Fort Bend Publishing Group 2008
Cy-Fair Lifestyles & Homes March 2009
Set in the Appalachian Mountains in the early 1900s, a 2000 independent film
called
Songcatcher features a musicologist and university professor who stumbles on a historical
archive of unwritten ancient Scots-Irish ballads while on a trip to North
Carolina. The songs had been handed down from generation to generation and
preserved intact by the mountain people. Venturing into the most isolated areas
of the mountains to collect the songs, the professor finds herself increasingly
enchanted by the strength and purity of the music and the people who sing it.
Based on a true story,
Songcatcher is an appealing film about understanding a culture and a people through the
beauty of music.
While the songcatcher of film was about a university professor capturing musical
folklore in America a century ago, Lone Star College CyFair has it own
modern-day songcatcher in Dr. Nadezhda
“Nadia” Nazarenko, the college’s continuing education program manager. Three-quarters of a century after Songcatcher took place, Dr. Nazarenko participated in a similar project to capture Russian
folk music while working toward her doctorate at Kazakh State University in her
native Kazakhstan. The Russian folklore project eventually led to Nazarenko
’s current passion—helping international women students adapt to the American lifestyle and
educational system.
precedence to sons in matters of education. “In many cases, the mothers are the ones who prevent their daughters from going
to school; the boys are given more time to o their studies,
” Dr. Nazarenko said. Nazarenko’s study showed that that scenario sometimes plays out the opposite way, as well.
“Mothers often played a big role in supporting their [daughters’] desires to study and improve their lives. Many participants told me that their
mothers did not want them to lead the life they had.
”
“Women who come to America to study must be involved in their own learning,” Dr. Nazarenko said. “They come here and learn about the women’s movement. They get new ideas, but when they go back to their country, they don’t see things with the same eyes as when they left. They are too outspoken. They
have had to defy their families and find their own ways to get here.
”
After earning her doctorate at New Mexico State University, Dr. Nazarenko moved
to Houston.
“I came to Houston because it’s big and vibrant. I was looking for better opportunities.” She taught ESL at Montgomery College until the Continuing Education position at
the CyFair campus opened.
“I thought I would like to develop the program. This is a completely new program
on the CE side. We teach our students on-the-job related issues
—learning the language, business writing, how to communicate within the U.S.
organizational structure and other job related material,
” she said.
March is Women’s Month at Lone Star College. Events scheduled throughout the month include a
women
’s health fair, films about women or made by women, a women’s symposium, book club meetings, performances and lectures. Dr. Nazarenko will
be leading a discussion on
“Asian and Latin American Women’s Quest for International Education” in the Recital Hall on March 5. A complete schedule of Women’s Month events is available at http://cyfair-lonestar.edu. Dr. Nazarenko is available to speak to women’s groups in the greater Houston area. She can be reached at nadezhda.m.nazarenko@lonestar.edu.
Russian Songcatcher Teaches Life Skills to International Students
Work with foreign women students is professor’s joy
Former LSC CyFair students Ada Fay Pechon, Sarah Sibayan and Jaimie Suello, seen
wih Dr. Nazarenko, performed a traditional song in native costume at a concert
at the college. All the students are of Philippine heritage.
|
When I started interviewing, the whole world unfolded—how they
came to the U.S., and all the obstacles they had to overcome.
|
Nazarenko’s doctorate was on Russian folklore, legends and traditions. While she was
working on her own project, some professors approached her about participating
in a group that was trying to preserve and restore ancient Russian musical
traditions. She was asked to help collect and sing the old songs.
“Once I started being in that group, it was fascinating. We went on expeditions
to Russian villages. The people were glad to sing for us. We taped all the
interviews and had to transcribe them after that. We made contact with the
people and collected the folklore. The traditions will not die if someone
remembers them. The old women would sing the songs. We would learn them
ourselves and teach them to the students,
” Nazarenko said.
Some of the traditional music the study group learned came from the ancient
Russian marriage ceremony, which has a part for women only.
“We were singing specific songs that only women can sing,” Nazarenko said. That piqued her interest in traditions and lifestyles specific
to women around the world.
In 1993, Dr. Nazarenko moved to the United States from Kazakhstan to teach
Russian at New Mexico State University.
“I thought it would be interesting to see how the American education system
works,
” she said. While at NMSU, Nazarenko got her second doctorate—this time in curriculum and instruction. That study led her to begin looking
into the experiences of international women studying and living in the U.S. For
her dissertation, she interviewed a group of Asian and Latin American female
students on their educational, cultural and social experiences.
“When I started interviewing, the whole world unfolded—how they came to the U.S., and all the obstacles they had to overcome.”
Girls from Asian and Latin American countries traditionally have to defer to
their brothers when it comes to education. The family will give
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