Jennifer Arnold and Shea Scruggs on the Black Orchestral Network

Welcome to Tacet No More: where we are asking the questions that need to be asked, and saying the things that need to be said about classical music.

This is a landing pad for positive discussions about our belief in the power of music to better humanity, and we will invite voices - from all sectors - to inspire us and the work we do on and off the stage.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What the stats tell us about the lack of change in Black musicians represented in American orchestras over the past few decades
• Jennifer and Shea’s paths to their careers in the orchestral field as Black musicians
• BON’s creation and goals to advocate and create community
• The importance of making more visible the stories of Black musicians
• Jennifer and Shea’s transitions from performance to administrative roles to better effect change
• How advocacy for Black musicians also benefits building spaces where all musicians can bring their best selves to work
• Questioning how to make tenure processes more transparent
• The need for systems to better connect musicians to envision the future of the sector they want to be a part of

Mentioned in the episode:

• Black Orchestral Network
• Black Music Seen
• League of American Orchestras: Racial/Ethnic and Gender Diversity in the Orchestra Field in 2023
• About Hope Theory
• Book: Assimilation v. Integration in Music Education by Christopher Jenkins

Interact with Tacet No More

Tacet No More is produced by Joseph Conyers, Yumi Kendall, Andrew Mellor, Lindsay Sheridan, and Brenda Hernández Jaimes.

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