Program Ethics in a 'Music of the Americas' Concert

The clearest problem is the non-Native arrangement of a Navajo corn-grinding song with English lyrics. The issue is not that non-Native composers can never arrange Indigenous material; it is that this program gives no evidence of permission, cultural consultation, or accurate attribution, and it presents the arrangement as representative of Navajo music. The two students' question signals that the choir members themselves perceive a boundary. With three weeks left, I would remove that arrangement from the performance unless the committee can quickly document consultation and consent. I would retain the contemporary Indigenous composer work, but only with direct preparation: confirm pronunciation and spoken-word intent, identify the composer and any collaborators in program notes, and avoid asking Native students to serve as unpaid cultural consultants. I would tell the principal that addressing provenance is not making the concert political; it is making the concert accurate and respectful.

After dropping the non-Native Navajo arrangement, I would build the set as follows: (1) Renaissance Latin motet, 4 minutes, a cappella opener for tuning and focus; (2) Argentine tango, 6 minutes, piano and two singers, adding rhythmic contrast while much of the choir has lighter vocal load; (3) spiritual, 4 minutes, baritone solo, lower overall intensity; (4) a 4-minute unaccompanied piece already in the choir's fall folder, used as a bridge and to rest the tango soloists; (5) Indigenous composer work, 7 minutes, placed late but before closing remarks. That is 25 minutes of music plus 10 minutes for transitions and spoken remarks. The spoken transition should come before the Indigenous work and name the composer, explain any consultation or commission, and frame the spoken word without over-explaining it. Rehearsal priority goes to the tango pianist and the pronunciation/spoken-word work; the short bridge piece can be polished in one rehearsal.

I would speak with them privately and thank them for raising the question. I would explain the criteria I am using: permission, accurate attribution, cultural consultation, and whether the arrangement presents itself as authentic rather than as one composer's setting. I would tell them clearly that the decision is mine, not theirs, and that I will not perform the arrangement without documented consultation and consent. I would not ask them to educate the choir, approve repertoire, or speak for all Native people. I would also offer them a choice about whether they want to be acknowledged in program notes or prefer not to be named. If they want to discuss the contemporary Indigenous composer's work, I would welcome that, but I would make participation voluntary. This responds to their concern without turning them into the ethics committee.