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Michael
Begay, NACAP laureate (left) and Lance Henson, renowned visiting
poet scholar (right) work with Tuba City High School students
in classical music instruction (Begay) and poetry and creative
short stories (Henson). (photo by Rosanda Suetopka - Navajo-Hopi
Observer)
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TUBA CITY, AZ Poet and writer Lance Henson, a member
of the Cheyenne, Oglala and French nations, along with Michael Begay,
a member of the Navajo Nation who works with students creating and
writing classical music for public performance, worked with Tuba
High School students last week.
Henson shared his writing talent with students throughout the
week in the areas of poetry and short stories. Henson, who was raised
on a farm near Calumet, Oklahoma by his great aunt and uncle, showed
students how to gather personal experiences and turn that into something
creative that can be shared with a larger audience.
Henson's great uncle was the groundskeeper for Chapter One of
the Native American Church of Oklahoma. He was one of five boys
raised by his great aunt and uncle and he grew up immersed in the
southern Cheyenne culture.
Henson also served this country as a Marine in the Vietnam War
and eventually came back home to graduate from the Oklahoma College
of Liberal Arts in Chickasaw. He earned an Master of Fine Arts degree
in creative writing from the University of Tulsa.
Henson spent the past 10 years conducting poetry and creative
writing workshops for students and adults through the Artist-in-Residence
programs of the State Arts Council of Oklahoma in the United States
and in Europe.
Henson has written more than seventeen books of poetry that
have been translated into 25 languages and has lectured in more
than nine countries.
As a successful poet, Henson also has written two plays, one
of which is titled "Winter Man," which had a successful
run at the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Company. His other play
titled "Coyote Road" played to sell out audiences in Versaille,
France in December 2001.
In April 2006, Henson's work "Words from the Edge"
was featured in a mini-tour in Italy of indigenous poets from endangered
tribes that he organized.
Henson encouraged and worked with students on their short story
and poetry writing submittals, helping them smooth out phrasing,
thoughts and organizing their creative expression on paper and showing
them how to make their creative writing work more powerful and descriptive.
Michael Begay, a member of the Navajo Nation and a home grown
product of Tuba City, was originally one of the mentees of the Native
American Composers Apprenticeship Program (NACAP) that he now mentors
and is the 2015 Artist-in-Residence working with the Grand Canyon
Music Festival throughout the year.
Begay, who was a high school student in 2003, was deeply motivated
and inspired by classical acoustic guitar and wanted to take his
talent to a larger audience but didn't have the formal training
or contacts to make that happen on his own.
Begay was selected by the librarian at his former school as
a prime choice to benefit from a musical mentorship program like
NACAP at Tuba City High School.
It wasn't long before Begay was singled out as someone with
much discipline, humor and the willingness to work hard to see a
fine arts program through to its completion. Now, Begay is working
on his own Bachelor of Fine Arts undergraduate degree in music.
Begay had a lot to say about how NACAP helps students on the
reservation who might not be able to find creative arts programs
close to home.
"After my original high school level mentee-ship with NACAP,
I did ask if I could ride along with the varied composers in residence
who were with the Grand Canyon Festival Program," Begay said.
"I learned so much from them. How to present a program, how
to utilize varied teaching techniques, I had the chance to work
daily and up close with three of the composers in residence, Jerod
Tate (Chickasaw), David Mallumud and Raven Chacon (Navajo)."
Begay originally wanted to find a program for acoustic guitar at
the high school level, so he enrolled at Peoria High School, which
had an outstanding guitar program.
"But I was wait-listed and by the time I was able to get
to the program, it was already being shut down due to lack of funding,"
Begay said. "I came back home to Tuba and was told by my school
librarian, who was also a percussionist, that there was this special
NACAP program and that I should sign up. This librarian also allowed
me to borrow his personal sheets of classical music and to sit in
one some of his music lectures. Once I got into the NACAP program,
I basically never left. I have gone from one of the student mentees
to now a full-blown artist-in-residence taking new students from
the starting level that I was at in 2003 to now, which is traveling
and writing music for classical performance. It's my own past struggles
and experience that motivates to help and spark some inspiration
for my students who are on the reservation in our high schools."
Begay said the NACAP program gives students a real classroom
experience like a larger more urban environment.
"Also for our Native students to see a real composer who
is also tribal is a positive role modeling example," he said.
"It lets them see and experience that a professional music
career is really possible for them. They can relate more easily
and quickly to someone who is tribal and is more familiar with their
own lifestyle and culture."
Begay said students sometimes feel like it is impossible to
write and create music compositions, because it is intimidating
at first.
"But I just tell them its all a form of expression and
everyone has a story to tell, this is just a different way to express
that personal story," he said.
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