HONK! : A Street Band Renaissance of Music and Activism

__HONK! A Street Band Renaissance of Music and Activism__ explores a fast-growing and transnational movement of street bands—particularly brass and percussion ensembles—and examines how this exciting phenomenon mobilizes communities to reimagine public spaces, protest injustice, and assert their activism. Through the joy of participatory music making, HONK! bands foster active musical engagement in street protests while encouraging grassroots organization, representing a manifestation of cultural activity that exists at the intersections of community, activism, and music. This collection of twenty essays considers the parallels between the diversity of these movements and the diversity of the musical repertoire these bands play and share. In five parts, musicians, activists, and scholars voiced in various local contexts cover a range of themes and topics: * History and Scope * Repertoire, Pedagogy, and Performance * Inclusion and Organization * Festival Organization and Politics * On the Front Lines of Protest The HONK! Festival of Activist Street Bands began in Somerville, Massachusetts in 2006 as an independent, non-commercial, street festival. It has since spread to four continents. __HONK! A Street Band Renaissance of Music and Activism__ explores the phenomenon that inspires street bands and musicians to change the world and provide musical, social, and political alternatives in contemporary times. Visit the companion webiste: Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors Introduction History and Scope Repertoire, Pedagogy, and Performance Inclusion and Organization Festival Politics On the Front Lines of Protest Parading Onwards Notes References PART I: History and Scope 1. The Many Roads to HONK! and the Power of Brass and Percussion HONK! and BOOM: A Deep History of Brass and Percussion Transforming the Military Model The Path to HONK! The HONK! Rhizome Notes References 2. Autonomous Street Carnival Blocos and Reinventing Citizenship in Rio de Janeiro Revival and “Officialization” of Street Carnival in Rio de Janeiro Unofficial Street Carnival as an Affirmation of a Political Practice Unofficial Street Carnival as Spontaneous and Autonomous Resistance Unofficial Street Carnival as a Stage for the Marginalized Final Considerations Notes References 3. Jericho’s Harvest: A Short History of Brass Bands as a Voice for Political Opposition in Europe Why Brass Bands in Mid Twentieth-Century Political Struggles? Precursors England, 1956 – Ken Colyer, Trad Jazz & the Committee for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) Holland, 1972 – Willem Breuker, Louis Andressen & De Volharding Germany, 1972 – Berlin East & West and Frankfurt Onward References 4. Protest, Polyvalence, and Indirection in Benin’s Brass Band Music Cultural Autonomy and Entrepreneurship Cultural Autonomy Vs. Entrepreneurship? A History of a Divided Movement Noubioto (“The Beggar”) Conclusion Notes References 5. Japanese Perspective on HONK! Fest West: A Conversation with O ̄ kuma Wataru of Jinta-la-Mvta Politics of Pleasure and Historicism Public Space, Militarism, and Gender Professionalism and Activism Notes References PART II: Repertoire, Pedagogy, and Performance 6. Musical Eclecticism, Cultural Appropriation, and Whiteness in Mission Delirium and HONK! The Music of a Globalized Brass Band On the Questionable Appropriateness of Musical Eclecticism Notes References 7. Learning on Parade with the School of HONK Getting the Party Started The Promise of Fun Learning on Parade School of HONK as Social Action Notes References 8. From Page to Performance: Learning a Song in an Italian Multi-Level Activist Brass Band Titubanda The Song The Arrangement The Transcription The Rhythm Section The Theme The Improvisations Inclusion in the Repertoire Notes References PART III: Inclusion and Organization 9. Leadership, Inclusion, and Group Decision-Making in HONK! Bands Methods Leaders, Structure, and Inclusivity Implications and Conclusions Notes References 10. Building Connections while Maintaining the Band: The Challenging Politics of Inclusion in Activist Work About the Rude Mechanical Orchestra Injustice, Critical Consciousness, and Inclusion About the Participants An Emerging Tension between Processes of Inclusion A Developing Politic of Widening Inclusion A Developing Politic of Inward Provisional Inclusion The Paradox of Inclusion Notes References 11. Horns and Hers: The Subversion of Gendered Instrumentation in the HONK! Movement Gendered Patterns of Low Brass in the Classroom, Community Concert Bands, and a HONK! Festival HONK! and a Re-Gendering of Low Brass Instruments Conclusion Notes References 12. Collective Effervescence and the Political Ethos of the HONK! Movement Social Aesthetics of HONK! Bands and Functions in Protest Collective Effervescence Origins of Collective Effervescence A History of Collective Effervescence and the Communitarian Ethos of HONK! Conclusion References PART IV: Festival Organization and Politics 13. HONK! and the Politics of Performance in Public Space Introduction Roots: Brass Bands and Community Performance in Public Space Public Space in the 1960s as Sites of Resistance Theorizing Street Performance as Situation The Somerville HONK! Festival: Activist Celebration in Public Space Conclusion Notes References 14. Why Do We Honk? How Do We Honk? Politics, Antipolitics, and Activist Street Bands When Do We Honk? How Do We Honk? Why Do We Honk? Notes References 15. Pittonkatonk and Valuing Music as a Public Good Listening, Live Music, and Pittsburgh Music and Labor, Pittonkatonk, and the Young Musicians Collaborative Considerations and Conclusions Notes References 16. The Key of Rest: HONK!’s Hospitality Activism Genesis of Exploration Conceiving of an Ancient Practice in the Modern World HONK!’s Hospitality Activism HONK! Networks: The Relationship of Trust Stranger in a Strange Band: Challenges of HONK! Hospitality Conclusion: HONK!’s Hospitality Activism as Community Building References PART V: On the Front Lines of Protest 17. Infernal Noise: Sowing a Propaganda of Sound Notes References 18. Listening for Lefebvre: Chant Support, Sonic Disobedience, and the City as “Oeuvre” The Techniques Possibilities and Limitations: The City as “Oeuvre” Notes References 19. Syncopation against the Occupation: Handling High-Risk Situations as an Activist Street Band in Israel-Palestine Meet Me in the Middle (East) You’re Gonna Hear Me RoR! This Is How We Do It Touch the Sky And the Beat Goes on (to Fuel an International Movement) Notes References 20. Sounding Solidarity at the Suffolk County ICE Immigration Detention Center Notes References Index HONK! A Street Band Renaissance of Music and Activism explores a fast-growing and transnational movement of street bands—particularly brass and percussion ensembles—and examines how this exciting phenomenon mobilizes communities to reimagine public spaces, protest injustice, and assert their activism. Through the joy of participatory music making, HONK! bands foster active musical engagement in street protests while encouraging grassroots organization, representing a manifestation of cultural activity that exists at the intersections of community, activism, and music. This collection of twenty essays considers the parallels between the diversity of these movements and the diversity of the musical repertoire these bands play and share.In five parts, musicians, activists, and scholars voiced in various local contexts cover a range of themes and topics: History and Scope Repertoire, Pedagogy, and Performance Inclusion and Organization Festival Organization and Politics On the Front Lines of Protest The HONK! Festival of Activist Street Bands began in Somerville, Massachusetts in 2006 as an independent, non-commercial, street festival. It has since spread to four continents. HONK! A Street Band Renaissance of Music and Activism explores the phenomenon that inspires street bands and musicians to change the world and provide musical, social, and political alternatives in contemporary times.Visit the companion webiste: http://www.honkrenaissance.net/ HONK! A Street Band Renaissance of Music and Activismexplores a fast-growing and transnational movement of street bands--particularly brass and percussion ensembles--and examines how this exciting phenomenon mobilizes communities to reimagine public spaces, protest injustice, and assert their activism. Through the joy of participatory music making, HONK! bands foster active musical engagement in street protests while encouraging grassroots organization, representing a manifestation of cultural activity that exists at the intersections of community, activism, and music. This collection of twenty essays considers the parallels between the diversity of these movements and the diversity of the musical repertoire these bands play and share. In five parts, musicians, activists, and scholars voiced in various local contexts cover a range of themes and topics: History and Scope Repertoire, Pedagogy, and Performance Inclusion and Organization Festival Organization and Politics On the Front Lines of Protest The HONK! Festival of Activist Street Bands began in Somerville, Massachusetts in 2006 as an independent, non-commercial, street festival. It has since spread tofour continents. HONK! A Street Band Renaissance of Music and Activism explores the phenomenon that inspires street bands and musicians to change the world and provide musical, social, and political alternatives incontemporary times. Visit the companion webiste: http://www.honkrenaissance.net HONK! A Street Band Renaissance of Music and Activism describes the fast-growing and transnational phenomenon of street bands--particularly brass and percussion ensembles--and examines how this exciting phenomenon mobilizes communities to reimagine public spaces, protest injustice, and assert their activism. Through the joy of participatory musicmaking, HONK! bands foster active musical engagement in street protests while encouraging grassroots organization, representing a manifestation of cultural activity that exists at the intersections of community, activism, and music. This collection of twenty essays considers the parallels between the diversity of these movements and the diversity of the musical repertoire these bands play and share. In five parts, musicians, activists, and scholars voiced in various local contexts cover a range of themes and topics: History and Scope Repertoire, Pedagogy, and Performance Inclusion and Organization Festival Organization and Politics On the Front Lines The HONK! Festival of Activist Street Bands began in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 2006 as an independent, non-commercial, street festival. It has since spread to three continents. HONK! A Street Band Renaissance of Music and Activism explores the phenomenon that inspires street bands and musicians to "change the world" and provide musical, social, and political alternatives in modern times. "HONK! Music Activism in a Street Band Renaissance reflects on the recent, transnational revival of street bands. It provides a window into diverse manifestations of cultural activity that mobilizes communities to reimagine the public square, protest injustice, and celebrate community. With the joy of participatory music making at its core, HONK bands are a fast-growing phenomena, asserting their activism through "radical inclusion," active musical engagement in street protests, and grassroots organization. This collection of twenty-two essays, voiced in various local contexts, describes how the diversity of manifestations of these movements parallels the rich diversity of the musical repertoires these bands play and share. The HONK! Festival of Activist Street Bands began in Somerville, Mass, in 2006 as an independent, non-commercial, street festival, featuring community-based brass and percussion bands. HONK has since spread to three continents. The contributors tackle a diverse range of themes, including circulation of repertoire, innovative musical pedagogies, musical engagement within protest, and various theories of activism, incl. the social dynamics of gender, race, and class. Musicians, activists, and scholars engage with how HONK! Festivals might pursue their goals of "changing the world.""-- Provided by publisher