Sacred sound in world religions: An interreligious teaching and learning experience

This article reflects on the experience of teaching a course called "Sacred Sound in World Religions" at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. I claim that the nature of music and music-making has profound implications for teaching and pedagogical theory in an interreligious setting. Drawing upon scholars including Lisa M. Hess, Susanne K. Langer, Guy L. Beck, bell hooks, and Paolo Freire, I argue that to teach and learn in an in-depth and transformative way, we must integrate the basic components of musicality: relationality, embodiment, multidimensionality, and expressive delight. This "performative mode" is what musicians enter when they make music well. It is what we all experience when our teaching and learning make a difference. Approaching interreligious pedagogy the way a musician approaches making music is the focus of this article.