The Rhapsody Project’s MARCH Framework underpins the work we do as educators, community builders, and artists. First articulated by Briar and Joe Seamons in 2020, the acronym stands for:
Movement. Acknowledgment. Renewal. Collaboration. Heritage.
Here in 2025, we are using each week in the month of March to demonstrate what we mean by each of these five tenets. This week: Acknowledgement!
Acknowledgement
There are multiple sides to acknowledgement.
On first reflection, acknowledgement feels pretty light to me, and conjures up images of high fives, handshakes, gold stars, big smiles, and heartfelt speeches. This part of acknowledgement goes hand in hand with appreciation, meaning the thing that you’re acknowledging increases in value (just like a house or a car can appreciate in value).
As we practice acknowledgement in the arena of looking beyond the Eurocentric, colonial picture that’s been painted in the United States, we may suddenly feel that acknowledgement isn’t so easy and cheerful because it sheds light on serious harm that has been systematically inflicted on our fellow human beings. Many of us start out ignorant to these realities, and pointing our awareness towards them can be uncomfortable and make us want to turn away.
If we continue on through the murky parts of acknowledgement, though, on the other side awaits the possibilities of long-ignored traditions and cultures getting to see the light of celebration and appreciation. And if we truly stay the course and make space for where the tough feelings guide us, we’ll move closer to dismantling systems of oppression.
So, before you dive further into acknowledgement, here’s some wisdom directly from our MARCH framework that might help you be kind to yourself along the way:
“Grown from the study and lived experience of America’s musical culture, [the MARCH framework] is designed to function like a divine long night of partying, dancing, music, and food–people may be healed or elevated by submitting themselves to the swirl of experience. We do not suggest that you can do these things all at one time–though the threads will often end up weaving together. This is work we do with loving patience and good-humored persistence. Take your time, be gentle with yourself, and when you flag let your motivation to persist flow from the community to whom you stay accountable. Have fun with it, and make it your own.”
Forms of acknowledgment vital to the work of combatting oppression
List and details adapted from the MARCH Framework.
Acknowledgement doesn’t look the same for every identity. American descendants of the enslaved have a different relation to the theft of land than other Americans. This is a vital topic beyond the current scope of this framework.
The Land: Who are the indigenous people who steward the land we inhabit?
When gathering, you might show respect to these people by acknowledging the theft of the land, the ongoing harm this crime inflicts and what it means to be a good steward given this reality.
Sources and History: Who created the traditions we wish to extend?
Cite the culture(s) of origin who created the tradition, and acknowledge at least one relevant way that historic injustice has impacted the tradition. If you are not a member of that culture by birth, continue your inquiry:
Who am I and how does my identity, origin story, and position inflect how I show up as a participant in this tradition?
Why is this work important to me?
What special or powerful tools can I bring to this work?
This may be in terms of artistry or in fighting for cultural equity.
When is the proper time to articulate and address the shameful or problematic parts of our history?
How are you feeling?
This connects back to the first step of Movement. When feeling reactive or triggered, use this question to create space. Then use that space to make an intentional choice about how to respond. How do you act in alignment with your values, intentions, and long-term vision?
Acknowledgement in the eyes of The Rhapsody Team
To help illustrate this week’s topic, I asked our team to share what acknowledgement means to them.
“Acknowledgement is vital to music education, since you can not teach holistically about music without teaching people about the cultures and context behind the music. Acknowledgement is also a vital step for combatting oppression, since we can not fight oppression unless we can recognize it and call it what it is, both in the past and the present.”
– Tate, Rhapsody Junior Staff
“Acknowledgement is more than just words—it’s responsibility. It’s not just about recognizing oppression but about answering the question: Now that you know, what will you do? Black women have carried the weight of this country for generations. Acknowledgement means seeing us, hearing us, and making space for us to rest while others finally do the work.”
– Lady A ~ The Real Lady A, Rhapsody Teaching Artist / Singer / Songwriter / Storyteller
“Acknowledgment starts with feeling my feelings and moving through them, rather than distancing myself or trying to stuff them in a box so that I can perform the role I’m programmed to as a male in our society. Then, it moves to acts of gratitude for the people around me that provide all forms of support. Next, it goes to the level of acknowledging my artistic mentors and, of course, the developers of traditions we are working to adapt and extend. All of those forms of acknowledgment are impossible without the many sacrifices that were made before I was even born to create a world where someone could be as lucky as I am to live the life I do. So, it’s an incomplete list, but it definitely includes the women, Black people, Indigenous people from many places, and other revolutionaries and activists who have contributed and sacrificed so much to help establish many of the privileges I enjoy.”
– Joe, Rhapsody Co-Founder, Teaching Artist
“Acknowledgement requires being present. Presence is a focused direction of attention. Attention is a limited resource; it takes up time, and it takes energy – energy fueled by the food you eat – which probably took you work, effort, or money to acquire (and likely the work of many others who planted, tended, and prepared it). Where you put your attention matters. Acknowledgement matters.”
– Liz, Rhapsody Chaos Wrangler
“When I think of acknowledgement, I think of an active, thoughtful, and open honesty. To acknowledge means not only to understand but to share that understanding honestly and without expectations. The next step is to breathe and not let our habits get in the way of understanding what we have listened to. This opens us up to a new kind of understanding from which we can share, which is the active part of acknowledgment. This sharing, this acquiring-of-knowledge-ment then invites group action. Of course, we can also acknowledge things only to ourselves, but even then, we are inviting the different parts of us into conversation.
When I think about acknowledgement in the context of The Rhapsody Project and MARCH, I think about acknowledging who I am and what context I live in. I think of Maia’s Unbroken Circle workshop that I attended last night, in which we talked about what it means to listen to our ancestors. I think about aspects of my identity that were or weren’t passed down to me, and which of those things were actively acknowledged. Whether I want to celebrate these parts of myself, or examine and change them, acknowledgement is an important early step. I think about acknowledging those next to me, before me, and after me, and what my relationships are. Where does everything I use come from? Who lived on this land first? What privileges do I or don’t I enjoy? Maybe acknowledgement is a question.”
– Jimmy, Yiddish Program Lead
“This can take on many meanings, but the first one that comes to mind is Land Acknowledgement. Being vocal about the history of place and people. This is indigenous land and we should treat it with the respect it deserves. We should treat those who are descended from this land with the reverence they deserve. Allow the historical and traditional stories of this land be told by the descendants of its legacy.
As a multicultural person I must grapple with being both the descendant of the enslaved and the slaver, i.e. those who were brought to this land against their will and those who did the bringing. I must acknowledge that in myself in order to give proper respect to my own heritage. Part of that heritage is where I was raised; on the land of the Coast Salish People.That doesn’t make this place less my home but it does allude to the fact that this is not my ancestral home.
As a culture bearer and a leader in my community it is my duty to lead by example, to acknowledge all that I am. Being a singer of American Roots music means acknowledging that the backbone of music in this country was given to us by the enslaved Africans. Those people are my kin and ancestors. As a descendant of their legacy it is my duty to acknowledge that fact around those who may not be ready to hear it.
Everyone has their own heritage to acknowledge, but it harms no one to state that we stand on the Land of the Duwamish People.“
– Briar, Structural Leadership, Human Resources, Teaching Artist
I acknowledge you for taking the time to read this post, learn, and reflect. Take a big breath in, and then let it go, then maybe find a way to bring in some movement before you start the next part of your day.
Written, adapted, and compiled by Liz Castillo. MARCH Framework written by Joe Seamons and Briar. Graphic by Katana Sol.
