1. Learning to Change the World
Katie von Braun
After studying race relations and social change in South Africa and teaching
music in Haiti for two months, I was able to fully understand that social change is
the slowest moving organism on our planet. The world is a complex place, and
change even more so. Working to bring about social justice does not only entail
fighting to empower underserved or at-risk communities. It requires working to
change peoples’ preconceptions, prejudices and mindsets. People including myself.
Without educating and being educated genuinely, connecting with people, asking
questions and fighting the urge to make assumptions, we cannot live in a world
where social justice is a reality. Travel to both Haiti and South Africa revealed my
own misconceptions, my privilege, and my mental barriers. The experiences gave
more understanding and context to my previously naive idealism. They also
instilled in me a passion for international travel and teaching.
Studying communities and individuals is just as fascinating to me as
studying music. While in Haiti, I learned Creole, engaged in Haitian customs,
listened to traditional music and sang Creole hymns and folk songs. I gained not
only a new language, new friends and five pounds from a mostly carb-diet. I adopted
a wholly new perspective on life. I never want to lose perspective of the fact that I
am learning just as much as I am giving when I engage in outreach or volunteer
teaching.
I also never want to stop asking myself the messy but important questions. I
want to remember to engage with my vulnerability and acknowledge my shared
humanity with those I meet. I want to collaborate and make music with those
whose backgrounds are completely different from my own. After teaching and
performing music for two months with a community whose culture was completely
different from mine, I realized with my whole heart that music is the only universal
language. I realized that it is necessary to think like an educator, an anthropologist
and a social worker, and not like a philanthropist. The world of humanity is
beautiful because it is diverse. It is flawed and corrupt because we have made it
that way. Only through communication, appreciation and understanding can that
ever change. As my university commencement speaker Levar Burton beautifully
said: “If religion was going to get it done, we would have gotten there sooner than
these past 2,000 years. If science was going to get it done, there would still not be so
many questions left unanswered. It is only culture, y’all, that has the courage and
the power to bring us all together.”

2. Social change - the alteration of mechanisms within the social structure,
characterized by changes in cultural symbols, rules of behavior, social
organizations, or value systems.
Social change is not just about “helping those in need”. It’s about working to change
peoples’ mindsets, open peoples’ minds and break down stereotypes and
preconceived notions. It’s also about acknowledging the concept of privilege, and
working against it.
Social justice - the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and
social rights and opportunities. Social workers aim to open the doors of access
and opportunity for everyone, particularly those in greatest need.
Other random notes
I can choose to dedicate my teaching career to those who otherwise would not have
easy access to music education.
I can choose to banish “classical music” from my vocabulary. Music is music is
music. We make it so complicated and messy by setting up barriers, but in reality
we are all human. Connection, and the need for it, is what unites us. Everything
else - race, class, country, language - creates diversity. With the beauty of diversity
of course comes barriers. It has become my life goal to use music (both performance
and teaching) as a tool to bring people together - to celebrate our differences but
also highlight our common humanity.
Simplicity is powerful. It is vulnerability at its finest. It opens our hearts and minds
to the true beauty in life, and reminds us what is most important. Giving. Sharing.
Learning.
Setting out with the goal of reaching underserved audiences is tricky on several
levels. Obviously, it is the most rewarding because the need is great. However, the
society stigmas and stereotypes are multilayered. The question of privilege is
always there. Challenge accepted.

3. changing mentality, open-mindedness
revolution to bring about democracy (South Africa-1994, Haiti - 1803, one hundred
years apart)
- What I took away the most from my experiences in South Africa was that social
change is about as slow a process as glacial drift. And infinitely more complicated.
Changing human nature. Education, exposure and experience are the most
important.
- Haiti was a similar experience because I was visiting a country that had revolted
against white supremacy leadership and succeeded.
- Both countries were facing the aftermath of a revolution
- Haiti different because much smaller elite population, entire country is deep
in poverty
- Language of the people versus of the elite (Afrikaans/English, Zulu/Creole)
- Both receive international aid from first world countries
South Africa: holy shit social change is complicated and human nature is slow
changing
Haiti: music is literally the only thing that can move people to change