Practicum Summary:

Ethnic Conversations in Sonic Spaces

Rohan’s study examines the historical settlement, cultural identities and values, the phenomenon of music, and the role of music in the preservation and sustenance of ethnic and cultural identities in Guyana. The research focuses on three distinct but interrelated subjects: the historical settlement in Guyana, traditional and contemporary musical genres of Guyana, and the development of an integrated music curriculum. He provides an overview of historical colonization and the exploitation of human and economic capital by Europe which led the way for ethnic and communal interdependence. Rohan’s research reconstructs the social environment that enabled specific compositions and music performances to foster inter-ethnic peace, harmony, and communal transformation. His study concludes by advocating an expanded music curriculum that interrogates the legitimacy of Guyana six ethnic and cultural identities, and advances the historical social and cultural context that created Guyana’s education system. Rohan concludes his study with a newly developed music curriculum for Guyana that will restore, revitalize, and sustain ethnic and cultural values while building a tolerant, bonded society.