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With the myriad of different terms out there, and with few explicit music education examples, it can be easy for music educators to be unclear on what exactly culturally responsive teaching is and how it is applied in the music classroom.
Today, let’s get clear on what culturally responsive teaching is by dispelling four common misconceptions.
Misconception #1: You’re being culturally responsive by using diverse repertoire
Yes, having diverse musical materials is important. Students need to see themselves reflected in your musical materials, as well as have a window into learning about others so they can understand how beautifully diverse our world is. However, simply diversifying your musical content is not culturally responsive by itself.
Let’s take a look at a few definitions:
From Dr. Geneva Gay:
“Using the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning encounters more relevant to and effective for them” (Dr. Geneva Gay, Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice, 2018).
From Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy is
A “theoretical model that not only addresses student achievement, but also helps students to accept and affirm their cultural identity while developing critical perspectives that challenge inequities that schools (and other institutions) perpetuate”
From Zaretta Hamond, Culturally Responsive Teaching is
“An educator’s ability to recognize students’ cultural displays of learning and meaning making and respond positively and constructively with teaching moves that use cultural knowledge as a scaffold to connect what the student knows to new concepts and content in order to promote effective information processing. All the while, the educator understands the importance of being in a relationship and having a social-emotional connection to the student in order to create a safe space for learning” (Zaretta Hammond, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, 2015)
As you can see, culturally responsive teaching encompasses many things. While utilizing diverse repertoire is definitely one piece to help us connect our instruction to students’ backgrounds and frames of reference, simply including diverse repertoire doesn’t address the need for us to ensure that:
- Our instruction is relevant and effective
- Our instruction supports a development of critical perspectives
- We utilize learning moves that ensure effective information processing, or
- We create a safe learning environment for students.
It can be really easy to get caught up in diversifying musical content, but we cannot forget about the other aspects of this approach. Let’s make sure we don’t reduce culturally responsive music teaching down to just “diverse musical repertoire.”
Misconception #2: Culturally responsive teaching is a set of strategies that you can ‘do’ in your lessons
I think this one can be tough for a lot of music educators because so many of us want quick fixes, strategies, and road maps—being a music teacher is a hard (and also rewarding!) job and we don’t have nearly the time we need to get everything done. The reality is that culturally responsive teaching is not a strategy, it’s an approach and a MINDSET.
Our own culture and background influences everything we do. It’s important that educators do the self-work of learning what our own frames of reference are so that we can understand why we do what we do, believe what we believe, and behave how we behave.
And remember, culture isn’t just about race. We experience culture in our homes and with our families, we also experience workplace culture, and the culture of the organizations that we belong to.
Culture: The beliefs and value systems of a group of people that influence their customs, norms, practices, social institutions, and organizations.
While there are absolutely certain look fors and indicators of culturally responsive teaching, the real transformation happens when educators are able to shift away from deficit narratives of students, families, and communities, and move towards an asset-based narrative. Yes, there are teaching practices you can adopt, but those alone will not move you towards being a culturally responsive music educator.
Misconception #3: Culturally responsive teaching is only for learners of color
We all have culture! And because we all have culture, and that’s what influences how we think, believe, communicate, and behave, we also all teach responsively to our own culture or the culture to which we have been taught.
So the real question isn’t about whether or not you’re utilizing culturally responsive teaching, but rather to whose culture are you being responsive (Zaretta Hammond).
All students need to learn about their own identities and the identities of others different from them, develop skills and knowledge, and develop critical perspectives of the world around them (Gholdy Muhammad, 2020). All students deserve to learn in a way that honors their backgrounds and frames of knowledge, that’s how we make learning stick. When we start with what students already know and then use that to bridge into the new content, we are able to make the learning actually make sense for them.
All students deserve to learn in this manner, however when educators are not aware of the different ways in which students learn, some students are afforded the kind of learning that connects to their frames of reference (and thus are able to access deeper levels of understanding) and others are not.
Misconception #4: You have to learn the cultural details of every student in your class and incorporate them in every lesson
Yes, learning who your students are is a vital part of being a culturally responsive music educator, however it’s not necessary to try to represent every individual culture in your lessons. Instead, this is where learner centered instruction comes in.
Learn about your students and the demographics of your school. Learn about your students’ interests and motivations. And then, ensure that your lessons reflect those things (that’s the responsive part!).
Do many of your students thrive off of collaborative work? Great! How can you include that in your lessons?
Do many of your students love when you can incorporate stories? Great! How can you include a story to make a learning concept more concrete for them?
And remember, no one person is a monolith. Meaning, no one person can represent any one culture. A learner centered environment means that students have ample space for voice and choice and can express their unique needs and perspectives.
For example, while many students may like working in groups, consider the students for whom group work may be a barrier to their learning. If it’s not necessary for them to work in a group, consider how you can make it a choice for students to work alone or in a group.
What is Culturally Responsive Music Education?
So, what exactly is culturally responsive music education? Here’s my definition:
Utilizing the prior knowledge, experiences, and interests of our young musicians to engage them in relevant, real-world musical tasks that help them to construct understandings about themselves, others, and the world through the medium of music.
If this all seems overwhelming to you, that’s okay! Lean into that feeling and explore what is coming up for you. And then, decide on what small shifts you can do right now to move yourself and your instruction towards culturally responsive music teaching.
To help you as you begin your small shifts, I have created this resource just for you!: “Small Shifts Towards Culturally Responsive Music Instruction.” In this resource, I have created a list of many small shifts you can do right now. Start with just one and see what happens! Additionally, I have a list of the resources I cited in this blog post below—check them out!
Let me know what small shifts you’re making in the comments or by tagging me on social media!
What are your small shifts?
I would love to know what small shifts you are making! Comment below or share on social media and tag me: I’m @ACuthbertson10 on both Twitter and Instagram.
Also, let me know what you think of this post! If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for my weekly email newsletter where I’ll be sending these blog posts each week, as well as other music ed resources and tips.
Until next time,
Ashley
P.S. Want to create a culturally responsive music program where all learners connect and engage with high quality music learning? Check out our Responsive Music Educator PD Library for our most essential on-demand PDs from our full professional learning curriculum here!
Resources Mentioned in This Blog Post:
- Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy by Dr. Gholdy Muhammad
- Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students by Zaretta Hammond
- Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice by Dr. Geneva Gay
- The DreamKeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children by Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings
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