MT: What musical experiences did you have at school?
JT: At one school I went to, we had a steel band, which I loved; I used to transpose pop songs and songs that I listened to at home, reggae and so on. I also learned the violin in primary school but gave it up when I was a teenager. I did GCSE Music; there wasn’t anything in it about Black British music, and what they called pop was a Genesis album. I’ve always liked classical music, and I think Peer Gynt was included in GCSE; and I also did some composition and played the trombone for a little while. I love music, so I had quite a good time with it, but it wasn’t very contemporary. I didn’t see music as a career, and I didn’t really see it as part of me, because I was a raver, dancing and listening to acid house, techno and jungle. I don’t think I ever put those two things together.
MT: So your experience of Black British music was only outside the classroom?
JT: Yes; the classroom experience, the curriculum experience was very white European. I’ve recently had a look at the current GCSE syllabus and it hasn’t changed at all. So I’ve got my work cut out.
MT: Why is it so important for British society today to have Black music as an integral component of classroom music?
JT: The history of Black British music is both the history of Britain and the history of popular music. It is imperative that the curriculum adequately provides this context, for two reasons. First, there needs to be an acknowledgement of the importance of Black British culture to contemporary popular music. Second, given that music is a part of everyday life, there should be parts of the curriculum at both KS3 and GCSE that represent the aural lived experiences of students across the country.
Black British culture is British culture, isn’t it? The ‘British’ bit is right bang there in the middle! It’s important in terms of culture and history, language and identity, seeing a place for yourself. I’m fourth generation Black British and it’s important to know where you come from, and how that impacts current life. A lot of the music industry just now, especially in the UK, is coming from Black culture. You can hear Afrobeats permeate everywhere, in advertising, films, shopping centres, hotels. Many people are probably sitting there thinking, ‘This is just some incidental music.’ I think it’s good if everybody knows what everyone else’s contributions are. Everybody’s interested in music. It was Black and White youth making and producing jungle, and grime has gone global, from Australia to Brazil, to Poland, to England; it’s a way for people to express how they feel about where they are in the world. That’s like a universal language, isn’t it?
MT: So it’s not just about representation of a group of people, but because it’s enriching everybody’s understanding of music and culture on a sort of global level. Presumably this should start at primary level, then; what sort of materials would provide an entry?
JT: Well, for example, Jeffrey Boakye has produced a great book, Musical Truth, which goes through the modern history of Black Britain in 28 songs and which can immediately make the connection. Students, or their parents, will probably know some through streaming. There are also videos, and other resources – little segues in.
MT: Who would benefit from attending your Expo workshop?
JT: The issues are relevant for anyone who teaches music at any level, from early years and primary up to university level, though I have a special focus on KS3 and 4. It’s not going to be like a talking shop – I want people to be able to take something away with them, things that they can actually embed in a lesson. I’ll be looking at ways of introducing more elements of Black British and popular music, history, culture, and techniques into the curriculum. And for people to follow up further, reading lists of available supporting literature and texts (moving image and audio) will be provided to assist with planning.
MT: Could you say something about the methodology you would use in pursuing this course?
JT: Due to my media background and my role as a researcher in the Black Music Research Unit at the University of Westminster, part of my pedagogy is to stretch the concept of what we would call resources. We’ll work through music video and recorded performance, recorded audio and podcasts, exhibitions, catalogues, website archives, animation, and print. It is easier to engage a learner with an analogous text that they can relate to, then expand the scope of what you want them to learn. I’m really looking forward to it.
