Wooooooo! If you go back and read any of the previous blog posts or know the first thing about me, you’ll perceive that I don’t like to be told what to do when it’s an injustice. Tell me to stay in my line? Give me an evidence-based, social-justice informed solution, then. Oh, you don’t have one for my community, imagine that. [Do I sound bitter? Yeah, I’m a bit bitter.]
In my world, my students ARE my lane. My students’ voices are a part of that lane, yes, but I don’t work with a larynx… I work with a biological instrument attached to a live body with a brain and nervous system. I can’t exclude the system while addressing the larynx (and the rest of the vocal production system). To ask me to do so is reductionist and elitist (in bad ways). Sometimes I’m all my students have in terms of support for physical health, mental health, and well-being. Is this ideal, no. This is life.
I’ve been mulling this over and fuming a bit as well. I’ve reflected back on my (lack of) evidence-based medical care including a more recent one to an ENT where I saw a PA who knew less neck anatomy than me. I’ve reflected on my students’ experiences and their excuses (?) for not following through with my recommendations. I’ve thought a LOT about trauma-based pedagogy and social-justice-informed pedagogy. And everything just “clicked” as a result of me attending an a2ru seminar on the Arts and Public Health. Now I’m on fi-yuh! I have a plan of action that I will execute in my community; I’m not raising up my shoulders inquisitively or apologetically because my students don’t have access to things they can pay for or otherwise access in a timely fashion. I vow to get in there and fix it.
And now I realize that I need Bob the Builder gear, like pronto!
Wish me luck? Send me prayers?! Offer help?! Thank you in advance.
Evidence Informed singing 