Creating for Change: Reimagining Music Education Festivals for Equity

The Center for Innovation, Research and Creativity in the Arts (CIRCA) presents associate professor of music Brian Kaufman, who will speak on Creating for Change: Reimagining Music Education Festivals for Equity.

In this talk, Kaufman will discuss his collaborative work researching inequities in K-12 music education festivals and organizing The UMBC CREATE Festival, the first music education festival in Maryland designed to promote and celebrate student voices through creative music-making by K-12 students and teachers involved in school and community organizations. The festival was co-designed and piloted by Kaufman in collaboration with students, classroom teachers, teaching artists, and researchers from Baltimore-based organizations including Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s OrchKids program, Baltimore School for the Arts, and Booker T. Washington Middle School.

Brian Kaufman specializes in music education, conducting, and tuba performance. Kaufman is co-founder, artistic director, and conductor of The Sounding Board, an organization that creates productions that integrate music, multimedia, spoken word, and commentary from noted public figures to inspire new perspectives and cultivate dialogue on today’s most pressing social issues. Under his leadership, TSB events have run in partnership with organizations such as the United Nations, the City of Boston Mayor’s Office, The Boston Globe, National Defense University, Tufts’ Fletcher School, and the New England Conservatory. He has been a champion of new and innovative music, which has included conducting the world premiere of Daniel Bernard Roumain’s Gilgamesh on the Crooked River at Cleveland’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Kaufman led the UMBC Wind Ensemble in their debut album under the Albany label, featuring new works the ensemble premiered by the composers including Daniel Bernard Roumain, Glee music director-pianist Brad Ellis, and UMBC faculty members Anna Rubin and Janice Macaulay. He received a CIRCA Summer Fellowship in 2021 to support his research in music education in Maryland.

Lunch will be served during the event.

CIRCA is committed to making its events accessible to everyone. Please send your request for specific accommodations to circa@umbc.edu.