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The Case of Keiko Yamada, Larry Clark, Carl Fischer Music and AI

04/28/2025 / / Comments Off on The Case of Keiko Yamada, Larry Clark, Carl Fischer Music and AI

With the rollback of DEI efforts by the Trump administration, I thought it would be timely to revisit the case of Keiko Yamada, a.k.a. Larry Clark, which attracted attention among music educators back in 2019. Using AI as my assistant, I gathered information online and came away with a different perspective this time, surprising even myself: perhaps Carl Fischer Music could have continued to distribute the compositions under Mr. Clark’s name.

Background

The best resource I found online is the interview by Dr. Jennifer Jolley published in New Music USA.1 For over a decade from around 2004 to 2016, Mr. Clark, a white male composer then working for Carl Fischer Music, used the pseudonym Keiko Yamada—a Japanese woman’s name—to create Japonesque musical works, often using Japanese traditional folk songs and children’s songs as motifs.

The backlash seems to have started on social media, leading to a quick “cancellation” of Mr. Clark. Mr. Clark went on to found Excelcia Music Publishing and Keiko Yamada disappeared along with “her” works. The role of Carl Fischer Music was never discussed, although the interview article made it clear that they were fully aware of Mr. Clark’s pseudonym.

This incident could have led to a deeper discussion —about fake identity, “cancelling” works, the responsibility of the organization (Carl Fischer Music) vs. an individual, the changing times, importance of having a dialogue, etc. But it never did.

AI leads to a different perspective

It so happened that I was testing Manus AI and, on a whim, I asked it to look for remaining traces of composer Keiko Yamada online. After several prompts and corrections, Manus quickly found over 20 works and numerous performance videos, organizing them into a list. (For the purposes of this article, I only listed 20, but there are more.) As I fact-checked Manus’ work, I couldn’t help but notice the joy and enthusiasm of the teachers and students. For example, take a listen to what this teacher has to say about “Amadare”:

Mr. Clark often used existing Japanese folks songs as motifs, so the pieces became conduits for young students to be exposed to snippets of a different culture. Keiko Yamada’s scores travelled around the world, even to Japan. The comments under some of the YouTube video, especially for the piece “Japanese Lullaby”, underscore the effects of these compositions on the students. The performances are lovely.

Today, with changing demographics and without the instant binary right/wrong verdict of social media, perhaps we can revisit Carl Fischer Music’s actions. Even back in 2019, I was never of the opinion that these works should be taken down without adequate explanation from Carl Fischer Music. Would the outcome have been different had Mr. Clark published the works under his own name, as being “inspired by” or “based on” Japanese folk songs? Was that possible within the existing structure of music education publishing at that time? Or, was the bizarre Japanese pseudonym and gender switch necessities? Would Carl Fischer have accepted a similar submission from a Japanese or Japanese- (hyphenated) composer/arranger?

Music can be an entry point into learning about all aspects of life. We should not turn our eyes away from what makes us uncomfortable. We can talk about what it means to be inclusive today, why it’s okay for a non-Japanese composer to arrange Japanese works but not okay for someone to pose as a member of another heritage. Also that what is acceptable may change over time. The U.S. is rapidly moving toward a majority-minority nation. Many cities like New York, L.A., Houston, Chicago, San Jose, are already majority-minority.2 DEI will change with the times. If Mr. Clark’s Japan-inspired works could be reintroduced with proper explanation, allowing the students to think about music (w)holistically, learning from the uncomfortable issues we so often face as we try to exist together in a divided nation, perhaps we can give students an important lesson beyond the notes on the score.

The list

Below is the list Manus compiled of compositions and arrangements by Keiko Yamada (as of April 28, 2025). All works were published by Carl Fischer Music. Following the controversy, many of these compositions were removed from publication or reissued under Larry Clark’s real name, then taken down for the final time. (Note: I am not affiliated with Manus AI or Carl Fischer. Manus AI made many errors but was very clear about the process and saved me a lot of time.)

Compositions in Alphabetical Order

  1. Amadare (Raindrops)
  2. Cho Cho Dances
    • Publisher: Carl Fischer
    • Model/Catalog Number: BAS0030
    • EAN: 798408060855
    • Instrumentation: Orchestra-Strings (String Orchestra)
    • YouTube Performances:
  3. Hiyoko Dances
  4. Hotaka Sunset
  5. Hotaru Koi (Come, Firefly, Come)
    • Publisher: Carl Fischer
    • Publication Year: 2008
    • Model/Catalog Number: BAS0034F
  6. Japanese Hoedown
    • Publisher: Carl Fischer
    • Publication Year: 2012
    • Model/Catalog Number: YAS0112
    • Grade: 2
    • Description: Combines American hoedown with a Japanese-flavored pentatonic melody
    • YouTube Performances:
  7. Japanese Lullaby
  8. Kazoku
    • Publisher: Carl Fischer
  9. Koneko (Kitten)
  10. Kon’nichiwa
    • Publisher: Carl Fischer
    • Grade: 1/2
    • Description: “This piece is ‘hello,’ with a smile on your face. It is meant to be simply delightful for the youngest of string students.”
    • Note: This was one of the pieces specifically mentioned in the controversy about the Keiko Yamada pseudonym
    • YouTube Performances:
  11. Mystic Fawn
  12. Rickshaw
  13. Sakura Sakura
  14. Samurai
  15. Sunayama
  16. Takeda No Komoriuta (Lullaby of Takeda)
  17. Tales of the Kojiki
    • Publisher: Carl Fischer
    • Publication Year: 2008
    • Duration: 3:30
    • Grade: 2
    • Description: A well-written composition in E minor that meets requirements for multicultural repertoire
    • Copyright notice: “This composition is protected by Copyright law. To photocopy or reproduce by any means is a violation of the law.”
    • YouTube Performances:
  18. Tsumasaki
  19. Yuki Matsuri (Japanese Snow Festival)
    • Publisher: Carl Fischer
    • Publication Year: 2014
    • Duration: 2:59
    • Grade: 2
    • Description: Depicts the Japanese Snow Festival
    • YouTube Performances:
  20. Zou-san (Little Elephant)
  1. Jolley, J., Jolley, J., & Jolley, J. (2021, June 2). The curious case of Keiko Yamada. New Music USA – Supporting the Sounds of Tomorrow. We Envision a Thriving, Connected, and Equitable Ecosystem for New Music Across the United States. https://newmusicusa.org/nmbx/the-curious-case-of-keiko-yamada/ ↩︎
  2. Frey, W. H. (2021, October 28). 2020 Census: Big cities grew and became more diverse, especially among their youth. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/2020-census-big-cities-grew-and-became-more-diverse-especially-among-their-youth/ ↩︎

Category: Implicit Racial Bias, Racism, Teaching, Writings / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
 
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