How will your students change? How are we all changing? The song can be empowering for the performer(s) and the listener(s), and can help us all reflect on who we are, and who we continue to become.

Michelle:                                                                                                                                    

Personal - One personal Christmas song that I love to listen to in the month of December is “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” by Mariah Carey.

Classroom - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTxJy5zfNV0  This is Sol De Mexico, “A-Merri-Achi Christmas”. They are playing many selections from the “Nutcracker”. I point out the fact that they are not reading music, yet able to play everything perfectly, [as a contrast to traditional European classical orchestras playing the ballet while reading music]. I ask students to raise their hands if they recognize the song that is played and tell the students the name of each instrument.

Melyssa:                                                                                                                                   

Personal- Can I list a whole album? "Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration" is a transformative piece of work celebrating Black history, Black artists, and interpretation. Stevie Wonder & Take 6 have an arrangement of “O Thou that Tellest Good Tidings to Zion” that is an amazing representation of a cappella music, modulation, collaboration, texture, and vocal ornamentation.

Classroom- “Snowy Day” by Boyz II Men from the 2018 movie Snowy Day based on Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day, which features a Black protagonist. It’s a great one to teach to grades K-2.

Franklin:                                                                                                                               

Personal- Pentatonix's "Winter Wonderland / Don’t Worry Be Happy (feat. Tori Kelly)." I chose this song because it merges a holiday classic with an inspirational anthem that celebrates acapella singing.

Classroom-The Chipmunk Song. I chose this song because it was one of the first solo songs I remember singing as a young student. So every holiday season I make sure to share this song with my students.

Czarina:                                                                                                                  

Personal-“Snowdaze” by Brasstracks feat. Charles Gaines. It’s just so cozy and I’m the biggest Brasstracks fangirl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELpz0JMcViE

& A Charlie Brown Christmas Album, Vince Guaraldi Trio

Classroom-My first graders are currently in love with “Jingle Bells” by Niki’s Music Class. It is super catchy and shares the principles of Kwanzaa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFLF2_fuIpg

What is your means of self-care?

Ruth:                                                                                                                                                      

I enjoy going out to salsa socials hosted by dance studios, or working on some shines while at home. I keep my vihuela readily available in my office to practice strum patterns and songs I like.

Natasha:                                                                                                                                    

Running. My new tradition is running the Rock N’ Roll half marathon every December. It gives me the opportunity to “run out” all the stress that the holiday season can bring. This year, I am trying something new, and dedicating each of the last few miles I run to a different person in my life who I love and cherish. I think it will make the end of race feel like a joyful experience, not a momentous feat to be conquered.

Michelle:                                                                                                                                               

I spend most of my time in non-white spaces. I attend Powwows, present to Native American tribal communities in Canada and U.S., teach Zumba, and attend dance workshops from people well versed within their culture, and style of dance.

Alice:                                                                                                                                                 

For self-care, I have been taking a freestyle hip hop rap class (inevitably it will transfer into my classroom, but I am loving it for myself first)! Hooks, rhymes, and wordplay all day!

Melyssa:                                                                                                                                                

I intentionally set myself in spaces with people of color that will affirm, uplift and “get” me. I check in with my network of educators of color. Listen to Laura Mvula, 2 Dope Queens, or Esperanza Spalding on the drive in to work. I also go to dance class--engaging my body, working through resilience and affirmation, and sweating out the stress. :)

Franklin:                                                                                                                                             

In my spare time I enjoy reading and listening to some of my favorite artists like Common, Beyoncé, J-Cole, Nat King Cole, or Paul Robeson.

Czarina:                                                                                                                                     

Reading a few pages of non-fiction before bed - currently alternating between Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino and Atomic Habits by James Clear. Setting aside time to intentionally connect with friends and family over coffee. Relationships are so restorative. Also working on a fun side project - a podcast on mental health/wellness by and for WOC - with my elementary girlfriends called the BRWNGRLFEELS Podcast.

How can we support each other in the continuation of this work?

Ruth:

My favorite way of building great relationships is to play music with others. My colleagues and I organize reading sessions and decide on what tunes we like. With enough lead time, we can organize a concert. This process of bonding through music lays the foundation for providing further support for each other’s scholarly, personal, and social justice pursuits.

Natasha:

Check in with each other, and not just the surface level, “How are you?” Ask about what plans people have for the holidays (not just because you want to share about YOUR fabulous plans), what they are looking forward to, and who they are looking forward to seeing. Remember that this time of year is not just about what we receive, but how we can give back to others. What small action can you make to brighten someone’s day?

Alice:                                                                                                                                                      

I recommend educators to continue reading and learning about equity work not only in the music classroom or education space, but also through the other arts, in business and government, and as it exists or does not exist within our friend and family circles. We can always listen more to the conversations to better understand different perspectives in order to continue unpacking our own biases and further grow our own thought processes. In addition, the “holidays” are not always a time of celebration for everyone, and it is important to be mindful of that when speaking with fellow educators, our students, or anyone during this time of year. We can instead encourage each other to be caring toward one another, and reflective on our own lives and with our own use of language in everyday conversation.

Michelle:                                                                                                                                        

Hold people accountable for their habit of wanting to tone police myself and other BIPOC people. Speak up and out against popular stereotypes held by music educators and break the idea that music is “universal.” Continue to educate myself by being with people within the context of their cultures and learning from people and not relying on resources.

Melyssa:                                                                                                                             

Experience art! So often during this season, our schedules are packed with coordinating, logistics, and we don’t get to experience music. Patron a performance you wouldn’t usually go to featuring BIPOC, at any and all intersectionality points. There is solidarity in showing up, and during a time of year that is so historically filled with music, and so many musicians in need of financial support, I try to find a way to steward my resources and attend someone’s concert whom I want to get behind. If not musically, then purchase goods by BIPOC artists if you buy gifts, share and follow them on social media to boost their businesses, help make livelihoods happen. A local favorite for me is the Tacoma Refugee Choir.

(I’ll also say it is very easy to tokenize cultures and people groups during this season, as the pressure looms to select songs from a broad repertoire for winter concerts. Prioritizing culture-bearers, intentional octavo selection from responsible publishers, authentic composers/arrangers, and with non-appropriative lyrics/language incorporation is essential to build both your own capacity and decolonize the way we do winter programming).

Franklin:                                                                                                                          

Acknowledge your biases. We all have biases. The goal is not to eradicate our bias, but to become aware of them and to build our actions to show awareness. Also, if you don’t know…. Just ask.

Czarina:                                                                                                                                   

Building friendships with like minded teachers - I learn so much from educators of other disciplines. Also, intentionally seeking out and connecting with  BIPOC music educators online. And, resting. Rest is revolutionary. I feel like there is this unnecessary pressure for teachers and musicians to over-perform around holidays. But we need to take time to reflect and rejuvenate. I have been very inspired by @dr.rosalesmeza to be more purposeful in using rest as a tool for decolonization.

"Rest is revolutionary." That is a powerful statement. I would like to share a site/movement I recently found, The Nap Ministry. From the site:

"The Nap Ministry is a meditation on naps as resistance. It is an artistic, historical and spiritual examination on the liberating power of naps. It reimagines why rest is a form of resistance and shines a light on the issue of sleep deprivation as a justice issue. It is counter narrative to the belief that we all are not doing enough and should be doing more. We are community centered. We are focused on radical self-care."

"Rest is a form of resistance because it disrupts and pushes back against capitalism and white supremacy."

As a Black American woman descended from enslaved Africans, the historical background that is at the foundation of this work is powerful to me. I recommend taking a look through the content to see if it resonates with you as well.

My current favorite song of this season is "It's the Holiday Season," as performed by the Count Basie Orchestra featuring Johnny Mathis. As a musician with a heavy jazz background, it swings so hard I feel like I could keep it on repeat all day!

In my classroom my students have been learning KUOVSÂKKÂSAH (Northern Lights), a composed sami song written by Heli Aikio that is part of the Nordic Sounds Project. My students have learned the song, talked about the northern lights, and learned about the culture of the Sami people- the beauty of their traditions and way of life, as well as the struggles of land loss, forced relocation, and attempted eradication/erasure of traditions and beliefs that has been a common experience of indigenous groups around the world.