Don’t Stick to the Status Quota

• Selena Ryan
• Posted 8/16/22
• 0 comments

Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in the Music Classroom

Diversity is such an exciting topic. For some, it is just that — a topic for discussion. For others, like myself, it is not just a hypothetical discussion but a daily part of life. It is no secret that there has never been equal representation in the music field, and much like other fields, scrutinizing these inequities is imperative for the field’s growth.

My biggest concern is that many school districts’ primary concern seems to be reaching a quota rather than embracing true diversity. To me, equal representation is not just something that would be nice; to feel proud of the content I am teaching and learning, I need to feel represented in what I present to students. This article will cover ways to encourage diversity in the classroom for different cultures, abilities, and identities.

Retooling the Classics

Music has a significant presence almost everywhere around the world. It is our responsibility to represent different cultures in our classrooms. We never question playing, teaching, singing, or dancing to Western music, but it feels like we still need to justify why we also need to use music from other parts of the world.

We don’t hesitate to teach listening activities to music by Copland, Saint-Saëns, Vivaldi, Mozart, or Beethoven. Still, as soon as we look at music by people from other cultures or parts of the world, there needs to be a reason. These dead white men broke the musical barriers of their time; isn’t it time to celebrate the same musical achievements of women and people of color?

We can’t change that historically men have had more opportunities for representation in the past. Still, we can change the future by programming music by women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community in our classrooms. We shouldn’t only use Hispanic music during Hispanic Heritage Month or only highlight Black composers during February.

If we can talk about Claude Debussy on any random week, we can do the same with Scott Joplin. Of course, we can use holidays to highlight other cultures, but things cannot revert to a Euro-centric view immediately after the holiday.

Student Name Pronunciation

Growing up, I had many friends who chose to go by a nickname because their name was “too hard to pronounce.” They thought this simply because they weren’t named “David” or “Allison,” and there are many fewer characters in circulation with names like “Ananya” or “Jalonte.” This narrow scope is very damaging to students who have names that use letters and sounds differently. Notice that difference does not equal difficulty.

The best way to know if you pronounce a student’s name correctly is just to ask them. It is essential to do this without drawing attention to the fact that it is hard for you because that reinforces the idea that their name is weird. Nobody chose their name, so they should not feel uncomfortable using their identification with you, their teacher.

Before meeting them, listen to the name on YouTube or Google Translate, so you are prepared to sound out their name correctly with them. Even if you do not know the proper phonetic spelling, you can spell it out on your class list or seating chart to ensure that you won’t mess it up in the future.

Weekly Languages

I expose my students to languages and sounds from other parts of the world by using a “Weekly Language” each week. Every class, we learn “hello” and “goodbye” in a different language as part of my warm-up activities. The students see the different regions on a world map and learn new ways to communicate exchange greetings.

My primary goal in this activity is to expose students to other languages that look and sound different from English and help students keep an open mind when thinking about the whole world. I even challenge them to use the weekly language when they see me around campus the rest of the week!

Gender Neutralities

Diversity does not just extend to ethnicity but gender and orientation as well. Even though elementary students might not be out yet, you have several students that identify in the LGBTQIA community. Although it is convenient to use boy/girl lines or groups, this can exclude students who do not identify with the assigned group.

Students may be transgender (identifying with a different gender than the one assigned at birth), non-binary (not identifying with either male or female genders), or questioning. Instead of doing boy/girl lines, it is simple to count students off in alternating 1’s and 2’s and create lines out of those groupings

When addressing the class, avoid using “boys and girls” or “guys,” which reinforce the gender binary that is not inclusive. If you find it hard to break these habits, a simple trick is to give yourself a tally mark every time you say it and then pay that many dollars to a charity of your choice. By the time I hit ten dollars, I never used “guys” again!

Able-isms

It is imperative to monitor how and what we say to our students because of our influence. One pervasive habit I have noticed is the highly casual way individuals speak using ableist terms.

Examples of ableism include saying “I’m blind” when things are bright or hard to see or “I’m deaf” when things are hard to hear. This speech has become very commonplace. I wonder why we use disabilities to describe a very momentary situation. Using this hyperbolic language seems insensitive to disabled people, even if that is not the intention.

To summarize, equal representation is not a difficult feat. Make sure that the videos, posters, and pictures that you show your students do not just display one identity all of the time. There is nothing wrong with showing a video that only contains performers of a certain race or gender, but that should not be the only content that students consume in your class.

Cultures from around the world deserve to be celebrated not only during their holidays but year-round. Trust your instincts, ask others for help, and remember that the change starts with you!

This article was originally published by Music ConstructED on December 13, 2021.