In response to the June 2020 protests of the killing of George Floyd, GGS students stood up to ask for accountability and representation of BIPOC voices in the GGS community. The Student Equity Alliance (SEA) was formed as a student led initiative to address inequality. We spoke with SEA Representatives Vivien Illion (Voice, BMus ’22), Stefan Vidovic (Voice, BMus ’21), and Isabella Costanza (Viola, ADP ’21) about the goals for the 2020-2021 academic year and beyond.
Students are encouraged to attend the regular Tea and Talk chats and to engage with Vivien, Stefan and Isabella if they have questions about getting involved.
Sounds Like GGS!: Tell us a little bit about why you formed the Student Equity Alliance (SEA).
SEA: The Student Equity Alliance came out of our BLM@GGS initiative from the summer of 2020, which aimed to address some of the issues of racial equity observed by current and former GGS students. The Black Lives Matter protests in the US and Canada prompted us to consider how we could improve our own institution through equity work. We noticed a significant lack of BIPOC voices in the repertoire being performed at our concerts, the academic courses in which we were enrolled, and in the student, staff and administrative populations of the Glenn Gould School. With the help of BIPOC musicians and leaders in Toronto and across North America, we outlined the measures which we determined might be able to mitigate these issues and presented these measures in an open letter to the Dean and Associate Dean.
We formed the Student Equity Alliance this fall in an effort to broaden our focus as a collective, and in order to engage directly with the student body. We wanted to move our equity work into the student sphere, by creating a space in which members of the student body could share, discuss, and educate themselves (and each other) on issues of racial equality, Indigeneity in Canada, queerness, wellness and more. We don’t profess to be experts on these issues, but we believe the best way to make an impact is to create opportunities for learning and healthy discussion amongst our peers.
Sounds Like GGS!: How has student engagement been with SEA?
SEA: We’ve been surprised and amazed by the discussions and engagement we’ve had with the students who’ve been able to make it to our meetings, and we’ve received great feedback about the benefits that some students have appreciated from our Tea and Talks. Most meetings, there are a few familiar faces and also a few unfamiliar ones—we encourage any students who might be interested in some of these discussions to drop into our Zoom calls, to contribute or just listen if that feels more comfortable!
Sounds Like GGS!: What have you covered in your Tea and Talk chats with students?
SEA: So far we’ve had three meetings, and we’re planning for three more in the spring. Some of the discussions have included choosing repertoire that fits the new recital requirement, what makes a good land acknowledgment, how to approach classical music through an equity lens, and ways to engage in wellness practices as a classical musician. Our meetings are usually quite casual—the goal is to foster stimulating conversation with the inclusion of many differing opinions, as opposed to a conversation that just prioritizes the ‘right’ ones.
Sounds Like GGS!: Has SEA set a particular goal for this year?
SEA: Because we’re just getting started this academic year, we’re still exploring what our role in promoting equity at GGS could look like. Much of what we’re aiming for this year is to foster discussion about these issues and create spaces where these kinds of conversations can happen. We also hope to continue our dialogue with the Dean and Associate Dean, hopefully maintaining transparency and open dialogue between the student body and administration.
Sounds Like GGS!: Seeing as this year has more limitations than normal, have you set a few longer-term goals that might be more easily achieved next year?
SEA: Diversifying repertoire is a topic that has come up at many of our meetings, and students often speak about composers or works that they love. We hope that once in-person gathering is possible again, these discussions might lead to students collaboratively performing some of this repertoire. Without the limitations of COVID we would also love to explore the possibility of outreach and collaboration with other institutions.
The goal at the heart of this work is to make GGS a more diverse and inclusive place, and that requires long-term action. By pushing for greater inclusion of the voices that have traditionally been excluded, we hope that the presence of these voices will no longer be an exceptionality.
