Justice through Creativity...
Diversity and Anti-Racism Training Offered by Rev. Clovice Lewis, M. Div.
The Harlem Voices© Training Project (HVTP) teaches about racism using a transformative and embodied approach. The vehicle for instruction is the Harlem Voices© musical, which offers rich and varied ways to engage the subject; through listening to songs, performing them, reading the book, and enacting the play.
Because racism is so deeply embedded in American society, a historical context is important to understand how it has shaped our culture. The racial challenges faced by fictional black characters from the 1920s era provide a dramatic backdrop to those same present-day challenges. Setting the story in the 1920s offers a necessary refutation to the notion that systemic racism, for example, does not exist or that it is a recent political invention. The HVTP provides fresh insight into the long development of systems of oppression against people of color. They also allow participants to experience the present-day harm of racial injustice more profoundly. HTVP Components Because the Harlem Voices musical offers such fertile ground for experiential and transformative learning, the HTVP is composed of several components that interact with and enhance each other: Workshops - Several workshops introduce new concepts, spurring participants to investigate them further on their own. Workshops demonstrate and encourage the practice of actual methods. Hands-on skills are taught about countering oppression because the HVTP curriculum offers participants a chance to try new methods and experiences in a safe situation. Workshops are divided into two types: Non-Performance and Performance Groups. Workshops are designed for in-person, on-line, or hybrid delivery. Seminars - A seminar is a form of academic instruction offered by a professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on a particular subject, in which everyone present participates. The HVTP offers a forum for effective teaching strategies, measuring the effectiveness of the HVTP in larger communities, how to improve the project, and the like. Seminars are designed for in-person, on-line, or hybrid delivery. Performance Groups - the HVTP offers participants many opportunities to perform to deepen their artistic experience of Harlem Voices. Performance Groups are formed with artistic professionals who are trained as HVTP facilitators. Thus vocal soloists, small vocal ensembles, and choirs (for choral numbers) will be taught by vocal coaches/choir directors, dramatic readers and actors taught by theater coaches/directors, dancers taught by choreographers instrumental ensembles taught by orchestra conductors. Seminars are designed for in-person, on-line, or hybrid delivery. Performance Groups are designed for in-person delivery. Facilitator Training - The HVTP employs a “Train the Trainer” model as a primary training strategy. The trainer, a subject-matter expert or certified participant, trains other participants and simultaneously teaches them how to train others in using the HVTP. This method offers distinct advantages over other training models because trainees typically learn faster and retain the information better. The Train the Trainer model, where participants learn a subject and simultaneously learn how to teach others, provides feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment better than other teaching models. The model is well-suited for disseminating specific information quickly. Facilitator Training is designed for in-person, on-line, or hybrid delivery. Church 2.0
The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the way all spiritual organizations offer ritually and liturgically centered services. However, further challenges, such as the many effects of climate disruption, loom large. The Church 2.0 project is intended to inform, prepare, and equip spiritual organizations to meet the needs of people seeking community and connection in a time of chronic and ongoing crisis. In this project the term “Church” and “Spiritual Organization” are synonymous, and are used interchangeably (although we acknowledge that vast differences between the two types of organizations are possible). Nonetheless, the forms used to deliver ritual or liturgical services to the public are virtually equivalent.
A spiritual organization shares many aspects with business entities. They have a particular message that appeals to people based on their culture, beliefs, and values. The way that message is communicated and how relevant it is in the lives of members determines the viability of a spiritual organization. Of course, a mode of behavior espoused by a spiritual organization that is contrary to prevailing practices, but based on some kind of “timeless truth" is fine as long as the organization is prepared to make itself extinct. To ensure that a spiritual organization grows and prospers it must employ proven, adaptable, and realistic strategies for success. The Spiritual and Religious Values Survey is a powerful tool for understanding how people rate the viability of spiritual organizations. Ideally, the Religious/Spiritual Organization Sustainability Survey should be used in conjunction with a Spiritual and Religious Values Survey of a spiritual organization's membership to compare what the two groups believe about the position of the organization. The Church 2.0 project is developing software that will automatically generate detailed reports that can be used to analyze areas needing improvement. This will include graphics that chart plots against the three essential elements that ensure the continued viability of a spiritual organization. Most reports will be free of charge. The Church 2.0 project is also available to consult with the leadership of a spiritual organization to analyze its viability based upon survey results. MusicClovice offers lectures on important aspects of professional music composition. These are 3-day, 6-hour courses offered to songwriters and composers that describe how to enhance their compositional output. Instruction usually takes place from Friday - Sunday, although the course timing is flexible. All courses are $1,500 with a minimum of 10 participants. $150 is charged for each additional participant up to 20. Courses include materials and hand-outs. Travel, lodging, and meals must be provided by the host organization.
Courses offered are: Essential Technologies for Composers - This three-part lecture instructs songwriters and composers in the use of beneficial technological tools.Part 1 - Using Notation Software Part 2 - Understanding Digital Recording Techniques Part 3 - Publishing and Marketing Your Music Flow and the Creative Engine - This three-part lecture instructs songwriters and composers how to harness their creative abilities. Part 1 - How Art Flows From Life Part 2 - Creating, Visualizing, and Getting it Out of Your Head Part 3 - Using Your Creative Engine How to Navigate Through the Digital Desert - This one-part lecture describes how digitally-based music is in danger of being lost to the future. Clovice describes sound strategies for file migration paths, minimizing software obsolescence, and ensuring that your music survives you. Rev. Lewis' Background as an Educator
Clovice started teaching cello to other students when he was 15 years old. Before attending the University of California at Santa Barbara, at the age of 17, he composed his first symphony “Portraits of the Gulf Coast“. Because of this rather unusual accomplishment, he was admitted to the prestigious College of Creative Studies. (Clovice was recognized as one of its star student alumni in an article written for a November 1985 edition of OMNI magazine by William K. Stuckey entitled “Encouraging Creativity in Students“).
The College considers students to be the most important people involved, not the faculty or administration. One of the unusual aspects of CCS is that students are encouraged to teach, as well as learn. So, at the age of 18, as an undergraduate Freshman, Clovice began teaching courses at CCS. During his four years as an undergraduate, he taught music theory, calligraphy and notation, 20th Century Techniques, and, ear training. By the time he finished as an undergraduate in June 1978, he was a seasoned college instructor. in August, 1978 he made a proposal to teach Computer Music based on the research he had done in the field as an undergraduate. On August 18, 1978 he was appointed as a Lecturer at the College of Creative Studies. Click here for a pdf copy of the letter from Robert Michaelsen, Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs. That letter started an association with the CCS that would last for seven years. Over time, he was promoted to the position of Associate Professor. He was the first professor of computer music at UC Santa Barbara. Clovice went on to found Technology Media Enterprises, a pioneering Silicon Valley company that specialized in multimedia production, technical writing, training, and 3D modeling and animation. |