Cayman Educator Presents New Research

Cayman Islands’ music educator Cranston Forbes recently had his research highlighted at the annual music symposium at the University of Buffalo. Forbes is a well-known and highly respected music academian, whose passion and research have perfectly aligned within the Jubilate programme. As head of music, Forbes’ impact is noticeably evident on the myriad of students who participate in the Jubilate program daily.

The University of Buffalo’s music symposium was held on 29th April 2023, featuring select Music and English scholars world-wide. Cranston Forbes’ research was among the few selected to be presented at the event. Forbes is a past scholar of Berklee College of Music, having attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with first-class honours. He was a member of his graduate research team which sought to investigate the impact of teaching music to students with disabilities. Forbes is a highly desirable lecturer, producer, pianist, researcher, and writer in his field. He is also a member of the New York Music Theory Association. Drawing on decades of academic training and extensive research expertise, Forbes developed a methodical approach to teaching music through performance. He successfully implemented this technique at the local after-school music program, Jubilate.

Forbes’ methodology utilizes the six principles of language development as a tool to improve a student’s music reading ability. His research focused on integrating these six principles whilst emphasizing the importance of an interactive and responsive learning environment. The empirical results of the study have demonstrated that these principles can be an effective teaching tool. Jubilate students were observed playing above their grade level using the New York Note reading scale.  Consequently, Jubilate adopted this new teaching methodology in all music lessons at the primary school level.

Forbes further cited the integration of cultural nuances to foster a better understanding of musical concepts. The research accommodated words found in the local Cayman culture and folk music, to facilitate effective delivery of musical principles. At the conference, researchers discussed the potential impact of adopting this new methodology across the Cayman Islands and globally. The integration of culture with musical principles will be on full display at Jubilate’s End-of-Year concert on June 7th, 2023, at the Cayman Islands Baptist Church. The Jubilate Orchestra and Choir will proudly highlight Cayman’s culture in their annual performance across a wide range of traditional and folk music.

Jubilate is excited and grateful for the dedicated involvement of Cranston Forbes. As a social outreach program, Jubilate uses music as a tool to develop students’ talents, confidence, strong values, and a belief that they can achieve great things in their life. Forbes’ new methodology has greatly contributed to the achievement of the program’s goals to shape some of our community’s most vulnerable youth into the best version of themselves.

Jubilate is offered daily from 3 – 6 pm throughout the 10-month school year, to students over 8 years old from the 8 public schools that are east of George Town, in Grand Cayman. Students are identified by School Counsellors and/or Principals, based on a needs-based criterion and whom they determine would benefit most from this programme. The over-arching goal of Jubilate is to effect social and spiritual change through the pursuit of academic and musical excellence, starting with providing a safe, nurturing environment for vulnerable children during critical after-school hours, where they feel supported in their development.

In combination with Forbes’ research, Jubilate utilizes a non-traditional model - inspired by El-Sistema of Venezuela (est. 1975) – which emphasizes group participation and builds strong work ethics, patience in learning, and perseverance in resolve. The children learn through creative musical play, singing, and the discovery of instruments. Most children come to Jubilate having never played an instrument before, but whether students choose to study music, make a living by playing music, or simply play as a hobby, the music skills they learn at Jubilate are something no one can ever take away from them.