In This Life
IN THIS LIFE
a brief overview by violinist/composer/activist Janice Mautner Markham
Article commissioned by the International Association of Women in Music (IAWM)
Spring 2021
As I look at my life as an artist and activist, I'm increasingly aware of the Venn diagram of music and social justice, and the expansion of their overlap each year. I have a community within the Jewish music world, the music educational world, the experimental arts and theatrical world. However, the overarching aspect of my life experience of late seems to circle back to community give-back, serving the underserved and connecting to those outside my own immediate sphere. It has been a daunting task to re-evaluate how to spend time and resources during this covid time, as even those in more privileged circumstances have seen their artistic lives paused in many ways. When current challenges are viewed through the lens of those in more dire situations, the strains of simple survival supersede everything, and the evaluation begins again: What can be done in the arts to reach out, to provide some much needed healing?
To take a step back for a brief introduction: I am a freelance violinist/composer and multidisciplinary artist primarily working within ensembles and project-based ventures. As a founding member of the 7-piece klezmer-rock ensemble, Mostly Kosher, my life has been steeped in ethnomusicological study and the joy of roots music and genre-mixing. My other ensembles reinforce my connections to women/non-binary musicians and composers - in particular, The JAC Trio, my string ensemble with violist Amira Bennett/Jennifer Wu and cellist Circe Diaz Gamero, and my on-going collaborations with accordionist/steel drummer Gee Rabe, percussionist Emi Desiré and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Jenni Asher.
I depart the Venn diagram analogy and move into more of a mandala. In my particular concentric circle formation, my view begins with myself, centered, looking inward and outward. The Roman version of my name, from the god “Janus”, has the etymological origin of “passageways, duality, gateways, beginnings/endings.” I journey through these mandalic rings, crossing through one circumference into the next. In stepping outside myself through to the first gate, I find my family.
My interest in social justice was largely prompted by my parents, both in educational fields. My mother, a speech pathologist and extraordinarily creative children’s book author, and my father, a brilliant pianist and veteran music teacher, always prompted giving back to the community. My maternal grandfather, also a strong influence, started his own newsletter in the 1980s, “A Majority of One.” Although the one-page polemic had limited circulation, it was powerful in its progressive thought and defense of the underdog. Then there was my paternal grandfather (pictured above), a self-taught Hungarian “Gypsy violinist” whose love of music has birthed a whole family tree of musicians and music educators. My sisters and I formed a piano trio, and as kids, my father would usher us to the “Motion Picture Home” where we would play for the octogenarian (and older) former film stars, film directors and camera operators. This was a powerful beginning to explore how I would define my own priorities and how my creative time would be spent.
Stepping into the next circle of existence, larger questions of how to reach out beyond my own musical experience seeded and grew. I reached out to friends and colleagues to help me find answers: How can we be more inclusive? How can we reflect the society at large? What are we actually saying with the music we create, and what is that art inspiring? As my mentor, Walter Dallas, of blessed memory, used to say, “Every artistic expression is a revolutionary act.” As soon as I started doing the deep dive into Jewish cultural music, I realized that I was learning aspects of the art that I would have loved to learn as a kid. So, with the help of the local Jewish federation I began a Jewish youth ensemble, now the Jewish Youth Orchestra. I’d hoped to find a network of such groups, but not many exist that I have found, making the work I have put into this ensemble that much more valuable. But this was just a branch of this tree that has been created by reaching out to friends and colleagues. The next step for me was a return to my childhood musical experiences and discovering the beauty of our elders, many forgotten and alone. I have made a commitment to continue to take my ensembles into retirement communities and convalescent homes, and in doing so, finding that immediate satiation of emotion inherent in melodies that we often take for granted.
A larger circle within this context is music as healing. Especially now, this is paramount to our societal health. In reaching out to underserved communities, regions particularly hit by poverty and homelessness, there have been typically two general types of programs: Those that bring the arts into these communities and ones that literally integrate the artists from within, so that those marginalized can be empowered to have a voice. I am very fortunate to be involved in an incredible artistic force in Skid Row, one of the most dire areas in the country. An invaluable organization within the downtown area, “Street Symphony,” was founded on the ideal that music should not have the moniker of elitism, classism, or unattainability. It’s an age-old saga that most performing arts centers and venues housing the great orchestras and opera companies are the playgrounds for middle-to-upper crusters. The goal of Street Symphony has been to bridge that divide by bringing music -- chamber music, orchestral music, choirs -- to downtown Los Angeles and Skid Row. I have been fortunate to play in ensembles that have performed at missions, shelters and for individuals who would not have had access to these performances. And, to take steps even further, to begin involving the community in creating their own voices, their own self expression. When my Mostly Kosher bandleader, Leeav Sofer, began Urban Voices Project, a choir made up of individuals in dire circumstances, many battling poverty and experiencing homelessness, I wanted to be there, to “listen loudly,” to experience and learn. I am pleased to say that although the pandemic was particularly difficult for this community, the throughline of keeping UVP going was literally a lifeline to so many.
I will wrap up with the final ring of my internal tree, and one I have been especially focused on - connecting to and supporting women/nonbinary musicians, composers, arrangers. First, joining IAWM (International Associate of Women in Music), and most recently becoming a member of Mamas in Music, a new international network. Our first MIM Zoom meet-up began with introductions, and there were many stories of the guilt of attempting to continue a career while toddlers were demanding attention. Many tales of women taking time off, taking years off work to raise children, and navigating back to a career in music. And then, after our first Zoom meet-up, as I closed my laptop, I thought of how even with all of the accomplishments of these remarkable women, there was still this gender divide and questioning regarding the part we should be playing in this binary world. I thought of what it truly meant for so many women to feel as though they needed to take a step back from their career, a move few men are asked to take. It will be surprising to no one that in a recent advanced orchestration class I took through my local musician’s union, out of thirty participants, I was the only woman/nonbinary individual present. It is always stunning to my daughters, both musicians in their teens, that it was not all that long ago there were no female musicians in symphony orchestras. And although that glass ceiling has been cracked, if not shattered, we still need to be aware of the deficits and see them as such. Leadership and programming are two areas that need more inclusion, and we can all have a voice to make changes here. My goal is to examine the programming of local orchestras - are there any women composers represented? How many? Are there Black/Indigenous women represented? If so, how many? How is the LGBTQ+ and nonbinary community represented? It is up to us to demand that there be real, not token, inclusion, and it is our responsibility to communicate this loudly and strongly!
Yes, I have been looking back on how I have succeeded in reaching out to underserved communities and those in need, but also taking an honest look at how I can do better. And, how we as a society can do better. In a time when simply continuing to create art of any kind during this past year feels like a sisyphean task, it takes a new set of eyes to acknowledge that even recognizing that pain is a privilege. So, I move through the regions of my mandala, hoping to stay connected to my roots, my family, to join forces with my colleagues and be there for my community. I think of that quote from Ella Fitzgerald, “The only thing better than singing, is more singing.” In that spirit I embrace my community of women musicians, producers, composers and conductors, and hope we can all continue to inspire one another to create music and “repair the world” with our bravery and fortitude.
Glossary/Citations
Mostly Kosher https://linktr.ee/mostlykosher
Klezmer music, genre of music derived from and built upon eastern European music in the Jewishtradition. The common usage of the term developed about 1980; historically, a klezmer (plural: klezmorim or klezmers) was a male professional instrumental musician, usually Jewish, who played in a band hired for special occasions in eastern European communities. In the 21st century, klezmer music can be heard wherever Jews have settled.
The Yiddish word klezmer derives from two Hebrew roots: klei (“vessel” or “instrument”) and zemer (“song”). From the 18th century on in eastern Europe, klezmer largely superseded other Yiddish terms for instrumentalists, such as shpilman (“player” or “musician”), muzikant (“musician,” eventually used for the classically trained), or leyts(“jester,” an entertainer).
- Brittanica
The JAC Trio http://www.thejactrio.com
A mandala (Sanskrit meaning 'circle') is a geometric graph and configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed as a spiritual guidance tool for establishing a sacred space and as an aid to meditation. In Japanese mandalas, movement is from the one to the many. - Miriam-Webster
Janus (/ˈdʒeɪnəs/ JAY-nəs; Latin: Ianvs [ˈi̯aːnʊs]) Varro apud Augustine De Civitate Dei VII 9 and 3; Servius Aen. I 449; Paulus ex Festus s. v. Chaos p. 45 L
Gypsy - The term “gypsy” has a complicated etymology, corresponding meaning and representation. Below is a reference article that addresses a number of these issues:
Gypsy - What is in a word, pride or prejudice?
https://medium.com/ayzoh-magazine/gypsy-what-is-in-a-word-pride-or-prejudice-db09f6b63a32
Walter Dallas https://www.uarts.edu/news/walter-dallas
Street Symphony https://www.streetsymphony.org
Urban Voices Project https://urbanvoicesproject.org
Ella Fitzgerald https://www.ellafitzgerald.com/#/