Here’s to Audre: Speak, listen, transform

Author: Sarah Christianson – 5 minute read

Photo by Elsa Dorfman

It’s 2021. Think back to last year and all that took place and was said. You may think of the “unprecedented times” brought on by the pandemic, or how our country is “more divided than ever.” While these catchphrases seem uniquely tied to 2020, let’s be real: the struggle isn’t new. Sure, a pandemic is new, but the undue burden it’s placed on disenfranchised communities just reflects what’s always been going on beneath the surface. And national coverage of police violence and racial injustice seems like a fresh take, but it’s really just shedding light on an issue that’s been present yet ignored for decades.

Yes, this may sound cynical. But let’s repurpose this cynicism into hope, peace, and action.

In honor of The Achelois Collective’s upcoming concert, “Here’s to Audre,” this post will feature some of Audre Lorde’s writings about pursuing social justice. 

I admittedly didn’t know much about Audre prior to planning for this concert, but as I’ve been reading her work, I feel equally inspired and challenged. Inspired because she demonstrates such beauty and thoughtfulness in her work, and challenged because I know that I can’t rightfully read her writing without seeking change in myself. For those who are like I was and don’t know much about Audre, her self-description––“black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,”––reveals her honest and forthright ways of addressing complicated issues. She didn’t just write about seeking justice, she used her words get in the face of injustice. And she didn’t just call for change, she discussed how hard it was to really get there. Her words are real; they show both the truth of the world and the truth of her emotions. 

As I was exploring Audre’s poems, “Timing” has remained the most memorable. Here’s the opening of the poem, maybe read it a few times through:

In our infancy of action we were women of peace

come to service islands with no bridges in sight

in the beginning we all dreamed of an ending

but the wars of our childhood have aged us.

This stanza conveys a sentiment that many of us may have faced during the past year. That feeling that comes after the protest marches, the petitions, and the other efforts focused on making a difference. The feeling that questions, “now what?” and becomes complacent and distracted by the comforts afforded by our privilege.

The poem continues:

When donations of soup from my yesterday’s kitchen 

sour in the stomachs of beggars now miles away 

and they toss in their sleep in doorways 

with a curse of worry upon their lips 

then even my good deeds are suspect

Again, maybe you relate to this. One day you stir up the courage to do something good for your community. But the next day, you still witness your neighbors’ hunger, hurt, and hopelessness. So what can you do?

Audre provides one solution in her essay, “The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action.” In this Audre writes about the necessity of speaking through fear, especially the fear of becoming visible. As much as we all try to make ourselves more seen and heard, I think we all can relate with the inner desire to blend in. Maybe you’re the only person of color at your office, and you feel nervous steering the conversation to racial injustice for fear of judgment by your colleagues. Or maybe you’re a white music teacher, and you’re scared to program works from other cultures because that puts you out of your comfort zone. And honestly, this is all especially awkward if you feel like you want to speak up and fight for what’s right, but you just don’t know what you yourself can do.

I think this is why Audre writes: 

the transformation of silence into language [is] an act of self-revelation, and that always seems fraught with danger.

When we decide to submit to the quiet urge inside us to do something, we start to not only realize what’s important to us, but we become what’s important to us. We step into a world that we don’t know how to navigate, but at least it’s the world we entered with intention and didn’t settle into through complacency. 

Audre ends the essay with one final component of transforming silence into language and action: 

And where the words of women [or others who are oppressed, I say] are crying to be heard, we must each of us recognize our responsibility to seek those words out, to read and share them and examine them in their pertinence to our lives.

Sometimes the most heroic step we can take in fighting for justice is simply listening to what people are already saying. Audre gives some great examples of how this could look as she examines the artificial walls we build between ourselves and those who seem different than us:

For instance, “I can’t possibly teach Black women’s writing––their experience is so different from mine.” Yet how many years have you spent teaching Plato and Shakespeare and Proust? Or another, “She’s a white woman and what could she possibly have to say to me?” Or, “She’s a lesbian, what would my husband say, or my chairman?” Or again, “This woman writes of her sons and I have no children.” And all the other endless ways in which we rob ourselves of ourselves and each other.

Wouldn’t our lives be so much better if we stopped imagining little walls between us and people who are “different?”

So even in fear, let your confidence speak. When you’re uncomfortable, find the courage to listen. And when the future seems bleak, take action to create hope. Here’s to Audre.

Application Suggestions:

Non-musicians – Check out some artists whose work centers on social justice! Artists need audiences in order to remain relevant, so your support empowers them to continue their mission. I’m sure you’ve seen an arts event or concert that has ties to a greater mission but decided instead to spend the night in front of the TV (I know I have…). Next time you see an opportunity to join an artist in their fight for social justice, don’t let your negative emotions get the best of you. Even in fear or discomfort or even apathy, you can still do your best for the world around you.

K–6 – Have a discussion with an adult, like a teacher or parent or other family member, about something you notice in the world that you wish were better. Maybe you saw a person who is homeless on the street and wish they could have a warm place to live, or you saw someone being picked on while you were playing outside. Talk about why it makes you upset, and then take an action step toward making a change in the future. You could donate your allowance to a homeless shelter, or start an anti-bullying club at school. Don’t be afraid to speak up for others!

Musicians – The next time one of your friends or colleagues has a concert that centers on social justice, prioritize your attendance. It’s so much easier to spend free time practicing or relaxing rather than attend yet another concert, but if you want your trade to remain relevant to others, you need to make it relevant to yourself. 

Don’t forget to check out our upcoming concert “Here’s to Audre” on May 28 at 7:30 P.M. CDT! Get the concert link here.

My sources you can use for further study:

Audre Lorde’s “Timing” from The Black Unicorn published by Norton: https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393312379
Audre Lorde’s “The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action” from Identity Politics in the Women’s Movement edited by Barbara Ryan: https://books.google.com/bookshl=en&lr=&id=v6kUCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA81&dq=audre+lorde+&ots=ScdympH04a&sig=8uEgVAsRNNcdNiqlBfsa8NEtMWM#v=onepage&q=audre%20lorde&f=false

Stop, Look, and Listen...

Authors: Claire Niederberger, Kathryn Blake, and Sarah Christianson – 5 minute read

Sound waves measured on an oscilloscope (https://academo.org/demos/virtual-oscilloscope/)

Pause for a moment. 

What do you hear right now?

Birds chirping...cars driving by...the laundry machine running?

Whether what you hear is enchanting or mundane, these sounds can tell a story! A story about this one minute, about this entire day, or even about your whole life.

Think about which sounds you hear every day, like the sound of your instrument or the TV, and which ones you hear less often, like the laugh of a friend who lives far away. How do these sounds relate to the stories for those days?

For many years, composers have looked to their environments to find inspiration for the sounds they put in their music. In classical music, we frequently hear references to the natural world (bird calls, wind blowing through trees, ocean waves, to name a few), and also to the folk, traditional, or popular songs of the time. For example, hundreds of years ago, Beethoven was inspired by his walks in nature to write his Symphony No. 6, the “Pastoral.” More recently, composer Valerie Coleman wanted to depict the sounds of urban life in her trio Rubispheres, for flute, clarinet, and bassoon (you can hear this piece on our upcoming concert on May 28!). Similarly, in pop music, the group MGMT used the sounds of children playing on a playground in their song “Kids”. Musicians are constantly looking to their environments and non-musical sounds for inspiration.

In this day and age, with our busy, technology-infused lives, we are constantly surrounded by sound. Within our homes, we may hear the sounds of many electrical objects: the TV on in the background, a smartphone dinging, a kitchen timer going off, computer keys clacking, or a clock ticking, to name a few. Outside of our homes: dogs barking, the warning beeps of construction vehicles, cars honking as they drive by, or loud music playing at the restaurant down the street. These sounds can all tell a story––what kind of story do they communicate?

Right now––stop reading. What do you hear happening around you?

Our resident composer, Kathryn Blake, has recently been experimenting with different methods of composing. She listens to the sounds around her, observes and records them, and then layers them all together to create a new piece that tells a story about her life. Kathryn was inspired to experiment with sounds in this manner over the course of the past pandemic year, as it allowed her to express herself in a new way. Check out Kathryn’s composition below:

Now it’s your turn to be a composer and storyteller! Appreciate the sounds you hear throughout your day and don’t take them for granted. Even the most annoying sounds are important! Your noisy neighbor or the construction work across from your office can show the intersection of your story with someone else’s. Take advantage of all of these sounds to tell the story of who you are today.

APPLICATION SUGGESTIONS 

Non-musicians – As you go throughout the day, use your phone to periodically record some of the sounds you hear. Maybe it’s your footsteps as you walk to work, or the sounds in your kitchen as you make dinner, or snippets of your conversation over Zoom with a friend. Upload those files to Bandlab or something similar, then experiment with layering and lining up your sounds so they tell an expressive story about your day. Congratulations! You’re a composer now!

K-6 – Record 5–6 sounds throughout your day using your phone or your parent’s phone. Maybe try to record 1–2 sounds before school and 3–4 sounds after school. Any sound will work! Then with the help of a parent or teacher, upload your sounds to Bandlab or something similar. First listen to each sound by itself, then to all the sounds together, and then experiment with moving the sounds around in different patterns. What kind of story do these sounds tell? Do they tell an exciting story, or a sad story, or a funny story? Write your story down in 3–5 sentences. You can draw pictures of it too!

Musicians – As you go throughout the day, periodically record some of the sounds you hear. You can include a mix of musical sounds (rehearsal or practicing) and non-musical sounds (walking, talking, watching TV). Upload those files to an audio workstation (such as Audacity, Bandlab, or GarageBand) and experiment with layering and lining up your sounds so they tell an expressive story about your day. Finally, use this composition as a backing track for improvisation that communicates your story.

Upload your piece as a video to Instagram and use #ACed to share your piece with us! 

Memories in Sound: an Introduction to Pauline Oliveros and Sonic Meditation

Author: Sarah Christianson – 5 minute read

Pauline Oliveros, courtesy of The New York Times Magazine

How did one moment ago sound?

How did yesterday sound?

How did last year sound? *

*Don’t answer these questions with words!

Instead, answer them using actual sounds.

Sonic meditation is a concept created by composer Pauline Oliveros in the 1970s. It’s a simple concept––

Sonic = sound

Meditation = concentration without distraction

Sonic + meditation = concentration on sound without distraction

Pauline’s group, the ♀ Ensemble, would practice sonic meditations together every week. Often they would even avoid using verbal communication during meetings in order to intensify the meditative experience. What’s great about sonic meditations is that they can be practiced by both musicians and non-musicians alike! Sound is sound, and everyone is invited to explore it on a deeper level than they did yesterday.

Pauline Oliveros (1932–2016) was not just a composer or performer, but rather a force that changed the definition and application of the word, “listen.” In addition to creating the concept of sonic meditation, Pauline also pioneered a practice called Deep Listening, which she describes as, “a way of listening in every possible way to everything possible, to hear no matter what you are doing.”

Pauline introduced the world to her new meditative practices in Sonic Meditations (1971), which is essentially a collection of meditative prompts performed by the ♀ Ensemble during their weekly meetings. While today anyone is invited to practice sonic meditation, Pauline intended the first meditators to be just women! Her reasoning behind this was that since women had struggled so long to get their artistic voices heard, they should be the first ones to experience the healing power of her new meditative practice.

Following Sonic Meditations Pauline wrote a number of other text scores. A text score is a musical score that functions like sheet music, except instead of music notes, words tell the performer what to do. What’s great about this notation is that it levels the playing field by welcoming both musicians and non-musicians to perform. With a text score, both groups are equally challenged to leave behind what they know (or don’t know) and bravely enter a new sound world that they create with the guidance of the composer.

Sonic meditations were initially intended to be a group activity, but after their first publication, Pauline also wrote several “solo meditations,” which expanded how sonic meditation can be practiced. Whether practicing alone or as a group, Pauline’s guidelines (paraphrased below) should always be considered:

1. “Actually make sound” using your voice, your body, objects, or instruments.

2. “Actively imagine sounds” using trigger questions to create internal sound worlds you can share.

3. “Listen to present sounds” that are both within and outside of yourself.

4. “Remember sounds” using trigger questions that form memories you can share.

Now that you’ve read about it, you might as well try it out! So here’s your sonic meditation prompt for today, inspired by Pauline Oliveros’s For Allison Knowles (a.k.a. All is On):

How did your 2020 sound?

Application suggestions:

Non-musicians – First, think back to a significant or defining moment of 2020. Then reimagine the sounds (or even the lack of sound) that made up that moment. Finally relive the emotions that were present, whether they were inherent or expressed or conveyed by media. Take 1–2 minutes and live in that sound world internally (maybe set a stopwatch to define the time). Then recreate those sounds using your voice, body, or found objects.

K–6 – Think back to a special moment in the year 2020 (year can be changed if kids can’t remember). Don’t tell anyone that special moment yet! But imagine it in your head. What were the different sounds you heard? Were they happy sounds, or sad sounds, or something in between? Try to imagine those sounds for 10–30 seconds without thinking of anything else. Then recreate those sounds using your voice (singing, vocalizing, etc.), your body (tapping on a table, shuffling your feet, etc.), or a musical instrument.

Musicians – First, think back to a significant or defining moment of 2020. Then reimagine the sounds (or even the lack of sound) that made up that moment. Finally relive the emotions that were present, whether they were inherent or expressed or conveyed by media. Take 1–2 minutes and live in that sound world internally (maybe set a stopwatch to define the time). Then recreate those sounds using your voice, body, or found objects. After sonic meditation, use your sound world as the basis for improvisation. Improvisation can be less than a minute or several minutes long, performed alone or with a group. Be brave and be totally attuned to yourself.

Bonus activity for all ages and abilities! – After following your steps above, try engaging with sound through a new medium. Draw a picture of the sound world from your meditation. Whether your drawing accurately depicts the scene you imagined or symbolically describes it, make sure the sounds are the focal point of your creation.

My sources you can use for further study:

Kerry O’Brien’s article from The New Yorker: “Listening as Activism: The “Sonic Meditations” of Pauline Oliveros” https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/listening-as-activism-the-sonic-meditations-of-pauline-oliveros

The Center for Deep Listening, founded by Pauline Oliveros: https://www.deeplistening.rpi.edu

Pauline Oliveros’s Sonic Meditations published by Smith Publications: https://www.smith-publications.com/

Pauline Oliveros’s Anthology of Text Scores published by PoP & MoM: https://popandmom.org/products/anthology-of-text-scores