Thank goodness for inspiration!
Welcome to November, friends! I have a delightful experience to share. While preparing to lead a big workshop later this month, I found myself coming back to an unlikely source of inspiration. Over the last few days I have listened to and watched Usher’s Tiny Desk Concert multiple times. For those who don’t know, Usher is an RnB artist whose popularity has outlasted many of his contemporaries who featured prominently in the mid to late 1990s Black music scene. Now, I never followed Usher as an artist. I only know the hits that got lots of airtime on pop radio stations. So, I cannot claim that I was a big fan. But this 25 minute concert offers not only a remarkable display of his talents as a singer and performer but also as a collaborative musician and mentor. Whether you enjoy his particular brand of music or not, please give yourself the gift of watching a consummate performance.
Now let me tell you about how this repeated enjoyment inspired me:
The sense of human connection - artist to audience, to band and back up singers and also to the joy of shared music making shines through from beginning to end. Listen to him talk about life being “a collaborative process,” I mean, feel that.
Perfection and imperfection - both/and. Usher makes and admits mistakes even as he guides us through a remarkable montage of vocal highlights, band synergies and total audience enthusiasm.
The music is the star - Usher prefaces each song only briefly and then, “I’m gonna get right into it.” He doesn’t keep us waiting or wondering.
Structure the experience - he kicks off with the song I know best and then takes us to various stations of hits along his 25 year career path. He leads and makes it easy to follow.
Rehearsed with plenty of room for improv - it’s clear that this display has been well prepared and rehearsed. At the same time, there are moments open for improv and adaptation which underscore the deeper levels of mutual trust and understanding among the group.
Less is more. NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts are brief, always under 30 minutes, and they feel intimate. The whole Usher set consists of 6 songs, yet it has the texture of a multiple course meal with ideal portion sizes of all your faves. A wonderfully proportioned delight.
In my workshop planning, these ideas gave me just the right clues about how to create a learning experience for others that can be returned to again; that uplifts and demonstrates care and love in the process. The lesson: be open. Inspiration can come from many places if we allow it.
Also, this comment captures part of where the magic lies for me in very real terms:
“Black men - showing teeth, being joyous and singing without autotune is something I need more of this year!” - Robert Ricketts
Watch the video (again). You’ll thank me.
November means…
#NativeAmericanHeritageMonth in the United States.
One beautiful online exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian features the work of Black-Indigenous women artists, Ancestors Know Who We Are. Stunning artwork to share with students!
“Students need to understand that American Indians are infinitely more than a prop in a Thanksgiving show, and see how Native people are still (despite settler-inflicted trauma) thriving in our communities in modern times.” - Ashlie Swicker on Book Riot
Book Riot offers a list of new children’s books by Native American authors and you can also consult this list of #OwnVoices picture books featuring Indigenous and Native American characters.
Don’t sleep on this opportunity to be in community with some of the finest hearts and minds in the international school ecosystem. The Association of International Educators and Leaders of Color along with Women of Color in English Language Teaching are offering this rich virtual conference for the 3rd year in a row. Sessions this year are more like lightning talks (under 40 minutes) and speak to a range of topics relevant to educators of all backgrounds.
This just in! While I was putting the finishing touches on this newsletter, I read a blog post that stopped me in my tracks. Karen Costa is an instructional designer who thinks and writes about so much more than that. In “Systems Aren’t Scary” she describes the consequences of untreated ADHD and illustrates how systems, structures and routines are central to her literal survival. Reading her words reminded me of false and damaging assumptions I may carry about students and others who struggle to attend (in all the ways that term can be (mis)understood).
I’m going to share this key quote and implore you to take time to read the full post. It’s urgent and necessary. Here’s Karen:
“Your neurotypical brain can move you through your day because it has internal systems built-in that work pretty well most of the time. Of course you have off days, but again, most of the time, those internal systems work well.
My ADHD brain works differently. Because the DMN is constantly active and because of other ADHD-related differences, I need external systems, routines, and nudges to help me do anything, whether it be work, rest, or play. This is not about being a good little capitalist worker bee. I need these support systems TO LIVE.”
Friends, that’s about it for this month. In my part of the world the weeks between now and the winter break tend to take on a dynamic all their own - accelerated, jam-packed, yet purposeful. As I prepare for the first round of report cards, I’m trying to stay mindful of what is front and center for students. What is it that animates their engagement and desire to try things? How can I build the conditions that call those tendencies forth?
I wonder which questions are on your mind.
Going into these next eventful weeks, I wish you calm, fortitude and pleasure. (Quite a combo, I know!)
Take care,
Sherri