2021 – December
Submitted by – Connecting Canada – 2021 CFMTA/FCAPM Virtual Conference
Title: Expanding the Musical Canon: Achieving Equity and Diversity through a Critical Examination of the String Repertoire
Presenter: Dr. Andrew Kizas
This workshop focuses on string repertoire written by composers from a cross-section of cultures, ethnicities, time periods, genres, genders, and backgrounds. In the session, I examine how we can work towards a more inclusive and equitable representation of the music that we feature in our studio programs. The session also provides teachers with a list of resources that they can use in their studios, and highlights specific repertoire selections that I have incorporated into my own teaching.
In addition to repertoire selection, I will share feedback that I have received from student following our critical work around whose voices are present, and whose voices are often excluded, when examining the musical canon. We will explore this phenomenon as it pertains to music in general and string music in particular. The workshop will therefore not only address issues around equity and inclusion with respect to repertoire choices, but it will also present a critical lens through which teachers, and their students, can examine music history.
Dr. Andrew Kizas is the Director of the Regional Strings Program for the Peel District School Board, housed at Port Credit Secondary School, in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and a former Associate Conductor of the Mississauga Symphony Youth Orchestra. He teaches private violin students from his home studio, and serves as first violinist with the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra.
