E43: Why We Need To Be Able To Talk About Race And Gender In Classical Music: a Cautionary Tale
Heart of the Piano PodcastShow Notes
An exploration of the challenging but crucial conversations surrounding diversity and representation in classical music education, framed through a personal cautionary experience. Drawing from recent events in the industry, topics discussed include:
– The importance of open dialogue about race and gender in music
– Challenges in representing diverse composers in educational materials
– Navigating sensitive discussions in music education
– Lessons learned from attempting to address these issues
– Broader implications for inclusivity in classical music
Links:
This episode is also available with video on YouTube:
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism- Robin DiAngelo:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/566247/white-fragility-by-dr-robin-diangelo/9780807047415
Useful study notes on ‘White Fragility’:
https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/hs-ethnic-studies/white-fragility
A must read extract in The Guardian from Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/30/why-im-no-longer-talking-to-white-people-about-race
YouTube video Music Theory and White Supremacy by Adam Neely:
A talk by Philip Ewell on YouTube- a useful introduction to his work:
My podcast review of the 2021 Leeds Internation Piano Competition:
https://heartofthepiano.com/e21-leeds-international-piano-competition-the-leeds-2021-review/
Fiona Sinclair’s (CEO Leeds International Piano Competition) Leeds University presentation on gender inequality in music competitions and in the profession as a whole:
https://www.youtube.com/live/xtdpAVyJzVg?si=sOp3PWG5_T_rCB-R&t=2801
A couple of news links concerning possible preferrential treatment for women in the Leeds International Piano Competition:
https://slippedisc.com/2024/09/exclusive-how-the-leeds-piano-competition-is-rigged-for-equality/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/09/19/female-pianists-favoured-men-major-competition-rules/
The new AI tool which creates incredible podcast episodes- Notebook LM’s new Audio Overview feature:
The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like:
Transcription:
Have you ever found yourself hesitant to discuss issues of race or gender for fear of saying something wrong? When we feel unable to talk about these issues freely, resentments and tensions can build up. Movements like Black Lives Matter, along with recent events in the UK, have highlighted how crucial it is to have these conversations.
It’s obviously a contentious topic, but when conversations are stifled—when we’re afraid to discuss racial issues honestly for fear of being ‘cancelled’ or vilified—this creates a pressure cooker environment. As a result, when people of colour speak out about inequalities and push for change, white people can react in exaggerated, overly defensive reactive ways rather than perhaps listening with an open mind.
Robin DiAngelo’s book White Fragility introduces the concept of this knee-jerk defensive response to healthy debate on race, which often serves to quickly shut any conversation down. DiAngelo explains that these defensive reactions—which can include anger, fear, emotional outbursts, and withdrawal—aren’t about being a ‘bad person’ but are ways people can avoid the discomfort that comes with talking about race. This means that often, despite good intentions, these kinds of defensive responses can actually serve to maintain the status quo of racial inequality by shutting down meaningful conversations about race.
Another book, Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by UK author R
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