Episode 1 - Cassie Ruiz
Our first ever episode features Cassie Ruiz, a Puerto Rican violinist and music educator originally from Chicago, the current elementary orchestra director for grades 4 and 5 in West Chicago, IL, and winner of the Illinois American String Teachers Association Emerging Educator Award! We talk with Cassie about her teaching during a pandemic and how she builds culturally responsive lessons that teach her students to become anti-racist while celebrating their own heritages.
To learn more about Cassie and the resources she recommended, check out the links below:
More on Cassie
Music by Black Composers Violin books
Decolonizing the Music Room
White Supremacy Culture by Tema Okun
Full Transcript
Carrie Blosser 0:01
Welcome to Diversify the Stand. The resource centered around listening, learning, and promoting diverse musical voices in music, through our podcast, website, commissioning projects, and more. I'm Carrie Blosser.
Ashley Killam 0:15
And I'm Ashley Killam. Join us on our journey as we speak with composers, creators, performers, historians, and music educators about the topics important to them, and music's betterment.
For our inaugural episode, we have an amazing guest today. She's a colleague of mine from when I was getting my undergrad at the University of Illinois, my friend Cassie Ruiz. She's an amazing violinist and educator and is now teaching orchestra kind of in the outside of Chicago area. And Cassie has led the charge to create a Diversity and Inclusion Board for the DuPage Symphony Orchestra, where she plays in the orchestra and in a string quartet. So welcome, Cassie.
Cassie Ruiz 1:09
Thanks. Excited to be here.
Carrie Blosser 1:11
Would you tell us a little bit about your background, [as] a musician, and how you got into teaching just outside of Chicago?
Cassie Ruiz 1:17
Sure. So I grew up in the city of Chicago. So I started the violin actually, when I was five years old. CPS [Chicago Public Schools] doesn't really have a lot of orchestra programs. So music school from outside, my school called Music House would come in during recess. And that's kind of how I got my start a couple of days a week, I would play at recess. And then after a while, I were taking lessons from Music House as well, and eventually got a teacher who got her master's from Northwestern and she went outside of her house. So I had her for many years. And I didn't actually join an actual orchestra really until high school because CPS didn't really offer that I didn't have general music until high school. So high school was my first experience with orchestra and that kind of like revived my love for violin since you know, I'd spent so many years kind of just playing on my own. And it kind of gets boring and sad. So, you know, when that kind of love revived itself when I started playing with people. So by the end of high school, I didn't really know what I wanted to do too much.
So I kind of thought about what I like doing and orchestra came to mind and so I decided to kind of just try out Music Ed, and see where that took me. I ended up at U of I where I met Ashley who was also doing Music Ed and I ended up loving it. So I got my degree in Music Ed for a String Concentration, they call it there. And then I wanted to stay in the area I first year, I was still living at home in Chicago, but like I said CPS and have a ton of orchestra opportunities. I ended up finding West Chicago, which I had never heard of before. It's about an hour west of the city and it's I don't even know if I would consider the suburb - it's kind of far. It's actually a predominantly Mexican community, which and it's pretty low SES [socioeconomic status] which I liked because I did not I did not want to teach in a very well-off predominantly white community, that was not my goal. I also speak some Spanish so it kind of fit nicely and I ended up teaching beginning and intermediate strings there. So that's what I'm doing now and I'm in my fourth year,
Ashley Killam 3:40
I didn't actually know about you growing up without with CPS.
Cassie Ruiz 3:44
Yeah, they didn't have any anything in the school. It was nice that they brought Music House in, otherwise, I don't know if I would have ever started because they don't really have any of that. We had fine arts class, which was supposed to be, you know, the fine arts, but it was just visual art for the whole time.
Ashley Killam 4:04
With a mix of kind of the background that you've had with, you know, the on and off [of music lessons], like you have had it but it hasn't been offered. How does that translate with where you are now with like the pandemic? Because I know you travel to a bunch of different schools and how has the, just the pandemic affected all of that and the plan. I mean, I know some of it on the side when talking to you, but how is that just uprooted everything that you've been doing?
Cassie Ruiz 4:36
Yeah, it's been completely different this year, like 100% different. So my job in an irregular year is I do travel to six different elementary schools and I pull kids out for small group lessons and give them a little small group lesson usually in like a book closet or whatever they have available for me to teach in. Then they come to the middle school once a week for a one hour rehearsal, so usually in a normal year, they would have a one hour rehearsal plus a 25 minutes small group lesson once every week. So I'm teaching completely remotely now and yeah, it's just.
Well, for starters, I didn't start beginners and that's kind of a whole thing that we talked about a lot. We did not feel like, first of all, they would get a good start and that's really important for especially I think, in strings to make sure they have a really, really good setup, because every little detail counts. The wrist, the fingers, you know, every little thing and it's really, really hard to do that already with students that have been playing on zoom. So we didn't start beginners, we also felt like it wasn't an equitable choice to start beginners, because it's already, you know, an equity issue that they have to rent an instrument and stuff. Then you add in the remote learnings, and they have to have good internet, they have to have someone at home to help them. All these things that come into play that we did not feel like it was an equitable choice to start beginners, because really, it would only be catering to certain kids that had those opportunities.
So I'm teaching fifth grade remotely and I'm co-teaching middle school for the first time this year. I worked with them a lot, for other reasons, but I've never been like a co-teacher for those those classes and that's been, that's been fun, actually. We get to see the middle schoolers every day, which is nice, but I see the elementary students a lot less. So I see them, what we kind of set up a whole different thing where it was 25-minutes, private lesson week and then the next week is a group lesson week. And then we go back to private lesson, then I go back to group lesson, but every lesson is only 25-minutes ao I only 25-minutes a week, period.
And I have a 40-minute, like every two weeks, we have a 40-minute rehearsal with like the whole group, but really only half of them can make it because they have, you know, specialized reading at that time, or they have whatever else. So it also depends school to school, they're all different schools, so all the schedules did not match.
So figuring all that out was a mess, but it happened and you know, my own performing, my orchestra isn't out playing. So I did start a string quartet and I've been seeing them every couple of weeks for the most part. We performed in October, but it's just just completely different. But I mean, I think we're making the most of it and I'm kind of used to it at this point, just being on my computer all day. So, yeah, I just, you know, I'm glad that we're safe at home. It's hard, but I'm glad that we're safe at home, because I it'd be a lot more unsafe to be there in person.
Carrie Blosser 7:44
I'd love to hear you talk a little bit more about creating the Diversity Inclusion Committee for, is it the DuPage Symphony? Yes, yeah, I'd love to hear a little bit more about like, how that started and what it looks like now and what the goals are for the future.
Cassie Ruiz 7:59
Sure, so we're in a little bit of a hiatus right now, but I kind of had talked to the director, the Symphony, Barbara Schubert, about it. Not really about that as much, but kind of just, you know, we should make a statement or we should do something, you know, in the midst of all this stuff happening back in June or July, and she was completely on board. Another woman in the orchestra recommended that I start like this Committee for Diversity Inclusion. So it was us and then the director, and then one other my other friend from the orchestra, who's also in my quartet, who we kind of decided to take this on.
And so the last thing we did was we did like a workshop through C Roar, it's called. I think it's called crossroads, I don't remember what it stands for, but it was like an all-day workshop, and it was really just about like anti-racism and what you could do in your organization specifically. So we attended that, and that was really beneficial, and they have a person that we would reach out to next and be like, okay, we're supposed to like kind of a debrief on that, and then kind of go off of that to see what are what would be best for the next steps. Because you know, something that for an orchestra, it's like a community orchestra is gonna look different for like, a completely different organization. Like they have a lot of churches and stuff there. So someone would work with us kind of specifically to see what's best for us to do next.
So that was about a month ago or so, and we're on a sort of hiatus, mostly what I was talking about just my work stuff kind of got crazy with - are we going to go back, are we not going to go back, or not go back and we were like, in school or out of school, it was a mess. So now that I know, I'm kind of safe for the moment. I would reach out to this guy and then he would work with us one on one to kind of figure out next steps. So, he said he's worked with with performing ensembles before, which is really good because you know, if you don't really know what that kind of world is, then I don't really know how you would know what you know what to do with music selection, and, you know, not doing the tokenism thing, which is so common for so many of these ensembles.
But I think that we have a good start and I found it really important to get this help from experts, because, you know, I don't think any of us have trained in how to be anti-racist, or how to do this within an organization especially. So I made it, I made it clear, it was very important to me for this to go forward, that we get help from experts that this is their job, and they know what they're doing and they've done this forever, and it's important to them. So I'm glad that we were able to do that, and we got funding from the board, actually, to go to that workshop and stuff too, which was really, really nice of them to do. So it's it's good to see that, you know, there are a lot of important people and the director and the board that are taking this seriously in the organization.
Carrie Blosser 11:05
Was there anything in the workshop that you attended that you feel like you're able to apply to like your teaching?
Cassie Ruiz 11:12
Sure, yeah. So there is a lot of, I guess, there's a lot of things that I had kind of read about and stuff before. One thing that was important that is a resource that I've been using is that there's this need that we all feel to be perfect the first time, you know. It's like, okay, like, now, this is it. We're anti-racist and it's over. But that's not how that works and it's a very long and difficult process. So a lot of things they talked about was like, you don't need to be perfect the first time and you're going to do things wrong and everyone's going to do things wrong. And it's okay to receive feedback saying, "Hey, that was not cool, that wasn't the way to do that." And then to change, you know, your approach after because that's going to happen.
Another thing they talked about a lot was instead of either/or statements, you know, it could be both. And so like two things that could be true at the same time, which I feel like a lot of times we get a little bit too overzealous, and we're like, This is the only way to do this thing, and that's it and that's, that's how everyone should do it and that's the end of the story. But there's a lot of statements that he made that were like, that were both AND instead of EITHER/OR, it's so it's really important to not be so one, you know, one-minded and kind of look at all the approaches.
So I guess, yeah, in my teaching, you know, there's a lot of different factors. You know, for example, in my community, it's predominantly Mexican, so my culturally responsive teaching will not look the same as a community that is predominantly black, or predominantly white. And so I can still be anti-racist and teach them to be anti-racist, while also celebrating their culture, I guess if that makes sense. Because, you know, even if you're Mexican, or, in my instance, Puerto Rican, or whatever. You could still be racist towards, you know, African Americans, or Indians, or any other culture, you know. And so I could do both, I could celebrate their culture through what we learn in class, and I could teach them, I could show them musicians and professionals, and teach them how to respect and, you know, emulate really, musicians of other cultures as well. So the both are possible, I guess, is one thing that kind of stuck out to me in that, that I've been thinking about. In my teaching, it's a little harder on zoom, but we're getting there, I think.
Carrie Blosser 13:50
Have you faced any discrimination or lack of inclusion, while you've been teaching or performances that you've done or groups you've been with, you know, based on like, gender, race, religion, career path?
Cassie Ruiz 14:01
I wouldn't say that discrimination as much, since I grew up in Chicago and learned in the city. I was able to learn alongside a lot of students of color, that like myself are different from myself. So that was something that was really beneficial because, you know, as I got older, that started to not be the case as much. I would say that more than anything, it was a lack of representation in the teachers and the professionals that I was exposed to. You know, because all pretty much I think every single teacher I had, except for my orchestra teacher, who was Korean, in high school, they were all white.
From the professionals you get exposed to, like all the professional violinists, things like that, they were all white. So I guess like, you know, by the time you get to high school, you're like, "Oh, is this something that like we can do? Because I don't really see it." You know, and kind of not music related, when I was getting into, you know, universities and stuff, like people would make the comment, "Oh, you got in because you're Latina haha or whatever." Yeah, it happened but not that it was music related, but like that starts to kind of seep into your mind with you know what you want to do. So like, "Am I good enough at the violin? Am I good enough to be this teacher or whatever?" I don't know if that's answers the question. It's more of a lack of representation and more of a lack of understanding and other people's parts that I don't know, I could do this too, I guess?
Ashley Killam 15:34
No, it makes a lot of sense and that's something I actually I talk with a lot of educators on, and I get a lot of questions from predominantly, like very white institutions, from the students that are like, "How can I best set my students up for success? How can like I help them out to make it, you know, not seem like you have you have to be this cookie cutter type of person to do the performing or the conducting or the educating, or what have you." So what either advice, or what resources, have you found come across learned about that could help out either current or future educators on how can they create these spaces for their students? So it's not, you know, you're not getting this, sense of "Okay, do I even belong? Can I even do this?"
Cassie Ruiz 16:32
Yeah, that's a good question. One, I just did a kind of some research for a grad school project recently about equity in the music classroom and there is a really good series of articles in the Music Educator's Journal about equity, and like how a lot of these phases have been created for, you know, different groups of students and different kinds of teachers. And I thought, I mean, I can't think of exactly the ones that I used, but they were a lot to read through. So I would recommend looking, looking up the Equity in Music Education, or maybe Equity in the Music Classroom, either way, that series in the Music Educator's Journal. That was really helpful, [with] a bunch of different types of authors, and it was just really cool to see all of that in, you know, a journal that's so widely read.
There is, you know, back to the anti-racism kind of workshop, there is an article that they shared that was kind of, along with the things I was talking about, like trying to battle the perfectionism, and like, you know, realizing that two things - the both/and statements and the either/or statements. So that article is called White Supremacy Culture, by Tema Okun. And it's just a very cool thing to read. It's more for organizations, but I feel like a lot of it could be used in teaching as well. And that's a really cool article, and kind of just lays out, these are some, you know, facets of white supremacy culture in an organization and here are the ways that you can combat this, this thing that you see.
And lastly, the Decolonizing the Music Room, is an incredible source, which has been, it's gained a lot of traction, which I'm really glad. The Facebook group is great, but also just going to the website and reading through all that they have on there is so so worth it. Because there's so many different perspectives. And they interview, you know, different musicians that we don't know about, many of us don't know about, because they're not like, you know, the predominantly white classical musicians, and it's just really cool to get different perspectives and kind of learning about decolonizing itself, like that term is different, you know, from just equity, you're just inclusion. It's a completely different term, and just puts things into perspective. And I think that a lot of, you know, a lot of teachers or almost teachers that are not white would, you know, really find a lot of solace in reading that stuff, you know, kind of feeling like, oh, like, this is exactly how I felt when I was growing up, or this is how I feel now. And this is how I can, you know, be this person that I want to be in, in the classroom.
Carrie Blosser 19:17
Are there any projects or things that you're working on right now that you really care about, that our listeners can support, or any areas that if someone just wants to make a little donation here, or there. Where if there's a specific area, or anything that you're passionate about right now that we can support?
Cassie Ruiz 19:36
I'm not really in any projects right now. My main thing is to support your teachers, I guess, because everyone is struggling a lot. And you know, so I'm sure there's a teacher in your life that needs a little donation of something and that would be really beneficial because it's hard. It's hard right now. And just continue to do the anti-racist work that you need to do in your bubble. It's going to be different from my bubble, so if we do that, you know, across the country, hopefully things can change. But yeah, I would say whatever you can do to make music learning in your area, more equitable. Donate old instruments, resources that you have in your library that have been sitting there for 20 years, anything that you can do. Because that's something I'm always passionate about trying to make music learning as equitable as possible, and it's not quite there yet, but I'm hoping that through a lot of changes coming up that we can start to get there.
Ashley Killam 20:37
Baby steps. So it's nice to see, after talking to a lot of undergrads and a lot of like future educators, I think, at least stuff is moving in the right direction. It's nice to see this like up and coming generation of like educators and performers that are like we actually want to make change and not, you know, just stick to the same way that it's always been. So that's heart warming.
Cassie Ruiz 21:02
For sure, I've been enjoying that as well. You know, it's always, yeah, I think that reading through the Facebook groups is mostly where I see like other teachers kind of congregate. And it's definitely getting there where there's obviously people that want to make a lot of changes. And that's really, it's really nice to see. Gives me hope.
Ashley Killam 21:22
Yeah, and then our final question, which is going to be kind of our constant, based on who we are. It's just wondering, you know, with this whole project that we started, called Diversify the Stand, we want to ask all of our interviewees, just what's on your music stand and how are you trying to diversify your stand? Whether that's like, actually physically music, or just in some other way in your career.
Cassie Ruiz 21:54
Cool! Well, we're gonna go with music, specifically. I have been getting a lot of use out of the Music by Black Composers for Violin that Rachel Barton Pine has kind of put together. It's like the beginning, it's only one book so far. There's supposed to be more editions. So this is the beginning intermediate one, but there are some solos, or duets I guess, because you can either do a solo or duet, they have two versions. Some of them are hard enough that I could just play with my friends for fun and there are some that I my students have actually learned. And what's cool is they have all these Black composers from around the world so it's not just America. And they have like a section about each composer and their life and how you know, what they wrote. They also highlight some living musicians and educators in the book as well. So that's been really a really good resource for me, that I've been able to use in my own playing, and also in my teaching, which has been really cool. Otherwise, I've been trying to kind of diversify my classical music listening a little bit more, which is, it's hard because you kind of have to dig because, you know, that's just the way it kind of happened is that, you know, Beethoven, and Bach, and all of those people, those are at the top all the time. So I've been trying to diversify my listening there more and I noticed that the radio station here has been doing the same, which I appreciate that I can find more more pieces and more composers to, to learn from. But otherwise, yeah, I mean, my teaching. I've been trying to show, you know, music, musical role models of all different cultures, so that they [the students] can see themselves in these musicians, but also see, you know, other cultures that they might not be familiar with as musicians as well. So that hopefully they grow up to become lifelong musicians in one way or another, and they will encounter all different kinds of people. And know that that's just the way it should be, you know. And so yeah, I guess a little bit of everything. Baby steps, like you said,
Carrie Blosser 24:06
Awesome. Cassie, thank you so much. This has been so great.
Ashley Killam 24:16
Thank you so much for listening to Diversify the Stand. I am Ashley.
Carrie Blosser 24:20
And I'm Carrie. If you'd like to support us and our projects, check out our Patreon - www.patreon.com/diversify_the_stand. T he link is in our podcast description.
Ashley Killam 24:36
And a huge thank you to Trevor Weston and Whitney George, for allowing us to use their compositions in our podcast. The musical introduction is Trevor's trumpet duet Fanfare for Changes, and the ending music is Whitney's Incantations for trumpet and piano. Both composers websites are also listed in the description.
Carrie Blosser 24:55
Until next time, what's on your stand?