3/19/2019 0 Comments You Betta Werk!RuPaul's Drag Race is a cultural phenomenon, and has brought many phrases that have been well-known, well-loved, and well-used into mainstream culture. These include the concept of shade, the "dip" (or death drop), and of course, "You Betta Werk". When I use the word "werk", I'm basically saying "good job". Like, if your outfit is slammin', or your latest CD is really banging, I'll say "Yass, werk bish!". Well, not always just like that, but I think you get the idea. I'm thinking about that word in a different way today, though.
Once a month at American Public Media, there's a meeting for the People of Color Employee Resource Group (or the POC-ERG). March's POC-ERG meeting took place yesterday, and although it was my day off, I've decided that this is a group I need to be as involved in as possible, despite my very rarely being in the office when anyone else is around. The group has already gone to bat for me concerning company-wide issues I've faced, and I'm fully dedicated to working with them, even while off the clock. When I arrived, there were ONLY black and brown people in the room. As a company organization, we have to be fully inclusive, and usually there are more "allies" in the room than actual POC, so you can understand my surprise. I quickly learned that a separate (but equal [sorry, had to put it in there lol]) allies meeting had been arranged, so that we could have a space to REALLY talk...and boy did we. The main topic was hiring - how budgets can impact the diversity of a staff. While I completely understand and agree that people move faster and more efficiently when money is involved, I was compelled to offer my on-boarding story. Long story short, my (now) manager and her boss scheduled a lunch with me when I came to Minnesota for the first time to sub with the SPCO, kept me in mind when a position came open, invited me to apply, and here I am. It wasn't an increased "diversity budget" that compelled Julie to bring me on, but a desire to offer audiences a perspective they didn't have. That's the point of diversity, right? You know, making sure that as many perspectives are showcased and considered through the work an organization does? It's a shame that money has to be put in front of people's faces to hire diverse, but I'm glad that MY department is actively making efforts to not only hire diverse, but to let the diverse hires "werk". (No shade to any other departments - I can only speak for mine). And that brings me back to my initial point. "You Betta Werk" is in the zeitgeist at this point. That bit of diversity on a mainstream network has enriched millions, not just because of visibility, but because of what someone put in a very visible position has done! I felt this need to really "werk" after I left that POC-ERG meeting, and even more this morning when I checked my email and saw messages from young black classical musicians trying to figure it all out. It's easy to fall into the idea that being that woman, or that black guy, in a room full of other people is enough, but we have to do so much more. Today, I'm making the effort to level up and really squeeze everything I can out of my job, my platform, and my "brand". Garrett McQueen isn't the black representative of classical music by any means, but I AM the representative of my values and perspective - I'm pushing myself to really share what I have to offer. Maybe I should find a sign or poster that says "You Betta Work", post it in my bathroom, and read it as a reminder that being visible isn't enough. You have to WERK to impact! I'm not a drag queen, nor am I a guy who bends gender norms in what I wear, but like many gays, I've dabbled. Here's a photo from Halloween 2010:
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3/14/2019 0 Comments #ClassicalCancelCultureWhether it's a tweet gone wrong, or a full documentary exposing bad behavior, the idea of cancel culture has taken over popular culture these days, with some people surviving, and many more, professionally dying, or being "cancelled". In the past few weeks I've had several meetings with people from several organizations, and the idea of "cancel culture" has come up in each of them. If you're unfamiliar with the concept of cancel culture, look no further than social media. What people are tweeting and blogging is under more scrutiny than ever, which is fine in some instances, and it's coming at the cost of people's careers. There are some people who MOST CERTAINLY should be cancelled in my opinion, including R. Kelly. Others, though, tend to fall under the cancel culture radar for some reason. Many of them, live in the world of classical music.
Over the past few years we've seen the fall of a few conductors, including James Levine, but when I apply cancel culture to classical music I'm thinking more about composers. The first name people tend to bring up is Wagner, due to his problematic relationship with Nazi culture once upon a time, but there are so many others whose music we celebrate, with even cloudier histories. Back in my days at WUOT, I interviewed Maestro Aram Demirjian on this topic (you can listen here, if you're interested). The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra was set to perform Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana", and after doing lots of research in preparation for the interview, I came across a little of his problematic history. Is this a composer whose music we should save for the sake of art, despite his political leanings? We don't offer those sentiments to the paintings of Adolph Hitler, right? Digging deeper into this discussion will bring you to others, like Claude Debussy. He didn't have any problematic social opinions as far as a know, but he WAS a womanizer! Not only did he repeatedly cheat on his wife, but he also led two women to attempted suicide. If Debussy were alive today, I imagine that the #MeToo movement would take care of him. Sacrebleu... I'm not sure why I'm thinking about this right now - it's a little after midnight right now, and I'm at work, airing a beautiful piano concerto by Howard Shore (who I don't know to have "cancel culture" causing actions in his past). Maybe the release of the Michael Jackson documentary has me in this state of mind. It's not so easy to "cancel" someone you actually love, right? Is no one going to listen to "Thriller" this Halloween? I'm not trying to push anyone in one direction or the other, as much as I'm questioning why we don't apply our contemporary standards to the classical composers we listen to all the time. Who knows, I guess. Time will tell how we treat these men of ages past. On a lighter note, "Trilloquy" is well on its way! The first two episodes are just about done, and I plan on posting previews right here on my website, sometime next week. Here's the logo we got branded earlier this week: As I begin to approach the end of my first year at American Public Media, I have to acknowledge some of the challenges I've faced. I understand, very much so, that I engage millions of listeners each week, but it's easy to feel a little isolated from time to time - especially considering that it's completely possible for me to go an entire week without seeing too many other people. Thankfully I have my boyfriend Dell here, but even our two schedules don't line up all the time. I didn't really expect it, but I found a bit of solace in the world of podcasts.
I wish I could remember how I was first exposed to The Joe Budden Podcast, but it's a staple for me now. I can safely say that it's my favorite podcast. Each week, he and his friends talk about "the culture", and his show keeps me up to date with what's happening in the world of hip-hop, and other aspects of black culture. A few of the other podcasts I've enjoyed listening to each week include Classically Black, The Read, and The Need to Know Podcast (which I'll be a guest on this April). Go check those out! What I like most about the podcasts I listen to is that it's a peek into worlds you don't see everyday, or that you're separated from in some way. Both of those things are certainly the case for me, as a classical music professional. Back in November I began to wonder - how can I converge the audiences I spend so much time with through podcasts, and the audiences I spend so much time with in my job. The answer I came to was building my very own podcast! With the help of my dear friend and colleague, Scott Blankenship, I'm all set to pitch and eventually release the first episode of my new show, that I've titled "Trilloquy". Trill is a term in classical music, and also one used by "the culture" at large, so I thought it was the perfect work to use for a title. I mashed it with the word colloquy, which sets up the general feel of the show. It's not a podcast about classical music - it's a podcast about the perspectives and stories of the people that appreciate classical music, and the people that help make it possible. The perspectives and stories I've gathered from guests so far are ones that I believe most classical music audiences have never heard, and I'm really excited to bring this bit of blackness to my job, and to the world of classical music! "Opus 1" of Trilloquy will feature my friend, Marion, who's pictured with me below. My goal is to have it available by my birthday, March 20 (you can send me gifts, by the way, haha). I'll be sure to keep the world updated with how everything is going in the coming weeks - be on the lookout! 2/6/2019 0 Comments Minnesota State Capitol VisitToday I had the extreme honor of representing MPR before a judicial funding committee at the Minnesota State Capitol. Things were much more "procedural" than I had expected, and I greatly appreciated being able to get a peak "inside politics", so to speak. I'd like to offer the notes I prepared to read before the committee. Things move fast in those rooms, so I didn't get to everything, but preparing put me in a really nice head space, and maybe my notes will inspire you!
Mr. Chair, and Representatives - thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak before you this afternoon. My name is Garrett McQueen, and I’m a national host and producer of classical music at MPR. My principal role is hosting Music Through the Night, which is a national service through C24 that reaches about 250 public radio stations nationwide, with almost 2 million listeners nightly. I’d like to tell you a bit of my story. When I was in 7th grade I graduated to a new school, and having been a singer throughout my childhood up to that point, I was interested in going a step further and learning to play an instrument. So I joined the band, and my director handed me a bassoon. It ended up being a really good fit for me. After going through middle and high school, I decided that I wanted to major in Music Education in college, and I did. At the beginning of my second senior year, I realized that the classroom wasn’t exactly where I should be, so I switched at the last minute to a major in music performance, and after graduation, I set off to the University of Southern California, where I’d eventually earn a masters in bassoon performance. I didn’t know what was next for me. I had planned on going back to Memphis and just finding some sort of job, but my teacher at USC convinced me that a profession in classical music was in fact attainable for me. With that in mind, I auditioned for a 2 year spot with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, which I won, and in my second year there, I won a permanent spot with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra - so I landed back in my home state for a little while. Being the only black person with the KSO, and one of the few black people in a professional orchestra nationwide quickly grabbed lots of attention. In 2014 I was invited to New York City, to speak in a focus group given by the Mellon Foundation, and they presented an idea that I had never thought about before - what is the role of classical music in our very divided society - both politically and culturally. From then on, I dedicated my career, and the platforms I held, to exploring that question, and finding answers. This desire to impact audiences led me to a temporary position as a radio announcer at WUOT-FM in Knoxville, and my impact was appreciated so much that they made my position permanent. I would eventually write and produce a radio series on the relationship between race and classical music, and that got a bit of national attention. Fast forward to December of 2017 - I was invited to play with Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and on that trip I met Brian, and Julie Amacher, who is now my manager. They’d heard about me from another member of the staff at MPR who was familiar with the work I was doing. I think our conversations went well enough for me to be invited to apply for the position that I currently hold, and here I am. I offer my story as an example of the possibilities attached to an early exposure to music. I didn’t know what a bassoon was when Mr. Turner handed one to me as a 7th grader, but I knew it was something interesting, and different. With the Class Notes video you just saw (or are about to see) I’m sure you could imagine how inspired a young person could be to explore this thing called classical music even more. We have to make sure, though, that access is never overlooked, with with features that appear online AND over the air, I think we’re making big strides in knocking down those walls. In order to create a more equal, and more importantly, a more equitable world, we have to make sure every voice is being heard, in as many arenas as possible. I believe that every business, every organization, and even every convening body like this one, can only benefit from more diversity. The arena I happen to “play” in, pun intended, is music, so I believe I’ve found my calling, thanks to access and exposure from an early age. The programs, and programming of classicalMPR can play a vital role in this, from these class notes videos, to other online features like our classical kids story time, and even over the air features, like the classical kids corner you may have heard from time to time on Saturday mornings. I’m not here to tell you that the work is done - as a member of the classicalMPR team, I will be the very first to say that we have lots and lots of work to do concerning more diverse practices, from hiring, to inter-organizational conversations, all the way to what makes it through the airwaves and to the web. I’m going to close by revisiting the question that was posed to me back in New York City, on that cold 2014 December morning - maybe not quite as cold as we’ve seen here lately but you get what I mean. What is the role of classical music in our very divided society? From where I stand, it’s role is to create opportunity, hope, and change for the next generation. I hope that you’ll think about this, and even consider what YOUR role can be, in helping us do the work I’ve personally dedicated my entire life to. Thank you. 1/17/2019 1 Comment AutoschediamsIs that a word that already lives in your vocabulary? It didn't exist in mine, until late last week. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as something done on the spur of the moment or without preparation, or a hasty improvisation. As a classically trained musician, the concept was never one I spent much time exploring. As a radio host, doing something "off the cuff" is an even bigger challenge. Well after last week, I think I've made a huge step toward embracing the autoschediastic.
Among my many duties here in Minnesota is giving pre-concert talks from time to time for local ensembles. Last week, I was scheduled to speak with composer Tyshawn Sorey, who had a work titled "Autoschediams" on a Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra concert. In the spirit of that word, the work was an on-stage, live improvisation. Tyshawn led the orchestra, with different hand signals and gestures, which corresponded with the members of the orchestra improvising right there, on the spot. They were definitely sounds your typical orchestra-goer weren't used to, but I think I was able to engage a nice conversation with Tyshawn, that cleared things up a little for the audience. We also talked about the rich musical heritage of Newark, NJ, and the incredible work the AACM is doing. Because our conversations went so well on the first two pre-concert interviews, I was prepared to go completely rogue for the final one, with questions pointed directly at Tyshawn's relationship with the concept of "black music". I arrived, ready to shock and awe, only the find that Tyshawn wasn't there! So what did I do next? I practiced the art of autoschediam. With nothing prepared but interview questions, I went out and "improvised" a speech, based on the questions I had prepared and what I'd learned from Tyshawn from our previous conversations. Following my sermon, I was very excited to see that there were several questions from the audience, of which I was able to answer them all. I got lots of positive feedback, and despite my crippling self-doubt, I'm beginning to feel really great about what happened there, at the last minute. So what's the moral of the story? For me, I've learned that life is an improvisation, and the more you're prepared for the unprepared, the more likely you are to learn something new about yourself. The concert also included a new work by a composer named Vijay Iyer. I've featured both Vijay and Tyshawn in my pick for this week. Check it out! 12/27/2018 0 Comments Garrett's Guide to KwanzaaAs I lit the first candle on my Kinara some hours ago and posted it to social media, I realized that most folks probably have no idea what Kwanzaa is, or what it's about. I don't celebrate in the most traditional of ways, but I thought I'd share my Kwanzaa plans with you anyway, to hopefully inspire you to take part in the celebrations next year! First, a little background: Kwanzaa isn't an African holiday - it's an Afro-American holiday, created by Black Power activist Maulana Karenga in 1966. He was interested in black folk, like myself, having something traditional to celebrate outside of the European traditions during this time of year. It begins each year on December 26th, and ends on January 1st, with each day having a guiding principle, drawn from the Nguzo Saba. On the first night of Kwanzaa, the middle, black candle is lit, representing the light of members of the African diaspora living across the country, and around the world today. Each night, one additional candle is lit, from left to right. The red candles represent the pain and suffering of black people, while the green candles represent the freedom and prosperity our people will see in the future. Traditionally, food, poems and gifts are shared to correspond with each of the guiding principles. Being the musician I am (and overnight worker), I choose to celebrate the Nguzo Saba of each night with a corresponding song that helps me think about what each of those principles mean to me. If you'd like to celebrate along with me, musically, you can click on the images of the artists below to listen to each of the tunes I chose for this year (some performances include a little language, FYI). For more information on Kwanzaa and each of the guiding principles, I encourage you to visit the official Kwanzaa website. I hope you have a very Joyous Kwanzaa!
12/20/2018 0 Comments DENVER! (part 2)In short, my trip to Denver was dope! (pun intended)
Here are a few photos of what me and Dell got into while there: 12/6/2018 0 Comments DENVER!Because both Dell and I have to work over the holidays, we decided to take a mini vacation a little early. Now that we live in the Midwest, we're much closer to places I've always wanted to visit, but seemed a little too far away. With that in mind, we decided to spend a couple days in Denver! I've never been, and I'm really excited to experience it all this weekend, including some live music, and a bit of that LEGAL 420!
:-) I'll tell you how the trip went next week. 11/29/2018 0 Comments Mississippi Goddam!!Do I need to go any further, or was the title of this blog post enough for you? As you probably know, Mississippi elected a very controversial figure into the Senate this week. For many, myself included, this was not a surprise, but that doesn't mean it isn't upsetting to know that 54% of the state's population doesn't have a problem with her willingness to be "front row" at a public hanging. When I woke up and saw the news, there was one artist, and one song, that immediately came to mind. Before we get into that song, let's rewind about 55 years. A man from Mississippi named Medgar Evers was brutaly murdered, in front of his home, back in 1963 for his affiliations with the NAACP, and the work he'd been doing for Civil Rights. As a World War II veteran, he loved his country, and only hoped to make it better, but of course that wasn't enough for the citizens of Mississippi. No one was charged in the court trials that followed, and it wasn't until 1994 when his family finally saw justice. This event really pissed off Nina Simone, and she responded the best way she knew how - with music. Her song, "Mississippi Goddam" was an anthem against the state of Mississippi and it's racism. As you could imagine, no one was willing to play it, but it didn't fall into obscurity! Today it's remembered as one of the most significant protest songs in American history. So now it's 2018, and we're still having conversations about people in high power who are clearly influenced by racism. I'm not supposed to make political statements, but how could I possibly not speak out about something that threatens my existence as a black man? ((sigh))... If you don't know the song, Mississippi Goddam, listen here. Below is a clip from an interview Nina Simone gave, in which she perfectly outlines WHY I don't use my art, and my proximity to others' art, as a reason to ignore these types of atrocities. 11/15/2018 0 Comments Seen and Not HeardBetween 2012 and 2014 I was on the road quite a lot. I had recently won a fellowship with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and I commuted there from Memphis every other week. In 2013 I won a job with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, so for a time, I was visiting all three of those cities on a weekly basis. Needless to say, I listened to a lot of music, and discovered the magic of Podcasts.
One Podcast I listened to regularly was Nerdist, and one episode I'll never forget featured Tom Bergeron (pictured below). If you don't know him by name, he's the Emmy-winning host behind "America's Funniest Home Videos", and "Dancing with the Stars". In the interview, he talked about how he got his start in radio, and during the day, he worked as a mime. Something he remembered was the fact that his daytime audiences saw him, but never heard him, and his evening audiences heard him, but never saw him. This concept came up, separately, last week in my therapy session. (Let me say, as an aside, that I began going to therapy because of the attention I've seen shown toward mental health in the black community and through black media). As I was exploring my thoughts about having a tighter connection with black communities, the therapist told me that this may have to do with the way my career has been shaped. As an orchestral musician, I was seen and not heard (vocally), and as a radio personality, I'm heard and not seen. Not sure what this means, but I wanted to share anyway. My therapist will surely help me unpack this the next time I see her. Maybe my ultimate goal should be being a TV host. Maybe something different. Regardless, I can only hope that my career takes me the places it took Tom Bergeron. Maybe even beyond those places! If you've never tried therapy, I highly recommend. You never know what you can learn about yourself! |
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