The foundations for "Wellspring Cantata" began to be laid shortly after I entered college, but the most significant pieces came into place in the summer of 2011 - the summer before my senior year of college. It was then that I most seriously began considering the philosophical/theological ramifications of "truth," along with the implications it has on worldview and aesthetics. All around, I saw and heard (and continue to see and hear) a bombardment of mixed signals from various media voices, often positing conflicting notions of truth and reality. While some would easily dismiss this confusion under the very wide umbrella of relativity, I have never been able to make sense of how such relativity can be legitimately lived out. That leaves me believing that the contradictions cannot all justifiably be held as true.
Meanwhile, as I continued to sort through these notions, I received some great instruction that helped me stay grounded in this foundational pillar: behind every message, "-ism," and truth claim there stands a person. And so, even in my personal quest to get to the bottom of what can absolutely be defended as true, there are a couple of principles by which I want to live:
1) I want to love, investigate, and generally show interest in the worldviews that others follow, and
2) I want to live internally consistent with my own worldview.
I have great respect for those who have taken time to examine their belief-system and can offer validating claims for why they embrace the truths they embrace (even when they conflict or are in opposition to that which I hold to be true). Likewise, I am always troubled by those who can easily live every day of their lives with what only a little bit of reflection would show to be some major cognitive dissonance (the self-destructive, contradictory premises on which they are basing their lives).
A little bit of reflection.
As I have reflected on my own journey throughout the years, I can see where the strands have fallen into place for me to become passionate about developing and refining means by which to teach students to critically think about music and how it influences them.
I have come a long ways in my approach to this sort of education since I began teaching in 2010, and I still have a long ways to go. This blog is another stepping stone in challenging myself to become a better educator of worldview and aesthetics in music. Even though the end goal is for students to develop these skills on their own, I have realized that I need to ever be challenging myself in my approaches to analyzing music. I also need to provide more examples to my students on the analysis process.
"Wellspring Cantata," then, is primarily a classroom tool for the students and community of Bandung Alliance International School; however, my hope is that any and all who find their way to this site will benefit from my work here. As the context for this blog is specifically tied to my particular teaching situation, I feel it is important to make unapologetically clear that my approach is backed by certain presuppositions by which I try to live (see HERE for more information). Even as that is true, I always want to be challenged in my thinking. I welcome feedback - positive and critical - as I transparently seek to refine my own methods for analyzing and teaching in this manner.
In closing, I should probably explain where the name "Wellspring Cantata" comes from. There is a verse out of the Bible's Old Testament that has consistently been significant in my life:
"Guard your heart above all else,
for it is the source of life." (Proverbs 4:23, HCSB)
In a couple of other translations - namely the 1984 NIV version - "the source" was translated as "wellspring." That imagery has always seemed poignant to me.
As for "cantata," a cantata is a work of music written for voice (generally a choir) with instrumental accompaniment. Johann Sebastian Bach (a musical hero of mine) is traditionally one of the most well-known composers of cantatas - writing over 200 during his lifetime. I recently read that Swedish bishop Nathan Söderblom referred to Bach's cantatas as the "Fifth Gospel" back in 1929 because of how strongly Bach's testimony of his relationship with Jesus Christ is evident in the music.
Bach was an innovator in his day and absolutely on the front lines of music, so the choice of "cantata" in the name of this blog is a reminder for me to not passively sit back and let culture pass by. Though I don't (and probably never will!) have the skills to produce such beautiful as Bach, I do believe I can do my part to encourage people to consider the music of our times and how to respond to it.
