Luke Adsit, Stevens Point Area Senior High Choir Music Educator and Composer
This is the first in a series of Wisconsin Arts Educator interviews in honor of Arts Month 2024. The featured educators not only demonstrate excellent teaching but also innovative ideas. Luke Adsit is an accomplished choral music educator and composer at Stevens Point Area Senior High School. Next week on Tuesday, March 12 he is presenting an innovative concert that features an original cross-cultural musical composition in Ho-Chunk and English. Luke agreed to tell us more about this collaboration and concert.
Chris: Can you describe this concert and project?
Luke: The Stevens Point Area Senior High Spring Choral Concert will feature our three current
ensembles, SPASH Singers, Counterpointers, and Concert Choir. Though there will be some more
traditional choral songs, the highlight and main purpose of this concert is to present, share, and
perform The Earth Still Speaks, an original cross-cultural musical work written by Luke Adsit in
Ho-Chunk and English. Allen Cloud, the Ho-Chunk elder who I worked closely with on the
language, will perform two songs at the concert with Ho-Chunk singers and the Drum, one in
Ho-Chunk and one in English. Ho-chunk Nation President, Jon Greendeer will be welcoming and
addressing the audience. We have invited the Ho-Chunk Nation and other First Nations of
Wisconsin to be in attendance for this event as well as the general public. During the fall of
2019, I composed the four movements of the song cycle for piano and SATB voice. I created the
English lyrics and ideas of the song cycle in four different movements. They tell a story where
each movement is different yet they are all connected.
*Please see the attached article for movement names and lyrics in Ho-Chunk and English.
Chris: What led you to consider this opportunity for your students?
Luke: A desire to learn and create was my main catalyst for working to provide this opportunity for my students. I composed this song cycle as the foundation of my Master’s of Music Education
Thesis, The Pedagogical Value of Learning a Musical Work in an Endangered Language:
Ho-Chunk. https://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/80381
I wanted to learn more about the indigenous people who have ancestral lands in the area where
I currently reside, and through that learning create the opportunity for students to also learn. I
learned what an endangered language is and learned that the Ho-Chunk language is one of
many endangered languages. Stevens Point, WI and the surrounding areas are the ancestral
lands of The Ho-Chunk. Their oral history places them in this area spanning back possibly three
ice ages. I found out that information by researching on the internet and contacting the UWSP
Native American Center early fall of 2019. From that communication I was given the contact
information for Ho-Chunk Elder, Allen Cloud.
Chris: What specific challenges did you face as you translated these concepts and emotions
across languages?
Luke: The Ho-Chunk language is like no other language I have ever spoken, learned, or taught
students to sing in. It is a beautiful language and has a natural rhythm to the speaking.
Whenever possible I tried to incorporate the spoken rhythm of the language into the singing. I
wrote the lyrics in English and then with the help of Allen Cloud and his extensive Ho-Chunk
language knowledge we were able to get it translated into Ho-Chunk. One major challenge was
the fact that there are words in English that do not exist in Ho-Chunk. When this happened we
worked together to find the meaning or idea I was trying to portray and Allen was able to find
the Ho-Chunk words.
Chris: Authenticity and careful research must have been a hallmark of this work. What steps
did you take to make sure you were being authentic and accurate?
Luke: I had been wanting to do a project like this for quite some time and working directly with the
Ho-Chunk Nation was part of the plan from the start when I found that their ancestral lands are
in Stevens Point. In order for it to be authentic and accurate I needed to first ask permission if
this type of project was okay to do and then build a relationship with people I had never met or
worked with before. Allen Cloud has extensive knowledge of the Ho-Chunk language having
heard it since birth and spoken it all his life. Allen also worked closely at the time with Julia
Goodbear from the Ho-Chunk language department on some of the phrases. I wanted to make
sure I got the language correct and was doing the whole composition in an honorable manner in
order to give respect to the Ho-Chunk Nation and language.
Chris: You were intentional about connecting with members of the Ho-Chunk Nation. Who
were those people and how did this impact the project?
Luke: Allen Cloud, Ho-Chunk Elder, Jon Greendeer, Ho-Chunk President. Allen Cloud has a lifetime of
experiences and knowledge being a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation. He not only brought
knowledge of the Ho-Chunk language, but also brought knowledge about traditional Ho-Chunk
values, life, and how it has changed over his lifetime and even before he was born. President
Greender brought the ears and voice of the Ho-Chunk nation when he attended our choral
rehearsal. The words both he and Allen shared with our students was more meaningful than we
could have imagined. It gave us a deeper understanding of how far reaching the impact of what
we are doing is being felt, heard, and will impact future generations.
Chris: How have the students, caregivers, and community responded to this project?
Luke: There has been an overwhelming positive response from everyone about this project. Even
though it was not able to be performed in the spring of 2020 after it was first composed, it is
almost as if it was meant to be performed now in 2024 so we could honor this moment to the
fullest. We have had the time to plan and prepare thoroughly to bring people together through
this performance. President Jon Greendeer spoke to the students in Ho-Chunk during rehearsal
after hearing them sing and one of the things he said was “Pinagigi” which is often used as
thank you. Though he told us that in Ho-Chunk it actually means that you have done well for me
or us.
Chris: What is one unanticipated benefit that has emerged from this project?
Luke: This project is so much more than just a performance for SPASH Choirs. It is a historical moment for the Ho-Chunk Nation that continues to build bridges between people from different cultures who live in the same community. It offers the opportunity for deeper understanding between
minds of diverse backgrounds. To describe what my students and I have learned from this project in words is not completely possible. There is a deeper level of understanding, appreciation, and learning that has taken place here. To have the President of the Ho-Chunk Nation attend our choral rehearsal with an esteemed Ho-Chunk Elder to listen to the singing and speak to the students, is something that cannot be taught in books or in the musical notation of songs. It is a life experience that will stay with us forever. It gives new and different perspectives about life. This all was made possible through the collaborative work of many people and the universal language of music.
Bonus Opportunity That Just Came In!
The Stevens Initiative is an international movement whose mission is to connect young people through virtual exchange to enhance their understanding of the world around them, giving them critical skills to succeed and encouraging global friendships along the way. The Initiative does this through virtual exchange. Virtual exchange connects young people from around the world for learning and collaboration, immersing them in digital spaces to gain practical skills and build friendships along the way.
Please join us to learn how to bring global learning experiences to your school community.
March 20, 2024 | 3:30-4:30 CT | Register HERE
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Chris Gleason
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
This publication and previous issues are available from: Division of Academic Excellence> Teaching and Learning Team> Arts and Creativity. https://dpi.wi.gov/fine-arts/newsletter
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