CAML Review / Revue de l'ACBM (Canadian Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres / Association canadienne des bibliothèques, archives et centres de documentation musicaux)

Doi, Carolyn

Madill, Kevin

 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  49, NO. 1 (JUNE / JUIN 2021) PAGE 19 
Spotlight on Music Collections:  
The Canadian Women Composers Collection  
 
This interview focuses on the work of Kevin Madill, Music Librarian at the Music Art and Architecture 
Library at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC). He describes a recently developed 
collection focused on the contributions of Canadian women composers, including his work engaging with 
donors, and some of the unique challenges associated with acquiring contemporary compositions. 
Spotlight on Music Collections aims to profile interesting or unique music collections in Canada through 
the voices of those who work with them. If you have a suggestion for a collection or individual that 
should be featured in a future edition of this column, please reach out to carolyn.doi@usask.ca. 
 
What is the Canadian Women Composers Collection? 
The Canadian Women Composers Collection (CWCC) was introduced by the UBC Library in 2015 for 
the purpose of documenting the compositional practices of Canadian women composers active at 
home or abroad. The collection serves to build and sustain a body of unique materials that will 
serve future musicologists, music theorists, and performers interested in music analyses, as well as 
expand participating composers’ audiences.  
The following are participating composers to date: Deborah Carruthers (Montréal, QC), Dorothy 
Chang (Vancouver, BC), Zosha di Castri (New York, NY), Barbara Monk Feldman (Guelph, ON), and 
Ana Sokolović (Montréal, QC). March 2021, the collection expands with contributions from Lori 
Freedman (Montréal, QC) and Chiyoko Szlavnics (Berlin, Germany). Materials were created and 
assembled by the respective composers during the course of their activities.  
The physical collection can be accessed through Rare Books and Special Collections, UBC Library.1 
Parts of the collection have been digitized and are available through UBC Library’s Open Collections 
or online exhibitions.2/3 
How did you get the idea to start the collection? 
The CWCC is the result of a chance encounter. I’ve always been amenable to meeting library 
donors, even those not interested in supporting music collections. I remember taking a call from 
UBC Library Development asking if I’d be available to meet with a community member and library 
advocate seeking a tour of our facilities. That advocate turned out to be Anne Kaplan, an 
 
1 “Collection RBSC-ARC-1817 - Canadian Women Composers collection,” University of British Columbia Library 
Rare Books and Special Collections, 
https://rbscarchives.library.ubc.ca/index.php/canadian-women-composers-collection 
2 UBC Library Digitization Centre Special Projects, ‘slippages,’ 
https://open.library.ubc.ca/search?q=slippages&collection=specialp 
3 “‘Slippages’: An Interdisciplinary Project in the Arts and Humanities,” UBC Open Collections, 
https://ubc-ds.github.io/slippages/ 
 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  49, NO. 1 (JUNE / JUIN 2021) PAGE 20 
established Vancouverite with a history of success in the local business world. Our initial meeting 
grew into regular conversations over coffee. Anne talked about her life in business which prompted 
ongoing deliberations on women composers in Canada as entrepreneurs and how the UBC music 
collection might offer them support. I was truly surprised to hear of Anne’s sudden death and that 
Anne had bequeathed an endowment to UBC’s music collection. I returned to our past 
conversations to consider how best to transform Anne’s generous gift into an expression of her 
desire to help other bold and innovative women. This was the beginning of the CWCC. 
 
Can you describe one of your favourite items from the collection? 
Zosha di Castri offered to the CWCC the first rehearsal draft of Sprung Testament.4 The score shows 
handwritten edits consequent to the collaborative process between the composer and violinist 
Jennifer Koh just prior to the opening night performance. It’s always exciting to see such 
handwritten edits revealing moments of inspiration and resolution. 
Currently, can you share one of the biggest challenges of building this collection? 
The biggest challenge of working with this collection is that there is no shortage of amazing ideas. 
There are lots of challenges related to building the CWCC. One of the biggest has to do with 
contemporary composers using software in the compositional process. Our archives privilege print 
and are without a process for accessioning e-resources. The future is coming but not yet! My job in 
these circumstances is to find creative ways of capturing the utilization of such programs through 
print. 
Can you share one of your favourite things about working on this project? 
What I enjoy most about building the CWCC is connecting people who might not otherwise meet. In 
2020, Ana Sokolović’s submission to the CWCC, Il divertimento barocco, was to be premiered by the 
string section of a major Canadian orchestra. Unfortunately, the performance was cancelled due to 
COVID-19. On hearing this, I had the idea to connect Ana with Jonathan Girard, Conductor, 
University of British Columbia Symphony Orchestra to see if the UBCSO might premiere the work 
instead. An excerpt from the resulting performance can be found online.5 
 
How do you hope the collection will grow in upcoming years? 
The CWCC is an opportunity to support Canadian women composers professionally and financially, 
and support researchers and knowledge users in their diverse engagements in music discourse. My 
intent is to continue to offer that support. When I move out of this position, my hope is that the 
 
4 “File 02-16 - Sprung Testament – Early Score with Notes,” RBSC-ARC-1817-02-16, University of British 
Columbia Library Rare Books and Special Collections, https://rbscarchives.library.ubc.ca/sprung-testament-early-
score-with-notes.  
5 UBC School of Music, “UBCSCO Presents Two World Premiers!” Dec. 2, 2020, https://fb.watch/4kCXeY7MjH/. 
 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  49, NO. 1 (JUNE / JUIN 2021) PAGE 21 
next music librarian at UBC continues to search for innovative ways to support creative people in 
the arts in this country – if not through the CWCC than through some other means. One of the most 
impactful things you can do through projects like the CWCC is to let creative people know that you 
see them and recognize their accomplishments. 
 
Thank you for taking the time to describe your work on this collection. Is there anything else 
you’d like to add? 
Yes, please. I would like to thank Anne Kaplan, the donor whose financial contribution made the 
CWCC endowment possible. I also want to thank all the participating composers in the CWCC for 
their kindness, generosity, and approachability; you have brought a lot of joy into my life as well as 
finding a welcoming home for your music sketches and scores.  


English

Spotlight on Music Collections: The Canadian Women Composers Collection

McCullough, Breana Halimé

 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  49, NO. 1 (JUNE / JUIN 2021) PAGE 58 
Hungry Listening: Resonant Theory for Indigenous 
Sound Studies by Dylan Robinson. Minneapolis: 
University of Minnesota Press, 2020. 320 pp. ISBN: 
9781517907693. 
Reviewed by Breana Halimé McCullough, Indiana 
University and member of the Karuk Tribal Nation 
 
Hungry Listening by Stó:lō musicologist Dylan Robinson 
is an exemplary text which forges space for Indigenous 
epistemological and ontological existence through 
decolonial critique in the realm of sound studies. 
Robinson, who sits as Canada Research Chair in 
Indigenous Arts at Queen’s University, engages critical 
thought around the settler colonial ways in which 
sound is connected with and experienced. Robinson 
encourages decolonial methodologies that allow for 
the unsettling of listening practices that are based out 
of consumption, extraction, collection, and violation. 
These practices only encourage the continuation of 
epistemological and ontological violence on Indigenous peoples. Robinson’s Hungry Listening directly 
calls his readers to deconstruct the systems in which enforce perceived universals and replace them 
with systems that forge relationships, foster responsibility, and follow crucial protocols.  
Robinson provides his readers with specific examples of the engagement of Indigenous peoples and 
music within the production of Western art music. Through these studies, readers are drawn to 
engage critically in the process of listening positionality and how this positionality encourages 
hierarchical thought and consumption with respect to our engagement with sound. Robinson 
identifies the “hungry” aspect of listening as untouched ethical questions around the ways in which 
Indigenous knowledge and sounds are consumed through an extractive process without Indigenous 
protocols being respected and enacted. Listening positionality is a way in which Robinson identifies 
the intersectional experiences that impact the way we perceive, interact, and engage with the 
sound we are surrounded with. He encourages his readers to develop intricate ways in 
understanding the diverse relationships that can be experienced with sound that challenge the 
settler “tin ear,” which is the inability to recognize the various functions Indigenous song can hold, 
such as historical relationships, spatial relationships, the objectification of sound, and the political 
__________________________ 
 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. 
 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  49, NO. 1 (JUNE / JUIN 2021) PAGE 59 
approaches that influence interactions with sound. Robinson uses these examples to draw his 
conclusions around the importance of enacting sovereignty by connecting to space and relating to 
sound through an alternative complex knowledge system. 
Listening positionality is a key concept in Hungry Listening. Essentially, settler colonial 
epistemologies can be recognized as based on consumption and extraction and therefore influence 
functions of settler colonial positionality. Robinson conceptualizes that one’s positionality within 
this structure can be developed through substantive acts of unsettling. He draws clear examples of 
how Indigenous epistemological perspectives differ from settler colonial perspectives including the 
relation to space, divergence from extractive processes, and the recognition of more than human 
relatives. Ultimately, Robinson suggests that by dismantling the normative structures that have 
been projected on Indigenous peoples and song, there will be the ability to start to redress and take 
accountability toward the actions of epistemological violence committed through colonization. 
Listening positionality becomes a tool that encourages the unsettling of our perceptions and actions 
and, rather, promotes the shift towards frameworks of Indigenous subjectivity and agency. This 
shift has the ability to change the way in which music is able to function and influence cultural 
perceptions. Robinson suggest that by challenging our own positionality, there is the ability to 
deconstruct violent perceptions influenced by settler colonial epistemologies and the normative 
practices around engaging with sound. Through this deconstruction he suggests that here is the 
potential to affirm agency, responsibility, and Indigenous sovereignty.  
Robison discusses multiple case studies of collaborations between non-Indigenous and Indigenous 
musicians within the sphere of Western classical music. These events are recognized by audiences 
and reviewers as collaborative cultural exchanges or as colourful encounters. Robinson uses these 
examples to illustrate the concept of “inclusionary music” by addressing the collaborative nature 
that these performances tend to deliver but draws critiques of these collaborations being an 
extension of settler colonial listening positionality that furthermore enforce aspects of Indigenous 
subjectivity and alterity. He suggests that through reclamation, Indigenous artists will enact the 
legitimization of law and affirm song and performance as having more than merely an aesthetic 
function. Furthermore, he mentions the ways in which listening can affirm these perspectives and 
contribute to his concept of Indigenous+art music. Indigenous+art music acts as a resistance to the 
“conflation for difference” and rather promotes “conjoining two areas of sound practice.” (p. 9) By 
contrast, “inclusionary music” attempts to integrate and assimilate Indigenous sound into the 
production. (p. 9) 
Further, Robinson employs these concepts through the discouragement of consumptive practices 
and spaces that attempt to preserve or incarcerate Indigenous peoples within the lens and 
expectations of the colonizer. The way in which performers are intended to project themselves as 
subjects in a concert hall, or other performance spaces, is an example that Robinson provides of the 
way Indigenous peoples, sound, and subjects experience forced integration. This integration can be 
expectations and concepts of performance. This is defined as an epistemological and ontological 
 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  49, NO. 1 (JUNE / JUIN 2021) PAGE 60 
violence and violation of the autonomy of Indigenous peoples and song. Spatial subjectivity is an 
aspect of Robinson’s argument that exemplifies the importance of relationships to place and the 
agency space can give to experience, perception, and interaction. Overall, the case studies used 
throughout the text reveal how “inclusionary music” reinforces settler expectations and confines 
Indigenous ways of expression into formats that disallow the action of reclamation and autonomy.  
There are various ways in which Robinson enacts forms of reclamation by declaring a space for his 
Indigenous readers within his work; for example, by writing a chapter for Indigenous readers only. 
These spaces are meant as affirmative actions of Indigenous sovereignty and autonomy. In addition, 
he includes several “event scores”: poetic and prescriptive excerpts that interrupt the discourse and 
offer insight into elements of responsibility, accountability, histories, and human and non-human 
relations, which forge space for decolonization. 
Political space sensory politics is an aspect of Robinson’s argument that encourages sovereignty 
through the prioritization of Indigenous epistemologies through audience interaction, space, and 
sound. Sensory politics within this context partially pertain to the agency that nonhuman subjects 
deserve. This recognizes the intersubjective complexities that space can hold autonomously and in 
relation to sound. For example, the practice of restraining sound to only its aesthetic function, such 
as in Western art music practices, causes epistemological violence to Indigenous peoples and song. 
Robinson points to the act of scripting a performance as a key example of this violence and 
assimilation of Indigenous song. In addition, Robinson encourages the disruption of narratives that 
only look to reconcile through the projection of Indigenous trauma, victimization, or the melding of 
Indigenous song into Western forms of musical engagement. In conclusion, Robinson suggests a 
shift not only in performance formats but also through the way in which space, subjects, and 
relationships are allowed full autonomy. Through the commitment of responsibility for these 
subjects, there is the potential for reconciliation and the acknowledgement of Indigenous 
sovereignty.  
Robinson holds his readers responsible by challenging the ways in which settler society enforces our 
perception and engagement with sound. The contributions of this book and its concepts will 
resonate among Indigenous scholars but is intended as a text to help in the deconstruction of 
colonialism and to ground Indigenous epistemologies within sound studies. This text would benefit 
scholars attempting to conceptualize Indigenous ways of being and decolonial theory in the realm 
of music studies. It is a comprehensive text that provides terminology and concepts that allow for 
the engagement into an alternative worldview and relationship to sound. Through the 
deconstruction of settler colonial interactions with Indigenous sounds and peoples, Robinson draws 
on the values of Indigenous epistemological and ontological frameworks that prove the ability to 
hold a space that allow agency and sovereignty. He does this by outlining important concepts such 
as listening positionality, affirmative action, and decolonial practices. Robinson calls his readers to 
the opportunity to deconstruct the “tin ear” of settler colonialism and allow for a conceptual 
awareness that unsettles the ways in which we exert hungry listening. 


Hungry Listening: Resonant Theory for Indigenous Sound Studies – by Dylan Robinson (Book)

Rapports et révisions proposés d’Assemblée générale annuelle 2021

Hall, Ty

 
 
CAML Review / Revue de l’ACBM  49, no. 2 (December / Décembre 2021)      Page 112 
 
King Alpha’s Song in a Strange Land: The Roots and 
Routes of Canadian Reggae. By Jason Wilson. 
Vancouver: UBC Press, 2020. 362 pp. ISBN: 
0774862289. 
Reviewed by Ty Hall, Carleton University 
 
Music scholarship has progressively moved away from 
perceiving reggae as a homogenous conceptual 
category with a unidirectional evolution to embrace 
multi-faceted approaches that view it as a 
transnational hybrid. In King Alpha’s Song in a Strange 
Land, professional Toronto-based reggae musician and 
historian Jason Wilson argues that rather than being a 
genre with a static mould fixed in Bob Marley’s image, 
reggae is best understood through the lens of mobility. 
Tracing the roots and routes of Canadian reggae, 
Wilson demonstrates how music is built on a long 
history of reimagining and reinterpreting texts for different places and times. This insider’s look at 
Toronto’s reggae scene during its golden era between the late 1970s and early 1990s draws on 
personal experience, interviews, and historical accounts for a polyvocal report of productive cross-
cultural communication along Toronto’s ethnic frontlines. With a nuanced account of reggae as a 
means for building and crossing cultural bridges, Wilson engages with issues that relate to specific 
notions of authenticity for a more comprehensive understanding of the genre.  
The title of the book derives from the Rastafarian anthem “By the Rivers of Babylon” 
(1970) by the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians. Adapted from Psalms 19 and 137 and 
reinterpreted by artists from different backgrounds and genres all over the world, the song helps to 
articulate “the cyclic nature of Jamaica’s people in motion” (p. 11). By the early 1970s, a number of 
influential reggae figures such as Jackie Mittoo and Leroy Sibbles had migrated from Jamaica to 
Toronto, sparking a vibrant reggae scene in the city. Canadiana acts such as Messenjah, Sattalites, 
and 20th Century Rebels emerged in the 1980s through collaborations and interactions between 
Jamaican and Canadian musicians. Retracing the musical exchanges that informed the development 
of Toronto’s multiracial reggae scene, Wilson deconstructs the faulty logic of the outmoded notions 
associated with reggae authenticity. This involves interrogating the discourses surrounding the 
genre that tend to classify it according to markers of race, ethnicity, religion, or culture without 
considering the ways in which musical styles develop in a dialogic manner. Reflecting on a range of 
 
 
CAML Review / Revue de l’ACBM  49, no. 2 (December / Décembre 2021)      Page 113 
 
issues at the intersections of race and place, Wilson’s account of reggae in Canada challenges 
conceptions of music, national identity, and multiculturalism.  
Chapter 1 sets out to demonstrate the hybridity and heterogeneity of Jamaican music, examining 
some of the African and European traditions that spawned mento, ska, rocksteady, and reggae. 
Wilson intentionally foregrounds European and British influences that historians and 
ethnomusicologists have commonly overlooked to lay out a more nuanced assessment of the 
cultural currents flowing between Jamaica, Africa, and Britain in the early twentieth century. 
Chapter 2 traces reggae routes of the Black Atlantic, following the musical and cultural 
conversations that continued between Britain, America, and Jamaica after the Second World War. 
Wilson makes a convincing argument that the reimagining of musical traditions for local audiences 
and sensibilities has been a defining characteristic of Jamaican popular music that continued with 
the export of reggae in the early 1970s (p. 56). Chapter 3 takes an inventory of some of the push 
and pull factors that led to the wave of immigration from Jamaica to Toronto during the 1970s and 
1980s to examine reggae’s role in the acculturation process for Jamaican migrants. Despite the 
hardships and challenges of transnational migration, “Jamaica North” neighbourhoods such as 
North York’s Jane-Finch Corridor, Kensington Market, and Bathurst’s “Black Bottom” flourished 
across the GTA in the 1970s, setting the stage for the golden era of reggae music in Canada.  
Chapter 4 examines the dynamic relationship between place and meaning with a spatial analysis 
and deconstruction of Toronto’s reggae scene. The author traces the trajectory of “Book of Rules” 
(1979) by the Jamaican reggae group The Heptones, which has been reinterpreted many times over 
to suit local sensibilities. Chapter 5 discusses some of the commonalities between Jamaican, British, 
and Canadian cultures that facilitated bridge-building processes. Anecdotes and stories detailing 
intimate musical interactions between Jamaican and Canadian artists during reggae’s golden era 
help strengthen the author’s arguments and prove to be some of the most interesting and insightful 
portions of the book. In Chapter 6, Wilson deconstructs what he calls “the Marley Mould,” which 
was adopted within the industry as a strategy for commercial success and has served as the model 
of an authentic reggae act since the early 1970s. With an admission that cultural mixing is never a 
tidy affair, Wilson directs our attention to some of the critical discussions started by reggae at the 
ethnic frontiers of Toronto to help create bridges to understanding.  
In Chapter 7, Wilson identifies “keynote” sounds of reggae such as heavy bass frequencies, a slow 
tempo, syncopated rhythms, and off-beat skank guitar strumming that characterize its aural 
aesthetic (p. 209). The author champions bands like Sattalites, Messenjah, and 20th Century Rebels, 
who have embraced musical hybridity to create something new with meaningful connections to 
Canadian experiences and issues. While Wilson intentionally avoids defining a Canadian reggae 
sound, he lays out a notion of authenticity that moves beyond mere imitation of the sounds and 
themes of Jamaican reggae. Furthermore, some of the criticisms of Canadian reggae—that it is too 
fast, too clean, too soft, or too white—commonly resort to racially coded rhetoric that is 
 
 
CAML Review / Revue de l’ACBM  49, no. 2 (December / Décembre 2021)      Page 114 
 
symptomatic of the problematic conceptions of reggae. Chapter 8 provides a brief overview of the 
decades that follow Canada’s golden era of reggae to illustrate its ongoing cultural legacy and 
musical impact in the work of artists such as Tanya Mullings, Kardinal Offishall, and Bedouin 
Soundclash. While Canadian reggae may not have reached its full commercial potential, the author 
celebrates its role in facilitating a productive and enduring cultural dialogue and encourages artists 
to foreground Canadianness in their work. Finally, Wilson suggests that with an understanding of 
reggae as a transnational culture, artists and scholars can help broaden perceptions of the genre to 
make way for its future evolution and migrations.  
The book's restricted scope is both one of its virtues and one of its drawbacks. While demonstrating 
an intimate situated knowledge of the Toronto reggae scene in the 1980s, there is little mention of 
contributions from other parts of Canada. At times, the author risks falling into the trap of using 
Toronto as a cultural representative for the entire country. This illustrates the disadvantages and 
limitations of using a nationalist paradigm as well as the difficulty of coming up with a viable 
alternative. However, since Toronto is the hub of Canada’s reggae industry, the book does offer a 
convenient starting point for a more inclusive assessment of Canadian reggae. As the final chapter 
concludes the golden era of Toronto’s reggae scene, Wilson leaves readers with the impression that 
there is much more to be said on reggae music in Canada and other parts of the world.  
King Alpha’s Song in a Strange Land is a vital contribution to scholarship on reggae and Canadian 
music and culture. Wilson makes a strong argument for academics and music critics to accept the 
plurality and multiplicity of reggae texts as they have done for other genres. For example, his ideas 
resonate with those of Charity Marsh and Mark Campbell who effectively trouble the ways we 
understand hip hop in Canada in We Still Here: Hip Hop North of the 49th Parallel (2020) with an 
intentional “loosening of knowledge.”1 Indeed, Wilson disrupts many notions associated with 
reggae, leaving readers with a deeper appreciation for the music in Canada and all over the world. 
Balancing theoretical analysis with stories, interviews, and historical accounts, this accessible and 
informative book will appeal to musicians, scholars, and reggae enthusiasts alike who are interested 
in Canadian music and culture, the reggae scene in Toronto, or transnational migration. 
 
 
 
1 Charity Marsh and Mark V. Campbell, eds., We Still Here: Hip Hop North of the 49th Parallel (Montreal and 
Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2020), 8. The term “loosening of knowledge” is from Henry Louis Gates, 
The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of Afro-American Literary Criticism (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988), 29. 


King Alpha's Song in a Strange Land: The Roots and Routes of Canadian Reggae - by Jason Wilson (book)

-, -

 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM 49, NO. 1 (JUNE / JUIN 2021) PAGE 18 
CAML Milestones 
 
Congratulations to CAML on your 50th Anniversary. This column aims to share organization news, 
celebrate our colleagues’ accomplishments, and document changes for future researchers looking 
back. Have news to share? Contact the co-lead editors to have your news published in the next 
issue! 
 
New Members 
Since our last issue there are 2 new CAML members, and 3 new CAML/IAML members. 
 
Staffing News 
Geneviève Beaudry is the Senior Reference Assistant & Cataloguing Editor at the Gertrude Whitley 
Performance Library at McGill University as of January 2021.  
Laura Jacyna is the Music Librarian at the John E. Robbins Library at Brandon University. Laura 
began the role August 2019. 
Anne LePage is the Technical Services and Systems Librarian at Mount Allison University, and has 
been overseeing the operations of the Alfred Whitehead Music Library on an interim basis since 
mid-2020. She holds an MMus and an MLIS degree. 
Greg Sennema is the Library Liaison for Music at Wilfrid Laurier University, alongside liaison 
responsibilities for other disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. He started this role in 
2019. 
Rebecca Shaw is the Music Archivist at the University of Toronto Music Library. She has been on 
contract since July 2019 and began the permanent position May 10, 2021.  


CAML Milestones

CAML Statement on Laurentian University / Déclaration de l'ACBM sur l'Université Laurentienne

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many conference cancellations, while others moved to the virtual environment.  Below are reports from five virtual conferences: New England Chapter of the MLA by Marci CohenMountain-Plains Chapter of the MLA: Two Perspectives by Christine Edwards and Ellwood P. ColahanTeaching Music Online in Higher Education by Kevin MadillAssociation for Recorded Sound Collections by Rebecca ShawMusic Encoding Conference by Emily Hopkins, Yaolong Ju, Juliette Regimbal and Martha Thomae

Conference Reports

 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  48, NO. 1 (DECEMBER /DÉCEMBRE 2020) PAGE 22 
 
Minutes of the 2019 CAML/ACBM Annual General Meeting 
Canadian Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres (CAML)  
L’Association canadienne des bibliothèques, archives et centres de documentation 
musicaux (ACBM) 
 
Friday, June 7, 2019, 12:30 PM 
Rm 116 School of Music, University of British Columbia 
 
(As approved at the CAML AGM, June 5, 2020) 
Attendees 
In Attendance: Houman Behzadi, Carolyn Doi, Becky Smith, Tim Neufeldt (skype), Katherine Penner, 
Margaret Piper, Marc Stoeckle, Monica Fazekas, Kirsten Walsh, Desmond Maley, Janneka Guise, 
Deborah Wills, Brian McMillan, Laura Snyder, Lucinda Johnston, Sean Luyk, Homer Seyward 
 
Regrets: Kyla Jemison, Kevin Madill, James Mason 
 
Call to order: 12:43 PM  
 
1) Approval of Agenda: Moved - Monica Fazekas, Second - Kirsten Walsh (Carried) 
2) Approval of Minutes from 2018 AGM: Moved - Houman Behzadi, Second - Laura Snyder 
(Carried) 
3) Business Arising from the Minutes: none. 
4) Reports 
a. President’s report (Carolyn) 
i. Acknowledgement that we are on ancestral unceded Musqueam, Squamish, 
and Tsleil-Waututh territory, and thankful for ability to learn here.  
ii. Thank you to Marc and Kevin for organizing program. Feedback for 
volunteers doing program and local arrangements – the procedures manual 
will continue to be updated. 
iii. Board Membership – Thank you to all the volunteers working with CAML 
over the year. Many changes over this year, thank you to all!  
1. James will be stepping down as Communications officer, and Marc 
Stoeckle will take over (as appointed by president and approved by 
board).  
 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  48, NO. 1 (DECEMBER /DÉCEMBRE 2020) PAGE 23 
 
2. Katherine’s position as secretary will expire effective at AGM. A call 
has been issued to membership by our new nominations’ secretary, 
Kyla Jemison. 
iv. 2018 IAML meeting 
1. Copyright Committee Meeting: Scott Macdonald completed 
responses on behalf of CAML for the report presented, and full 
report will be available soon via IAML website 
2. Attended IAML National Representatives meeting 
v. IAML Election happening and we have two members up for positions on 
IAML Board: Joseph Hafner & Jan Guise 
vi. NY/Quebec Joint chapter meeting in Montreal – many topics covered, and a 
report was published in the CAML Review 
vii. CAML Review – Overview of publication provided. Cathy Martin (editor) & 
Brian Thompson (review editor) will both be stepping away from their roles 
this year, with Cathy willing to stay on until the position is filled. Calls have 
been made for both positions. Any interested applicants are encouraged to 
ask questions about the work done. Thank you to all those who have been 
doing the work of producing the CAML review. 
b. Treasurer’s Report (Tim Neufeldt) 
i. After taking over from Rob, these presented budgets are a hybrid between 
Rob and Tim’s documentation styles. Speaking to submitted report:  
ii. 2018 budget:  
1. Have added conference speaker fees and $1000 donation to joint 
meeting 
2. Question from Audit Committee: Why do we have a deficit in 
Conference 2018?  
3. Answer (TN): We usually make money, but we actually owed this 
past year because of low attendance 
iii. 2019 budget:  
1. Web fees look like $2000, but in addition to this, this will be ~$2370 
after renewal and refund to James. 
2. Conference costs still need to be finalized.  
iv. 2020 budget:  
1. We have about $6500 in the bank now 
2. We have a concern that our expenses are substantially higher than 
our income, but this is a conservative estimate, and will likely even 
out a bit more with new memberships. We do have the GIC to pull us 
through if needed 
 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  48, NO. 1 (DECEMBER /DÉCEMBRE 2020) PAGE 24 
 
3. Suggestion (Desmond): take an estimate for conference deficit from 
average of last 5 years 
4. Question (Lucinda): What are member expenses?  
5. Answer (various): Costs incurred by members needing to travel on 
behalf of CAML 
6. Question (Desmond): Should we look into hold off on award funding 
pending our bank acct, and how much is in the acct?  
7. Answer (TN): The proposed budget will not be putting us in the red 
because we have the GIC, and it is unlikely that we will spend all the 
award money.  
v. MOTION TO ACCEPT the report: (Motion) Desmond, (Second) Brian (carried) 
c. Audit Committee’s report (Brian/Monica) 
i. Two new members and a new treasurer 
ii. Audit committee reviewed docs on June 6th.  
iii. All questions have been answered in meeting with treasurer, and 
recommendations are as follows:  
1. Committee recommends stated provision of report 30 days in 
advance 
2. Provide monthly statements 
3. Provide differentiation between bank and PayPal 
4. Pay invoices asap, though it is recognized that there is delay between 
the transfer between board members 
iv. Question (Jan): Would it be helpful for the treasurer and the audit 
committee if there was a 6-month check-in to help the new members of the 
committee?  
v. Answer (Brian & Tim): Yes, we’ll look at the Terms of Reference and add to 
the Procedures Manual 
ACTION: Treasurer to add this to Procedures Manual 
d. Membership Secretary’s report (Becky) 
i. Following Kyla’s past documentation style 
ii. Same total number of members as 2017, but numbers for this year are only 
until May.  
iii. 11 new memberships  
iv. 1 donation from membership page  
v. We may also run a membership drive later in the year. 
vi. Question (Desmond): Who are the new members?  
vii. Answer (Becky): No names provided here, but mainly students. (Desmond) 
Where I was going with this is that maybe we should send out a letter about 
 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  48, NO. 1 (DECEMBER /DÉCEMBRE 2020) PAGE 25 
 
what CAML is about. (Brian) This was something done in the past, typically 
taken on by the President. 
e. Communication Officer’s Report (James/Marc) 
i. New website is underway, modernizing the website  
1. There isn’t an official timeline for the release right now, but we still 
have to find content 
2. Also considering an update to the logo. Would like to see if there is 
any input about updating the logo. 
3. Question (Monica): What process do you want to undertake for this?  
4. Answer (MS): We don’t have budget, but I have design background. I 
personally think this would make a positive impact on our brand to 
help with membership. 
5. Question (Monica): Is it a re-branding, or just a logo?  
6. Answer (Carolyn): the Board has not discussed a change to the 
mission of the board or association. This is a discussion about the 
logo on the website.  
7. Answer (MS): I’m getting the feeling we’re not having a lot of 
pushback on this, so we’ll go ahead.  
8. Comment (Deborah): Thank you for being willing to take this on.  
9. Comment (Jan): I like the idea of getting a limited number of options 
to choose from. We may be able to use the online voting system!  
10. Answer (MS): This is just a first step in the role I can do now. I feel 
confident that you’ll all love the website.  
f. CAML Review report (Carolyn for Cathy) 
i. See “CAML Review” in President’s report above 
g. Nomination Officer’s Report (Carolyn for Kyla) 
i. Kyla received one expression of interest for Secretary position, and Lucinda 
Johnson (U of Alberta) is acclaimed the new CAML Secretary. 
h. Cataloguing Committee report (Carolyn for Daniel) 
i. Daniel will be stepping down from this chair position after many years of 
service. If anyone is interested in taking on the chair or become part of the 
committee, they’re encouraged to connect with any member of the 
committee. There is always room for additional members.  
ii. Thank you to Daniel for his service. We have all benefitted greatly from his 
contribution.  
i. R Reports 
i. RISM (Houman for Kyla) – Kyla has agreed to be the RISM coordinator. 
Houman will connect with Kyla to make sure she has the connections she 
 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  48, NO. 1 (DECEMBER /DÉCEMBRE 2020) PAGE 26 
 
needs. When Creighton Barrett from Dalhousie is back from leave, he will 
join them. Creighton is also willing to work as a resource for us.  
ii. RILM (Houman - no coordinator in place) – If anyone is interested, they can 
connect with either Houman or Sean with questions.  
iii. RIPM (Houman - no coordinator in place) – no work at this time 
j. Québec Chapter report (Carolyn for Rachel) 
i. As submitted 
k. Awards Committee report (Margaret) 
i. Committee Members: Margaret, Marc, Lelland 
1. Research award: changed to research and professional development 
award. 
2. Cheryl Martin award: extended to new librarians 
3. More active outreach 
a. We’ll be sending out the calls for awards a bit earlier, though 
word of mouth is key for getting applicants.  
b. This year we only gave one award: First time attendee 
(Jessica Tse)  
c. Question (Monica): Did you send to student associations, 
listservs, and library schools?  
d. Answer (Marc): Yes. (Margaret): We will be earlier next year.  
e. Question (Desmond): When did the call go out? 
f. Answer (Margaret): Soon after the CfP.  
g. Comment (Brian): Considering our timelines and high 
turnover, we should just make sure this timeline is updated 
in the Procedures Manual.  
h. Answer (Marc): A shared “live” procedures manual would be 
extremely helpful. 
i. ACTION: Margaret to look at what needs to be updated in 
Procedures Manual.  
l. MOTION TO ACCEPT REPORTS: Moved - Monica; Second – Jan (carried) 
5) Conference 2020 @Western (London, ON)  
a. Comment (Sean Luyk): Feel strongly that we should meet with Congress, as there 
are many other options for everyone to attend, and we should meet with Congress 
regardless of where MusCan meets.  
b. Comment (Brian): We are very happy to welcome you to London, and we are 
already looking into spaces and restaurants for our meeting. 
c. ACTION: Houman to connect with MusCan about meeting with Congress 
d. ACTION: Houman and Carolyn to connect with possible local arrangements 
colleagues at Western 
 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  48, NO. 1 (DECEMBER /DÉCEMBRE 2020) PAGE 27 
 
6) Other Business 
a. Revision of Constitution to include Collections Committee 
i. MOTION THAT THE CONSTITUTION BE AMENDED to incorporate the 
Collections Interest Group as a permanent standing committee of CAML. 
(Second) Becky (Carried)  
7) Passing of CAML Helmut Camel from outgoing to incoming president: Carolyn to Houman 
8) Meeting Adjourned: Moved - Brian 


Minutes of the 2019 CAML/ACBM Annual General Meeting

Guise, Janneka

Watson, Jada E.

 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  48, NO. 1 (DECEMBER / DÉCEMBRE 2020)      PAGE 28 
 
Editor’s Column 
We are pleased to present our first issue of CAML Review as Co-Lead Editors. This issue features 
“Lost Conference Papers” from contributors whose conference presentations were cancelled as a 
result of COVID-19. Because many other conferences moved to a virtual format in response to 
COVID-19, we have included reports reflecting on five conference experiences with the format.  
Changes to CAML Review 
As many readers will know, Cathy Martin stepped down as Lead Editor in 2019 after 10 very 
successful years in that position. Following two calls for expressions of interest on CANMUS-L for 
new leadership, Houman Behzadi met with a group of interested individuals in March 2020 to plan 
the future of CAML Review editorship. The group built the new Editorial Team by consensus, for 
2020-2022: 
• Co-Lead Editors: Jan Guise (University of Toronto), Jada Watson (University of Ottawa) 
• Reviews Editors: Brian McMillan (Western University), Nina Penner (Brock University) 
• Associate Editors: Megan Chellew (McGill University), Carolyn Doi (University of 
Saskatchewan), Deborah Wills (Wilfred Laurier University, ret’d) 
The Editorial Team meets monthly. We decided to move from a publication frequency of three 
times per year to twice per year (June and December) starting with this December 2020 issue. We 
want to broaden the types of content in the journal and will henceforth encourage not only 
traditional articles and reviews, but also such formats as images, essays, and creative works. In this 
issue, for example, you will find Leanne Vida’s slide deck from her lost conference presentation on 
Art Song by Canadian Composers. By looking through back issues of the CAML Review we 
discovered former practices that we wanted to re-introduce to the journal: you will now find a list 
of CAML Board members and CAML Review Editorial Team members listed in the front matter, and 
a “Milestones” column. We plan to strengthen the relationship between the CAML Review and the 
CAML website, feeding abstracts, teasers and reports to the CAML Web Editor to feature on the site 
between issues. We have also launched CAML’s social media presence on Twitter and Facebook 
@caml_acbm where you will find calls for proposals and news about upcoming CAML Review issues.  
Commitment to Anti-Racism 
The re-emergence of the #BlackLivesMatter movement in June 2020 following the murder of 
George Floyd by Minneapolis police has brought issues surrounding anti-black racism, police 
brutality, and social inequalities to the fore of public, political, and scholarly debate. Over the 
summer months, these issues entered into musicology and music theory discussion groups, 
especially in relation to the Journal of Schenkerian Studies, which published a special issue devoted 
 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  48, NO. 1 (DECEMBER / DÉCEMBRE 2020)      PAGE 29 
 
to Philip Ewell’s 2019 plenary address at the annual conference of the Society for Music Theory.1 In 
this presentation, Dr. Ewell developed a critical framework for exploring the white racial framing of 
music theory and the legacy of white supremacy that pervades music education. The majority of the 
responses included in the JSS issue were highly critical of Dr. Ewell’s work, several of which included 
anti-Black statements and personal attacks on Dr. Ewell.  
The #BlackLivesMatter movement has sparked important conversations and actions in the practice 
of librarians and information specialists. In June, CAML endorsed the Canadian Federation Library 
Associations – Féderation canadienne des association de bibliothèques Communiqué on Anti-Black 
Racism,2 joining Canadian library professionals in the condemnation of racism and commitment to 
equity. The American Library Association published a Plan for Action in June 2020,3 which calls for 
librarians to commit to learning about anti-racism and racial equality efforts within the profession; 
to examine the language used in practice; to centre and support Black, Indigenous and People of 
Colour (BIPOC) in the field; to train staff on topics related to equity, diversity and inclusion; to 
evaluate policies and to develop programming and partnerships with BIPOC community members.  
How are music librarians committing to this Plan for Action? How are we addressing and 
overturning the colonial and racist forces at work within the discipline of music, our professional 
practice, and our everyday lives? Are music libraries and archives safe spaces for BIPOC users? Do 
BIPOC music information professionals feel safe in the workplace? Are we critically examining the 
structural racism inherent in our places of work?  
The editorial board of CAML Review is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in our content 
and editorial practice and to encouraging/fostering discussion about how anti-racist approaches can 
be brought into music information work.  As this new Editorial Team embarks on their two-year 
mandate, we are auditing our own collective and individual practices, and will report on them to 
our readers in forthcoming issues. We see the Review as a space where writing and reflections 
about these issues and questions can unfold. We encourage our readership to act on these issues so 
we can better support scholars and performers to explore a broader world of music and ask new 
questions of it.  
Upcoming Issues 
The June 2021 issue will feature writings about how our profession was affected by the pandemic. 
In December 2021 we will celebrate CAML’s 50th Anniversary (1971-2021) with a special issue 
including re-prints of early articles, reflections from former CAML presidents, and features by 
 
1 Philip Ewell, “Ewell-SMT-Plenary,” YouTube video, 22:05 (October 2019), https://vimeo.com/372726003.  
2 See the CFLA-FCAB statements are available on the organization website in English (http://cfla-fcab.ca/wp-
content/uploads/2020/06/EN_CFLA_FCAB_Communique_on_Anti_Black_Racism.pdf) and French (http://cfla-
fcab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/FR_FCAB_CFLA_Communique_sur_le_racisme_envers_les_Noirs-1.pdf).  
3 American Library Association, “Libraries Respond: Black Lives Matter,” (June 2020) 
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/diversity/librariesrespond/black-lives-matter.  
 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  48, NO. 1 (DECEMBER / DÉCEMBRE 2020)      PAGE 30 
 
today’s members. If you have an article or reflection on your own history with CAML that you would 
like to share, please contact us! Do you have an idea for a theme for an upcoming issue of CAML 
Review? We invite expressions of interest from guest editors. If you have feedback on this or any 
future issue, we would love to hear from you.  
Jan Guise, jan.guise@utoronto.ca 
Jada Watson, jada.watson@uottawa.ca 


Editor’s Column

McGorman, Joan Colquhoun

 
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  48, NO. 1 (DECEMBER / DÉCEMBRE 2020)      PAGE 33 
 
 
In Memoriam: Debra Begg (2019) 
 
The death of Debra Begg on August 18, 2019 at age 69 was a sad loss for CAML, as 
well as Debra's family, friends and colleagues. She retired as Head of the Isobel 
Firestone Music Library at the University of Ottawa on March 31, 2017. She was 
President of CAML from 1988 to 1991. 
Following a degree in Music at the University of Ottawa, Debra received her 
Master of Library Science at the University of Western Ontario in 1975 (in the 
same class as Kirsten Walsh). She then began her distinguished career as Music 
Cataloguer at the University of Ottawa and became Head of the Music Library in 
February 1981. In 1981, she also completed her Master of Arts in Canadian Studies (Music) from 
Carleton University with a thesis on the history of early symphony orchestras in Ottawa. 
Throughout her career, Debra was an active and enthusiastic member of CAML, participating on the 
Board, Committees, planning programs and organizing local arrangements whenever CAML 
meetings were held in Ottawa, between 1982 and 2015. Debra was Membership Secretary through 
the 1980s until becoming President in 1988, a position she held until 1991. Debra attended many 
conferences, including IAML in Tokyo in 1988.  
Throughout her career Debra was a dedicated advocate for the University of Ottawa Music Library, 
ensuring that the Library collection and services were expanded as the School of Music grew from a 
small undergraduate program to a much larger and renowned School offering advanced graduate 
degrees. This also involved planning for the Music Library within the new music building, Perez Hall 
which opened in 1988. Students, faculty and visitors could count on Debra as a source of knowledge 
and guidance, treating everyone with care and respect. She inspired others to become music 
librarians, willingly writing letters of reference and offering encouragement and job interview tips. 
Debra attended many student and faculty performances at the School of Music, which often 
featured works she had helped the performers research. She was also involved in the broader music 
community in Ottawa, attending concerts at the National Arts Centre and other venues. 
Debra was always good-humoured, generous and cheerful, with an easy, musical laugh and lovely 
voice. She was predeceased by her husband, John Hopkins in 2018. 
Debra was a dear friend and colleague throughout my career. 
Please see links, below, to obituary (death notice) in the Ottawa Citizen, and to a video tribute 
addendum to the CAML AGM, June 2020. 
Joan Colquhoun McGorman  
CAML President, 1985-1987 
(Music Librarian at National Library of Canada, 1978-1988) 
 
Obituary in the Ottawa Citizen: https://ottawacitizen.remembering.ca/obituary/debra-begg-1076763740  
CAML AGM Tribute: https://youtu.be/2x0qxraYvBc 
