presented by
The HONK! Festival and Harvard Graduate School of Education Arts in Education Program

Monday, October 8, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Gutman Library (lower level)
Appian Way – Cambridge, MA

Plenary Session

10:00 am – 12 noon – “Inclusion and Quality: Contradictory or Complimentary?”
In this plenary session, a number of practitioners from various community arts (spoken word, dance, theater, quilting, puppetry, etc., as well as music) will speak briefly about how they deal with the principles of inclusion and quality in the process of teaching and learning in their respective fields. Questions to address include:

• How do we define Inclusion? Quality?
• What is valuable about each of these principles?
• Is there a tension between the two?
• What determines who participates and who doesn’t?

We will then break down into small groups to discuss how we might apply the lessons learned to achieving inclusion and quality in the process of teaching and learning music.
We will conclude with a demonstration by the Young Fellaz, a New Orleans brass band, who will discuss inclusion and quality in New Orleans culture, and lead the total group through their process of learning a song. Bring your instruments.

12 – 12:45 pm – LUNCH BREAK

Afternoon Sessions

12:45 – 2:00 pm – “HONK! in Today’s Classroom” – Cale Piepenburg, Megan Sartori, and Mike Gutierrez
Music is an important part of a child’s education, but it can be difficult to get children excited about making music.  Children may be afraid of the response from their peers, may be afraid they will fail, or may have a low opinion of traditional forms of school music.  We have had success in public school music instruction with traditional instrumentation, by using techniques and principles derived from our experience in ensembles such as EE, including:

• Making music should be fun; not an occasion for terror.
• Performers of every level of ability ought to be included.
• Permitting and encouraging improvisation engages students.
• Music is a means of expression, not deadening ritual.
• Even in a group there is room for individuality.

12:45 – 2:00 pm – “What makes a HONK! band HONK?” – Mr Petey
How do you know if you’re a HONK! band? Please bring your stories and questions about how HONK! bands form, expand, and evolve to a roundtable with Honkateers from around the world. How does your group make decisions about finding and keeping members? What have you learned from your experiences in the streets? What to do about our good friend Money? Can trombones and accordions really get along? This will be a great opportunity to connect and contribute to the emergence of the movement which we call HONK!”

12:45 – 2:00 pm – The Nuts and Bolts of HONK! Organizing – Trudi Cohen
Versions of HONK! are happening in Boston, Providence, Brooklyn, Austin and Seattle, and other locations are contemplating similar festivals too.  What challenges do we share?  What common principles guide us?  Can/should we support each other through some form of HONK network?  A chance for us to ask each other about how to manage traffic, how to deal with commercial interests, where to buy kazoos. Join HONK! organizers from around the country to answer these important questions.