We are delighted that 笔谤辞蹿.听闯辞丑补苍苍听叠耻颈蝉听蹿谤辞尘听, will be here for the duration of the 2021/22 academic year as a听Schulich Distinguished Visiting Chair in Music. The Dean鈥檚 Chairs have a broad impact on the School, help the School progress in directions that have been identified as important, and interact with the community 鈥� and Prof.听Buis听is sure to do just that.听听
Prof.听Buis听holds听degrees and diplomas from Ball State University, the University of Cape Town, the Orff Institute of the Mozarteum听University of Salzburg, and the University of the Western Cape, among others.听He was a post-doctoral Rockefeller Research Fellow during 1995鈥�96 at the Center for Black Music Research (CBMR)听Columbia College, Chicago听and held a Fulbright Fellowship in 1982鈥�83.听听
With scholarship ranging from performance history of early music to the aesthetics and reception history of Black music between the United States and urban听centres听in Africa, Prof.听Buis听is a notable and exciting guest听joining听us this academic year. Both his Fall seminar,听鈥�Music, Social Justice, and Black Perspectives,鈥澨齛nd Winter听seminar,听鈥�Musical Citizenship and Diverse Ethnic Voices,鈥澨齛im to bridge the gap between the academy and society in听the听context of questions pertinent to contemporary generations.听
The public will be able to engage with Prof.听Buis听and his areas of expertise 鈥� musicology, ethnomusicology, cultural theory,听and social justice 鈥斕齮hroughout听the year. Mark your calendars for听Words and Music听with musicians Alpha Thiam, Nathalie Cora, Ira Coleman, and guest听Ch茅rif听Ke茂ta听(October 2021);听Social Justice听and the Concert Stage:听Case听South Africa听(November 2021);听and听Music Citizenship Montreal: Hidden Musicians and the Academy听(February 2022). The听Schulich events calendar听will share details as we near the dates.听
At present, Prof.听Buis听is in his twenty-third season as a pre-concert听lecturer听with听the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has also held numerous professional development seminars in the听United States, the Caribbean, Germany, and South Africa.听With听experience in exploring new pathways in American and Africanist scholarship, he听is sought after for his fresh perspective on music scholarship.听We are fortunate to count him as one of our remarkable guests.听听
In advance of the coming semester, we connected with Prof.听Buis听over e-mail to find out how the past year has impacted his work, what he鈥檚 looking forward to at Schulich, and听what听elements听are听important to his teaching philosophy.听听
What are you most looking forward to when classes start?听听听
Inspiring young persons to become well-informed performers, scholars, and music enthusiasts, in order to become world citizens.听 Montreal, a city affirming bilingualism,听and Schulich, a performing and learning community in the midst of this vigorous bilingual environment, has much to teach the world about cosmopolitanism without sacrificing local pride.听
What would a goal of yours be for this year?听听
As a Public Musicologist raised in the Majority World, I hope to stimulate the intellectual curiosity of those I encounter, to broaden their perspectives of Music (capital 鈥淢鈥�), and to grow听their听understanding听of听human dignity in its rich variety of musical expressions.听
What should every student leave your seminars knowing?听听
First, I would hope that students will extend their encounter and embrace of all humanity beyond the seminar. We are privileged to use music as the medium through which we encounter and embrace others who agree and those who disagree with our views.听 The humanity of all persons is expressed in creativity through the arts.听 In the same way that bilingualism enables us to supplement our dominant language with a secondary language so,听too, does our intellectual curiosity compel us to examine musical vocabularies beyond our dominant musical preference. The goal is not to become equally proficient in diverse musical expressions, but rather to embrace the humanity of persons who value听a听musical creativity听听unfamiliar听to us.
Second, students should leave my seminars understanding that after the tragedy of societal disruption and a pandemic, we emerge courageously to find post-traumatic growth through the disruption听as听we grapple with new questions that arise. Engaging in Music teaches us to be problem-solvers, collaborators, leaders,听and followers, persons who lament and triumph, persons who听at times听have to assert themselves and at other times听have听to show grace and empathy to others.听
How has the past year impacted the work you do?听听
The past year brought us societal disruption and a pandemic. People lost their lives.听 Many interpreted these social upheavals differently 蹿谤辞尘听one another听Often the lack of self-reflection and empathy lies听at the core of these opposing perspectives. Reflecting on this past year, I have strengthened insights in public musicology infused with ethnomusicology to grapple with music, social justice, diverse ethnic perspectives,听and the historical, structural, and societal inequities that manifest themselves in our diverse societies today.听听听
What are some elements that are important to your teaching philosophy?听听
To me, it is important to create a collaborative learning community to model the ideal society we envisage.听That means:听student-centred听deliberation, discussion of readings, application of theoretical insights to real-world contexts, re-imagination of future solutions that are innovative, and,听most important,听to develop the strategies for empathetic thinking.听
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