Richard Antoine White

Welcome to “How to Act.” Produced by the New Mexico Black Education Act Advisory Council in partnership with New Mexico Black Education Act Bureau at NM PED, this limited-run mini-podcast series is part of a year-long celebration of the 100th year anniversary of Black History Month. Here at H2A we treasure and showcase stories of those who have and continue to enrich the Black educational landscape in New Mexico and beyond. Because Black History isn’t my history or your history…Black History is New Mexico History … and no matter who or where you are, if you are under the sound of this Pod, this history is for you. I’m your host, Hakim Bellamy and this is “How to Act.”

Richard Antoine White and his tuba have been somewhat inseparable since the seventh grade. Not exactly the “sport” of choice you’d expect from a Black kid who spent the first four years of his life sleeping on a piece of cardboard in Baltimore’s Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood. From being taken in at age 4 by the same folks who served as foster parents as his mother–who by that time was suffering from advanced alcohol addiction–to bandleader for popular music talents like Justin Timberlake and Queen Latifah.

A high school graduate of Baltimore School for the Arts (where he as a classmate of the late Tupac Amaru Shakur), a college graduate of the Peabody Institute, America’s oldest conservatory, and an alumnus of Indiana University's prestigious Jacobs School of Music where he became the first ever African American to earn a doctorate in tuba performance, Professor White is principal tubist for the New Mexico Philharmonic when he is not a full-time tenure track professor and Associate Marching Band Director at the University of New Mexico.

Here, Mr. White unpacks his approach to teaching music and how the discipline of learning to play an instrument develops the same muscles required to excel in school, in sports, and in life.

This podcast is a partnership between the New Mexico Black Education Act Advisory Council and the New Mexico Black Education Act Bureau. Find out more about the New Mexico Black Education Act here https://web.ped.nm.gov/bureaus/student-support-services/black-education-act/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Welcome to How to Act, produced by the New Mexico Black Education Act Advisory Council in partnership with the New Mexico Black Education Act Bureau at NMPD. This limited run mini podcast series is part of a year-long celebration of the hundredth year anniversary of Black History Month. Here at H2A, we treasure and showcase stories of those who have and continue to enrich the Black Educational Landscape in New Mexico and beyond. Because Black History isn't my history or your history. Black history is New Mexico history. And no matter who or where you are, if you are under the sound of this pod, this history's for you. I'm your host, Hakeem Bellamy, and this is how to act. Richard Antoine White and his tuba have been somewhat inseparable since the seventh grade. Not exactly the sport of choice you'd expect from a black kid who spent the first four years of his life sleeping on a piece of cardboard in Baltimore's Standtown Winchester neighborhood, from being taken in at age four by the same folks who served his foster parents to his mother, who by that time was suffering from advanced alcohol addiction, to band leader for popular music talents like Justin Timberlake and Queen Latifa. A high school graduate of Baltimore School for the Arts, where he was a classmate of the late Tupacka Marushikor, a college graduate of the Peabody Institute, America's oldest conservatory, and an alumnus of Indiana University's prestigious Jacobs School of Music, where he became the first ever African American to earn a doctorate in tuba performance. Professor White is principal tubist for the Mexico Philharmonic when he is not a full-time tenure track professor and associate marching band director at the University of New Mexico. Here, Mr. White unpacks his approach to teaching music and how the discipline of learning to play an instrument develops the same muscles required to excel in school, in sports, and in life.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

I think there are a lot of parallels to sports, the amount of time you have to put into it. But I think with sports and music, the one thing you get is discipline. And to me, the definition of discipline is deciding between what you want now and what you want most. So teaching music is very one-on-one. You know, I have 18 students in my studio now, and I meet them for an hour one-on-one each week. So it's a very intimate setting. And I like to use the analogy that communication is universal, much like music. So whether I'm playing jazz, hip hop, country, rap, we all choose from the same set of 12 notes. So then it comes down to the ability to facilitate the information in a way that the student and teacher can absorb it. Because I think it's a two-way street. We both should be learning.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

What does music teach us about ourselves and about others?

SPEAKER_00 3:08

You know, there's been a lot of controversy around DEI, and it's been kind of taboo to bring it up now diversity, equity, and inclusion. I think the most powerful thing is diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. And the B is the most important part, and that's what music brings to the table. That's what sports bring to the table. You belong to a community, you rely on each other, and in order to achieve the goal, you have to work together. And you know, in this country, we're so obsessed with winning. I think in sports and music, the goal is not to win, the goal is to do your best. And winning is a byproduct of doing your best. Because if you do your best, you're always learning something for the next time. I think we have to change that mentality that the goal is to do your absolute best, and then you're always winning. If your goal is to win, you're gonna fall short. Because when you win, you're gonna go, this it right, right.

SPEAKER_01 4:02

And I love that. Like you you you bring to mind people talk about excellence. And I always used to like like that distinction between winning and excellence, right? Excellence is means I'm trying to be as excellent as I can at this thing. Like my only competition is myself. Winning is like, oh, we got to beat somebody else. Excellence is like, how can I be the best that I can be at what I'm doing, right?

SPEAKER_00 4:26

Oh, you are preaching my language. I the problem when DEI was in full effect because we kept moving the bar of excellence. It's not a moving target. Excellence is where it is, and we have to provide the resources for our young minds to achieve the level of excellence wherever it is. So if you want to be a former race car driver, and I'm like, we're gonna help you. Here's a you go. Good luck with that. It doesn't matter how well you perform on the racetrack, your car doesn't even meet the minimum feed. Right. So I think we have to acknowledge that there are people that are privileged, and whether you're at advantage or disadvantage, you can do it. It doesn't matter where you start, it just matters that you start. You don't have to be great to start, but in order to be great, you have to definitely start.

SPEAKER_01 5:19

Right, right. And you know, and and and our listeners may not, they might just be showing up to this podcast and and only knowing the little bio of yours that I put at the front. I encourage our listeners to go learn more about the story of Richard A. White, because he's not just preaching this, he lived this.

SPEAKER_00 5:36

You know, as you mentioned that I it we always meet different students, right? And there are different stories I hear and different things. There are two stories I like to share, but the first one I'll share really quick is that Bill Gates says, I will always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job because he or she will always find the easiest way to do it. Right? You never know where the value is gonna come. And then the second one, I know you have a diverse group of listeners. It comes a little kid. The teacher said, What do you want to be? He says, I want to be a rapper. And she said, uh. And he said, Oh, look at you. You don't like rap. You're racist. She said, I'm not racist. He said, But you don't like rap. She said, I never said that uh I didn't like rap, but you don't think I'm gonna be famous. He said, I think you'll be very famous. He said, Well, what's the problem then? He said, Well, I think you're gonna be poor because you don't like math and everyone's gonna take your money. And the kid said, Can we go back to number one, please? Right. Right. Right.

SPEAKER_01 6:43

Well, well, speaking of life and lived experience, as a music professor now, um, what advantages does your own lived experience and culture allow you to bring to the to the teaching profession?

SPEAKER_00 6:57

Oh wow, that's a great question. I was asked once by an evening news reporter, what is my greatest accomplishment? Uh, you know, the history, everything. And I said, it's my job as a teacher because every day I get to go to school and mentor a young mind because that's what someone did for me. I think the advantage of being a music teacher is that you bring life into your art form and your expression. So whether you're having a good day or bad day, you still get to practice your art form and integrate life into whatever you're doing. And I think that's significant because sometimes in life, I think we go through the motions. This is what we're supposed to do. And we have to remember, and you as an artist too, passion is a real word. You know, we have to have passion in what we do, and I think you have to care. If you care and you're kind, things will work out. I think there are thousands of problems in the world, but 99% of them would be solved if we were just kind. I try to listen and be kind to every student. Uh, you know that three-step thing we learned when we were small across the street? Stop, look, and listen. I try to integrate that into my teaching. First thing I stop everything, regardless of what I have planned. I look at the student to let them know I'm identifying with them. You know, my own personal experience, being being on the streets homeless, there's a difference between recognizing and acknowledging. You know, we we recognize the panhandlings and homeless people because they're asking us for money. But to acknowledge them would be simply to say, hey, how are you doing today? And that lets them know they exist. So sometimes within our teaching, we just have to let students know, I see you. You exist and I care.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

In 2024, the peer-reviewed journal College Music Symposium, Journal of the College Music Society, published scholarship on the retention and recruitment of students of underrepresented populations in music teacher education. According to the article, current evidence suggests that African American teachers are roughly six to seven percent of all teachers, but often only about two to four percent of all music teachers. I gave Richard a hypo or two on how we might address such disparity of access, one teacher and one student at a time. If I'm a musician and and Richard A. White is trying to give me his best pitch to be like, hey man, you should consider teaching music too. What would your pitch be?

SPEAKER_00 9:31

Well, I have a lot to say, but let's answer your question directly first. My pitch would be if we don't do it, who gonna do it? Hey, come on. That would be my favorite. If we don't do it, who gonna do it? And then I probably would follow it up with a meaningful quote, because I want them to be fired up. Procrastination is the arrogant assumption that God or the universe owes you more time to do what you had the opportunity to do. We have an opportunity to change the landscape. I'm preaching a little bit, man, but I'm feeling this question. Yes, I'm always one of one or one of two. I'm the only full professor in the music school and in the whole ecosystem of UNM, I think I'm like one of three male full professors, you know, and to achieve that, you know, early is is is a is a goal. But I think we have to talk to the students because I asked my students uh what was the first African-American professor they had, and 100% said you me. That's crazy. So they need to see people that look like them doing the things they want to do so that they know that it's possible. Thus, you know, the title of my book was the word impossible turned to I'm possible. We are all possible if we learn to support and do things. I keep bringing up this together because right now, as as things get more and more intense in the world, it really is the only way we move forward. But I would tell anyone that's on the fence about teaching or why should I do it, the stats don't look good, is that we have an opportunity to change the script, to reverse history. And if you or me don't do it, a person of color or a person of diversity, who gonna do it? And then the next part of that is who better to do it than us if we don't do it. You have to put that into perspective because sometimes you do things for the betterment of others and not yourself. And that's a hard and that's one of the hardest things to struggle with in any profession is to put your ego aside for the greater cause. It's not about you individually as a teacher, but it's about the impact that you can make and the example that you can set just by being. If you wake up every day and you show up to work, guess what? You making a difference. You showed up. So we have to tell people look, we have to do this because we have to keep showing up. If we don't keep showing up, then we will disappear.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:59

So we have a responsibility, and I use responsibility instead of obligation because I think obligation is the wrong word. We don't have an obligation, we have a responsibility because we want to be better. And again, I say we want to be better, it's about the whole. So that's what I would tell anyone that's on the fence looking at these daunting statistics, is that you know, if we don't do it, who gonna do it?

SPEAKER_01 12:25

Early on in our conversation, you put arts and sports side by side because they do share a lot of similarities, and it's much more of like an apprenticeship model in sports and in music, which I always find interesting.

SPEAKER_00 12:37

I love that. And the the the crazy thing about sports and music, it doesn't stop when you graduate. I have to practice my tuba every day, whether I want to or not. And I'm at the where I go, man, I'm still doing this, but if I don't warm up or get my fundamentals in, I don't sound good. And people have to realize what they're chasing in music. I'm a tuba player, but I'm in the business of music. So I wear many hats. You can't think of it as being a specialist. If you are a singer, if you're a poet, you're in the business of art, you're in the business of theater, you're in the business of music. Once you start thinking about the business, you have the correct picture because you can't just be a one-hit pony. Like no one goes to baseball and just say, I just swing the bat. No, you gotta you gotta run, man. You gotta run the basis. So we have to think about that, and we also have to teach our kids that there's a difference between popularity and wealth. You can be popular on YouTube and all these social media things, but that doesn't equal wealth. I think wealth can be defined in many ways, and wealth is not just the dollar amount, it's the impact you're making, it's the legacy you're leaving. And I used to think that the only thing that was gonna stop me from being successful was death. I no longer think that. With my Raw Tuba Foundation, I believe that I can leave a legacy that will linger long after I'm gone. And that's the kind of success I cherish more than just getting a paycheck.

SPEAKER_01 14:05

Ma'am, we're gonna need a whole nother longer podcast because this is good stuff. This could be its own podcast, the business of art, right? Like I find myself as a poet, as I grew in my career, I became more active in things that advocated for better pay for artists, or how do we find more performance spaces, or where can we find rehearsal spaces? Like all those things kind of came into my purview. Like at first, I was just writing with my head down, trying to trying to get my poetry seen by the world. But as that aperture opened up and I started to see the ecosystem, it was like, oh, so the same thing that's holding me back, maybe is holding all these artists over here back. And now we got to get engaged in that, right?

SPEAKER_00 14:45

And that is the definition of community, community and belonging, man. I think we should wear t-shirts with those two words on it.

SPEAKER_01 14:53

Yes, yes, yeah, right, right. And and and I think artists do it intuitively. Like when I was still gigging, when that was the main source of my artistry, it was like, oh, I'm out here getting these gigs so people can hear this poetry. And you're going from bar and venue night to night, trying to get people, anybody who listen, right? Um, to hear your poetry. And then you realize that, you know, I might get 50 to 100 people at my show. And the same 50 to 100 people are going to this show and they're going to this show. And so it's like, we're not competent, we're not competition, y'all. We are cultivating an audience that's going to come support us all. And frankly, if I want you to go to your come to my show, I better get up on my off night and go to your show.

SPEAKER_00 15:31

That's funny you said that because you know, we all have crazy minds. My mind is weird. I watch TikTok, I learn a lot, I have a TikTok, and uh, I saw a brand ambassador, and I was like, man, I think U and M needs a brand ambassador because all the reputational damage and stuff, all the bad clout we get. I took it to the provost and dean, so I'm officially the brand ambassador of the fine arts school. So I'm bringing this because one of the things when they assigned me to the recruiting committee, I said, hey, we need to take care of our house in-house first, meaning that we need to all go to a different discipline. If you haven't been to a theater show, go to a theater show, go to a dance show. If you haven't been to a recruiting uh event for theater, go to it. Because we have to advocate and recruit for the entire school, not just Tuba. And that's what we were doing. Because before we did this, if you asked me about, well, how's the theater department? I would have said, I think it's pretty good. So what you know about it? I don't know. I just know that I think it's pretty good.

SPEAKER_01 16:32

Right. Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 16:34

What you're saying is you got if you expect people to come to your show, you got to get off your bar and go to their show so that we have this contagious ecosystem and we always have this lingering residue to be hungry. That's what I tell them. If you want to be successful, you have to be hungry. And one of them had the perfect answer. I said, Oh, I'm gonna share that. I said, Mario, are you hungry? He said, Dr. White, I'm starving. Yeah, there we go. That's what we need. There you go, right? That's what that was my same response.

SPEAKER_01 17:03

I was like, There you go. Well, and and and really, I mean, as this is an educational pod, it's like, wouldn't it be wonderful if every student showed up like on the edge of their seat, like ready to ready to receive, like in your history class, in your math class, in your tuba class, if every student was like, Man, I couldn't wait to get here today because I'm starving. That would, isn't that the dream for education in our country?

SPEAKER_00 17:28

That's the dream. That's funny, and it's because sometimes you have to take that literally. In my speeches, there's always a question and answer. And the teachers are like, I'm hitting a brick wall, I've tried everything with the student. What do you recommend? And I would say, oftentimes, I recommend you put a food pantry in your in your closet, in your office. I said, I've been in these places. I said, I don't think the kids can concentrate because they're hungry. And then I get these responses, how did you know? And I said, Because I was that kid. You know, you want me to learn math out of my stomach growling, you know, the the cafeteria meal wasn't quite big enough. But sometimes we have to see the student in their entirety. Like sometimes it's hungry because you get it, you want to excel, but sometimes literally the student may be hungry of whatever their circumstances be. So that's another thing. Being a teacher is not just writing a lesson plan and following it. Being a teacher is writing a lesson plan and then seeing it develop organic and like you said, adapting to it. Adaptation is a word we have to unpack because I think you're right on the money when you say that. Circumstances change and people change. You know, we we can't keep using the 1950s curriculum because it doesn't work.

SPEAKER_01 18:50

And so here's my final question for you. And I've asked you to do a lot of hypotheticals today. Like, if I was ex, what would you tell me? So now I'm ex again. I'm a parent. I've got a young child, you know, I'm a parent who has limited funds and limited resources. So, but I got a young child who really wants to play this, this, this guitar. And and I'm like, man, trying to figure out how I'm gonna pinch some pennies over here to get these music lessons to really help them uh uh you know follow their passion. Um, but but the world, the world is out there saying, don't spend your money on that. Your kid is never gonna be a famous musician. Uh uh, you need to just spend your money on something else that's gonna help them with their math homework, right? This this is what this is what the parent's hearing while they're trying to make this decision to support their child. And if you had an opportunity to talk to this parent and tell them from your own experience, what other benefits, non-material benefits that this child can receive over the course of their life as a result of learning music at an early age, that have nothing to do with whether they become a famous guitarist. What are you gonna say? What are you gonna say to that parent? Like, this is why it's a good investment, regardless of how your child's guitar career turns out.

SPEAKER_00 19:59

Yes, first of all, I would tell this parent that there's always help. No one does it alone, regardless of your fluency, uh, regardless of your advantages or disadvantages, there's always resources and help. Uh talking on the phone about it isn't gonna get it done, emailing about it isn't gonna get it done, calling a family member isn't gonna get it done. The only thing that's gonna get it done is to get it done. And so if your kid is coming to you with passion and saying they want to do something, you have to play your cards. If you do not show up, one thing is guaranteed nothing will happen. If you show up, you have no idea what's gonna happen, and everything is possible just by showing up. And the benefits of doing it is that you have committed to something, you have decided that I am going for this, go for it. I think the number one thing in life is that when we set goals, we don't have the same expectations, and as we talked about before, I would tell this parent have the expectation of your kid being the best version of themselves. Don't put obstructions or barriers in it because of your own opinion and ego. You actually don't know what this is gonna develop into you. But guess what? Buckle up and go on a ride, like see what develops, surprise yourself, you know, like a mystery box. You don't know what's at the end of this tunnel, but cut your flashlight on, take your kid's hand and walk through this tunnel because you have no idea what that pot of gold looks like on the other side. And I wish I could exactly, but I don't either. But I'm telling you, if it's a pot of gold on the other side, I'm walking through the tunnel because I want to see what's in the pot.

SPEAKER_01 21:42

You know, that's beautiful on so many levels. As a poet, that's beautiful. Uh, because I just love the metaphor. But it's beautiful because it's also like model bravery for your child. Yeah, we don't know where this is gonna go, we don't know what this is gonna do. Uh teach your child how to take risks, teach your child how to bet on themselves. And you and you are literally betting on them by saying, I'm gonna take this money and invest in these lessons. I'm betting on you. Let's go.

SPEAKER_00 22:12

Fear has two meanings forget everything and run, or forget everything and rise. I'm encouraging everyone to choose the latter. You know, you can you you can have fear and run, and that's what we mostly do. Or you can have fear and say, I'm finna attack this head on. You know, uh and I think when you do that, you do rise. And then the thing is with a parent, or if you're uncertainty, the thing is you reach the point of exhaustion. I don't know how we're gonna pay for this instrument. I don't know how we're gonna pay for these lessons. I I've just had it. Listen to me and listen to me closely. When you reach the point of exhaustion, that is where new beginnings happen. That's where you say, I've given it everything I had, so what's next? Here's new. And keep in mind, here's the fear part. Every parent is afraid of their kid failing. You will fail. Failing is inevitable, but I want to leave this acronym because it's how I live my life. Failing is finding an intended lesson and needed growth. All that means is that there was something you needed to know that you didn't know that you now know so you can succeed. So when your kid is failing and you're like, we're investing all this money, this, write it. That's part of the process. Yes, you know, and as poets, as musicians, boy, I we have probably tons of rejection letters. But ask any artist a monument, a monument of rejection letters. Ask any artist what that did for them. You cannot have success without failing. And I think it's important to embrace that because I think then you reach new heights. You know, we can be interested in what we know, but the secret is to achieve what you don't know. If you keep doing what you've been doing, you're gonna keep getting what you've been getting. In order to get something you've never achieved before, you have to do something you've never done before. So it might be signing your kids up for music lessons and figuring out how to play for that guitar.

SPEAKER_01 24:16

Major in tuba. Anyone? A professor like Dr. White only comes along once in a generation. If you'd like to enroll for your bachelor's in tuba, hit up unm.edu asap. But if you want to learn more about Dr. White and his Raw Tuba Foundation, visit rawtuba.com. Thanks for joining us at the intersection of Black History Month and Black Education in New Mexico. If you enjoyed this podcast series, reach out to Kimberly York, New Mexico Black Education Act Manager, and let us know at web.nm.gov. Until next time, this is how to act.