CANOE
COMPOSER APPRENTICE NATIONAL OUTREACH ENDEAVOR
HISTORY
CANOE’S former incarnation, NACAP (Native American Composer Apprentice Project), was the pilot educational project of Brent Michael Davids in Arizona, a Leadership Initiative funded by the NEA and Continental Harmony. Through this award-winning program, Davids taught composition to high school students on several nearby reservations, resulting in student-composed string quartets. Despite their lack of formal music training, students created exemplary works in one summer of instruction. NACAP fostered a new music education program, called CANOE, the “Composer Apprentice National Outreach Endeavor,” through the new organization FIRST NATIONS COMPOSERS INITIATIVE (FNCI) and the AMERICAN COMPOSERS FORUM (ACF). Both NACAP and CANOE programs were founded and developed by Davids.
OBJECTIVE
Given the success of both programs since the year 2000, Davids is offering the CANOE program to American Indian (and non-Indian) students around the country, with the first Wisconsin-based initiative developed with students from Bowler H. S., Gresham H. S., and adults from the Stockbridge-Munsee Community in 2015. CANOE places Davids in the community for 6+ composition training sessions and private lessons in composing music, leading to a final concert of the student composed works, by the Civic Symphony of Green Bay.
Students in the program need very little background in music in order to participate. After a beginning orientation session, students will attend either (Option A) weekly (or bi-weekly) private lessons in composition over a semester, or alternatively (Option B) in the 10-day intensive seminar, whichever is the better option for the participating organizations. The coursework will end with a public concert of the works written by the students, performed by professional musicians. Through this intensive training, Davids will impart a widely recognized musical vocabulary to the students, giving them a way to build bridges between their unique musical voices and classical Western music. The concerts are a public recognition of their achievement.
CANOE will give participating students a way to diversify their interaction with the wider culture. Students, both on reservations and in urban areas, are rarely exposed to classical music composition. Connections to larger cultural institutions are rare. As a result, music that American Indians create is rarely heard outside of reservations. CANOE offers interested high school students (and adults) intensive compositional training to give them a creative outlet, encourage the most talented to pursue a career in music and to make new and positive connections.
GOALS
The overall goal of CANOE is to encourage American Indian students to compose and share their own music. Participating Indian (and non-Indian) students are taught composition skills needed to express themselves confidently through music. Students will:
CANOE stimulates new avenues for composers that enrich both Indian and non-Indian communities through public visibility and association.
PROJECT DATES
Option A: For the Wisconsin project (including Bowler, Gresham, Stockbridge-Munsee), all students will start their training simultaneously at the start of the program, for 2+ months (flexible scheduling), ideally when school activities do not actively compete with the CANOE program.
Option B: For programs in other cities and states (such as Green Bay, Milwaukee and Chicago, etc.), the students will work intensely over a period of about ten days (daily activities) to complete the CANOE program.
In both programs, Students will receive a minimum of 6 two-hour lessons of composition instruction over the course of the program. Culminating concerts will be held at a venue to be determined, possibly within the local area, but also in Green Bay, the home of the Civic Symphony.
DISSEMINATING THE PROJECT
Davids seeks media coverage of both the instructional process and culminating concert with local news outlets, and other musical and Indian news services. Davids arranges to record the works for the students onto a CD which they can retain following the concert, and to provide the students with print-ready manuscripts of their hand-written music manuscripts. With permission from the student composers, the respective high school libraries may wish to retain copies of these materials for future reference, as well.
EVALUATING THE PROJECT
In the evaluation of the Arizona project, one observer noted that, “... given how audacious the plan for the project is, Davids’ method is truly revolutionary. Yet the outcomes are consistent with what educators know, but often overlook or forget — motivated young people can achieve amazing results when offered a challenge in an atmosphere of respect and high expectations.”
In evaluating this program, the criteria for success will include:
Changes will be measured through observation, listening to the performance and/or the recording. Parents may provide their opinions of the project after the final performance. In addition, the students will be asked to articulate their expectations, along with end-of-project feedback from each of the artists.
FUTURE PROSPECTS
If growing this CANOE initiative is successful, the local high schools and respective communities may have a unique opportunity to partner with FNCI to grow and enhance the program in future years to include the teaching of other forms of music composition, including but not limited to choral composing, composing for other instruments, full orchestra composing, jazz composing, composing music for dance, and composing for film-television-video. Doodlebug Music Studio will be available for recording, editing and mastering of student composition recordings.
CANOE FOR YOU
Please contact composer Brent Michael Davids on the contact page to discuss ways to bring the Composer Apprentice National Outreach Endeavor to your area. It's an exciting program!
CANOE’S former incarnation, NACAP (Native American Composer Apprentice Project), was the pilot educational project of Brent Michael Davids in Arizona, a Leadership Initiative funded by the NEA and Continental Harmony. Through this award-winning program, Davids taught composition to high school students on several nearby reservations, resulting in student-composed string quartets. Despite their lack of formal music training, students created exemplary works in one summer of instruction. NACAP fostered a new music education program, called CANOE, the “Composer Apprentice National Outreach Endeavor,” through the new organization FIRST NATIONS COMPOSERS INITIATIVE (FNCI) and the AMERICAN COMPOSERS FORUM (ACF). Both NACAP and CANOE programs were founded and developed by Davids.
OBJECTIVE
Given the success of both programs since the year 2000, Davids is offering the CANOE program to American Indian (and non-Indian) students around the country, with the first Wisconsin-based initiative developed with students from Bowler H. S., Gresham H. S., and adults from the Stockbridge-Munsee Community in 2015. CANOE places Davids in the community for 6+ composition training sessions and private lessons in composing music, leading to a final concert of the student composed works, by the Civic Symphony of Green Bay.
Students in the program need very little background in music in order to participate. After a beginning orientation session, students will attend either (Option A) weekly (or bi-weekly) private lessons in composition over a semester, or alternatively (Option B) in the 10-day intensive seminar, whichever is the better option for the participating organizations. The coursework will end with a public concert of the works written by the students, performed by professional musicians. Through this intensive training, Davids will impart a widely recognized musical vocabulary to the students, giving them a way to build bridges between their unique musical voices and classical Western music. The concerts are a public recognition of their achievement.
CANOE will give participating students a way to diversify their interaction with the wider culture. Students, both on reservations and in urban areas, are rarely exposed to classical music composition. Connections to larger cultural institutions are rare. As a result, music that American Indians create is rarely heard outside of reservations. CANOE offers interested high school students (and adults) intensive compositional training to give them a creative outlet, encourage the most talented to pursue a career in music and to make new and positive connections.
GOALS
The overall goal of CANOE is to encourage American Indian students to compose and share their own music. Participating Indian (and non-Indian) students are taught composition skills needed to express themselves confidently through music. Students will:
- Compose music for string quartet (2 Violins, Viola and Cello).
- Learn about music notation and orchestration.
- Develop unique artistic voices.
- Critique and analyze their work and the work of others.
- Hear about the business aspects of composing professionally.
- Hear their music professionally performed for an audience.
CANOE stimulates new avenues for composers that enrich both Indian and non-Indian communities through public visibility and association.
PROJECT DATES
Option A: For the Wisconsin project (including Bowler, Gresham, Stockbridge-Munsee), all students will start their training simultaneously at the start of the program, for 2+ months (flexible scheduling), ideally when school activities do not actively compete with the CANOE program.
Option B: For programs in other cities and states (such as Green Bay, Milwaukee and Chicago, etc.), the students will work intensely over a period of about ten days (daily activities) to complete the CANOE program.
In both programs, Students will receive a minimum of 6 two-hour lessons of composition instruction over the course of the program. Culminating concerts will be held at a venue to be determined, possibly within the local area, but also in Green Bay, the home of the Civic Symphony.
DISSEMINATING THE PROJECT
Davids seeks media coverage of both the instructional process and culminating concert with local news outlets, and other musical and Indian news services. Davids arranges to record the works for the students onto a CD which they can retain following the concert, and to provide the students with print-ready manuscripts of their hand-written music manuscripts. With permission from the student composers, the respective high school libraries may wish to retain copies of these materials for future reference, as well.
EVALUATING THE PROJECT
In the evaluation of the Arizona project, one observer noted that, “... given how audacious the plan for the project is, Davids’ method is truly revolutionary. Yet the outcomes are consistent with what educators know, but often overlook or forget — motivated young people can achieve amazing results when offered a challenge in an atmosphere of respect and high expectations.”
In evaluating this program, the criteria for success will include:
- Two-thirds of the young people who begin the project will finish it.
- Participants will actively engage with the project and find it interesting and challenging.
- Each participant completing the project will be able to write an original composition.
- A majority of parents and tribal leaders will feel that the project contributed in a positive way to their community.
- A large majority of the young people who participate will agree that their expectations of the project had been met.
- Participants, parents, and tribal leaders will wish to see the project continued.
Changes will be measured through observation, listening to the performance and/or the recording. Parents may provide their opinions of the project after the final performance. In addition, the students will be asked to articulate their expectations, along with end-of-project feedback from each of the artists.
FUTURE PROSPECTS
If growing this CANOE initiative is successful, the local high schools and respective communities may have a unique opportunity to partner with FNCI to grow and enhance the program in future years to include the teaching of other forms of music composition, including but not limited to choral composing, composing for other instruments, full orchestra composing, jazz composing, composing music for dance, and composing for film-television-video. Doodlebug Music Studio will be available for recording, editing and mastering of student composition recordings.
CANOE FOR YOU
Please contact composer Brent Michael Davids on the contact page to discuss ways to bring the Composer Apprentice National Outreach Endeavor to your area. It's an exciting program!
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NACAP 2001-2002
(featured audio is a sampler of twelve finished student compositions) |
NACAP 2014
(featured on the audio is a sample of a finished student composition) |
