by GABRIEL JERMAINE VANLANDINGHAM-DUNN
In 1993 my older brother Jacquin was murdered in West Baltimore, Maryland. He had just turned 17 years old, and I was 13. While his death is still shrouded in mystery, at least to me, the loss has haunted our family ever since. His death was written about in the local paper and the case has been used in law classes throughout the nation.
The spot where his body laid was just a few blocks away from the high school I was scheduled to attend. My mother, in fear of conflict attached to our very noticeable last name, transferred me to another school. Years later a woman on social media saw a picture of me and publicly asked the photographer if he was my brother. The recognition was jarring. Needless to say the loss has stayed with and affected me. For the past 26 years, there has never been closure. When I recently came across an article about The Black Triage String Ensemble I thought about all of the families who have publicly mourned and have searched for healing after the violent losses of loved ones. Thinking of how the arts have been used to help with PTSD and grief, I found it intriguing that the ensemble’s leader, Dayvin Hallmon, used the same foundational thinking to put together a group of talented Black/ Brown musicians to perform at the scenes of violent crimes. While the below interview is brief, I hope that Hallmon’s message resonates with those who search for peace and hope to find creative ways to assist others on their journeys as well.
Gabriel: Dayvin, tells us a little bit about yourself? Where are you from? How’d you get involved in music?
Dayvin: From a very early age I used to watch PBS with my grandmother. We would see all kinds of performers and styles of music. Thelonious Monk, Aretha Franklin, and orchestral music, just to name a few. We use to go to the Taste of Chicago 4th of July fireworks every year. At that time the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra would provide live musical accompaniment to the fireworks. There has always been something about the size, capability, and power of a symphony orchestra that has captivated me. I knew I wanted to be a conductor at the age of 4.
G: How did this project come about? Was it brought out by a personal loss?
D: Though I have not lost a person close to me from gun violence, as a church music director, I’ve had to walk with individuals and congregations though many life challenges. Creating The Black String Triage Ensemble did not happen overnight. There was an idea that seemed to stick with me every day and I would think about it over and over. What would happen if a string orchestra of Black musicians showed up in the aftermath of a shooting and they didn’t play classical music? As I kept meditating on the question I did research. I learned about musicians that play in hospitals just before a person passes away. I learned about orchestra flash mobs. I learned about individual musicians that play after a school or church is bombed. But there had never been an orchestra that was a first responder to shootings.
There have been a lot of obstacles that have been overcome in doing this. A big challenge was trying to find out when shootings occur. Another challenge is always figuring out how soon the musicians will be arriving at the scene once I message them an address. Making sure all of us are available on a given weekend so that we can play has been a challenge. Probably the biggest challenge of them all is the ability to attract musicians. It’s not easy to ask someone to give up their Friday and Saturday nights during the summer from 6:30pm-11:30pm.
G: How many people are typically involved in this group? Is there significance to the chosen format?
D: This is our first year and had six musicians participating. There is no set number. The more string players that join the orchestra the easier this will be. The minimum number needed to perform is five. Thankfully we have a bass, cello, viola, and both first and second violin.
Violin, viola, cello and the bass are instruments whose sound waves are the closest to the human voice. Also, each of these instruments has its own mature personality in ways that woodwinds and brass instruments do not. The violin can represent fiery anger and romance. The viola has been used to represent loyalty. The cello has been used to represent the human soul. The bass, is what makes us as humans, dance.
G: Do you plan on expanding the group’s repertoire (touring/ recording)?
D: The Black String Ensemble is not designed to tour or record. Their purpose is to play in the immediate aftermath of shootings and possibly other such emergencies like opioid deaths, house fires, or car accidents. The project is open to any and all Black and Latinx violin, viola, cello and bass players that are [ages] 16 and above. The more musicians that participate the easier this is to do. There are future plans to have chapters in every major and minor city in the United States.
G: Has there been any community opposition? What has the response been like?
D: The response from us playing after shootings has been really positive. It seems like this is something that everyone needs but they don’t know it until they encounter it.
G: Is there a spiritual/ historical/ African traditional aspects are there in regards to the conducting of this project?
D: There is definitely a spiritual/historical aspect. In both music programs we begin by addressing denial by playing a spiritual. The idea is that we as Black and Latinx Americans should be well beyond the injustices we are presently faced with. Starting with a spiritual is a way of stating our horror and coming to grips with our disbelief.
As far as African celebration and traditions, when I was looking for an image and a way to capture to purpose of The Black String Triage Ensemble, I found a funeral rite from the Bush Negro of Guiana. These are kidnapped Africans whom were able to get away from their captors and managed to retain their culture, traditions and ways of life. There is something they say just before the body is removed from the hut and is about to go be buried.
“The hour has come when we must part from you. What the earth has decreed we cannot help. We have done for you what we could. We have given you a funeral worthy of you. You must care for us, and you must deliver us from all evil that may come upon us.”
That quote, I think more than anything illustrates the purpose of The Black String Triage Ensemble. There was one scene we arrived at and we got there to early. The medical examiner arrived shortly after we got there. It was to early for us to play. The last thing that should happen is the ensemble plays before the tape is removed and the crime scene is opened back up to regular life again.
G: What feelings come over you while playing in these sensitive locations?
D: I focus on two things when we arrive at a scene. I focus on the people gathered there and on my musicians. I can’t say I have any particular feeling that comes over me in doing this work. I am very focused on the vibe of the people in that space and of the musicians. The first notes that we play can make all the difference in establishing our purpose for being at the scene.
G: Do you think that this works as therapy for you and the victims/ survivors/ loved ones?
D: The Black String Triage Ensemble is committed to using music as the healing force for the soul in the immediate aftermath of community violence. The Black String Triage Ensemble plays concerts for the community at the scene of the incident. The affliction of hopelessness is exceptionally pervasive in America. Where the primary focus of the ensemble is fatal shootings, this does not dismiss the need to respond to other tragedies. This is what makes this project so important. By musicians coming together and doing work directly for the communities affected. This, I believe, is most certainly therapy for every person who had to be part of the moment when a tragedy takes place.
The Black String Triage Ensemble is working on becoming a 501(c) 3 organization. The Greater Milwaukee Synod has agreed to be our interim surrogate as The Black String Triage Ensemble goes through the 501(c) 3 process. To support this work, please make checks payable to:
The Greater Milwaukee Synod
1212 South Layton Boulevard
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53215
Please write in the memo line: The Black String Triage Ensemble