Resource: Institute for Composer Diversity
At the CSI Southeast event in Atlanta last month, I had the pleasure of sitting in on a session delivered by Dr. David Eccles titled The Inclusive Orchestra: Strategies for Identifying and Programming Great Music of Composers from Underrepresented Voices. The focus of the session was on how string teachers could find and program literature from underrepresented populations of composers. Eccles reflected on his own musical upbringing and the predominance of white male composers as the only music that is often performed by string orchestras. While that is changing more and more recently, it needs to be something that music educators consider when they are programming - especially when the student population that sits in front of the teacher is also becoming more diverse. One of the many resources that Dr. Eccles showed the attendees was the Institute for Compose Diversity. It is a perfect way to search for and program music from a diverse population of composers.
The Institute for Compose Diversity (ICD) website is housed at the SUNY Fredonia School of Music and has several VERY cool methods of searching for diverse composers. In my opinion, the main Composer Database is a great place to start, although if you conduct a specific type of performance ensemble, you might start by selecting the respective database for that ensemble type. If you click on the Composer Database, you will see a HUGE number of criteria to choose from. Every composer in the database has been carefully curated. For works to appear within this database, the composer has to meet specific criteria and, if living, grant their permission to be included in the database. Some of the music that is included in the database may be considered by some to be problematic due to its history, content, or context. The ICD has decided to keep these works in the database so that they are available for research purposes. The ICD provides some guidance for teachers who to help them make decisions based on best practices for programming or to learn more about appropriate performance practice for a given genre or work in their Resource Database and Outside Resources pages.
Above are some of the many criteria that you will find when you search the Composer Database. It is a great way to find composers from a variety of underrepresented populations quickly, and the search results include the names and some biographical information of the composers that identify with the selected criteria as well as links to their respective websites.
The databases that focus on the various performance ensembles are equally impressive. In the Choral Database, users can select from a wide variety of criteria that focuses on the ensemble voicing, genre, language, etc. as well as all of the criteria in the Composer Database search items. Once you have selected all of your search criteria, the results are listed as individual works - listing the composer , title of the work, and the year it was written. If you click on the composition, you will find more information, including links to purchase the scores from a variety of public domain sheet music repositories as well as sheet music resellers.
One of the most useful sections of the website is their Best Practices section. Here is what they have posted for users:
SUGGESTED BEST PRACTICES
The following suggestions are made with the intention of providing decision-makers useful ideas as they work toward diversifying(1) their programmed repertoire.
1. DISTRIBUTION: Spread works by women composers(2), composers of color, and composers identifying with the LGBTQIA2s+(3) community throughout your concert season rather than only performing them on specially-themed concerts (i.e., all women composers for International Day of Women, all Black composers for Black History Month, all Asian composers for AAPI month, etc.).
2. TOPIC: It is important to avoid placing topical limitations on composers when commissioning new works as well as when programming your concert series. Composers from equity-seeking(4) groups have much to say about the world beyond works that speak directly to their identity or background. An inspiration for this suggestion is the work of Dr. Marques L. A. Garrett and his important web-based resource Beyond Elijah Rock: The Non-Idiomatic Choral Music of Black Composers.
3. RATIONALE: Representation has been shown to play an important role in modeling equity for audiences and musicians. No composer wants to be programmed just because of who they are—program their works because their music resonates with you and because of its musical merit, and it will resonate with your audiences as well.
4. BENCHMARKS: Intentionally setting minimum percentage goals before solidifying specific repertoire decisions makes it much easier to achieve those goals (see below for more on benchmarks).
5. AUDIENCE: Program to your potential audience as well as to your usual attendees.
6. LOCALITY: Remember that there are often a sizable number of composers in your extended region—always consider how they could help you connect with your community if possible.
7. SUBSTANTIAL WORKS: Include more substantial works by composers from equity-seeking groups in your program. Too often, programmers choose only short works by composers from equity-seeking groups and place them at the start of a program while choosing longer, more extensive works written by composers from the Western canon.
8. AVOID “3-OR-MORE”: Many ensembles will often perform multiple works by the same composer either in a special series or throughout their season. This practice has the unintentional consequence of removing space in a concert season that could be used to feature works by women composers and composers of color if done too frequently. While there’s nothing wrong with an occasional focus on any one composer, balance should be given to ensure that other voices are heard as well.
This is a really helpful, convenient and efficient way to ensure that you program music that reflects your student and community populations, as well as making sure that underrepresented voices are heard at your concerts. I strongly recommend bookmarking this site and exploring it today!