Music & Arts Education Professional Learning & Consulting
a.cuthbertson14 
Listen to this blog post by clicking the player below! In Dr. Rudine Sims-Bishop’s 1990 article “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors,” she presents a useful metaphor for the importance of diverse children’s books when she says that “books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange… … Read more
Listen to this blog post by clicking the player below! I’m back this week with this month’s Song of the Month! This month’s song is “Just From the Kitchen” a singing game from the Georgia Sea Islands. For my first semester of grad school, one of the resources we were required to get was “Step … Read more
Listen to this blog post by clicking the player below! Contrary to popular beliefs, the first step towards an equitable music room is not selecting diverse repertoire or designing arts integrated lessons. The first step towards cultivating an equitable music classroom is understanding your own mindset and frames of reference. Understanding your own frames of … Read more
Listen to this blog post by clicking the player below! A common misconception about Culturally Responsive Music Education is that it’s just about utilizing diverse repertoire. And while this isn’t incorrect, it isn’t the full scope of what Culturally Responsive Music Education is. Culturally Responsive Music Education is a robust approach to teaching music that … Read more
Listen to this blog post by clicking the player below! I’m back this week with the next edition of my Song of the Month series! This month’s song is “Sorida” a welcome song and hand clapping game from Zimbabwe. I came across this song in one of my favorite resources, “Let Your Voice Be Heard!: … Read more
Listen to this blog post by clicking the player below! An essential part of cultivating a culturally responsive music room is developing a learning community where young musicians feel affirmed and safe enough to take the risks necessary to move past surface level knowledge into deep understandings. Let’s talk about why building a strong community … Read more
Listen to this blog post by clicking the player below! Heading back into the classroom at the beginning of a new school year, I know that one of the things on your mind as you set up your music program is how to develop classroom expectations, norms, or rules. As you consider how this will … Read more
Listen to this blog post by clicking the player below! It’s back to school time! As music educators, we have a million things on our beginning of the year to-do list: setting up our rooms, staff meetings, district training, pacing guides, the list goes on and on. But before you get too far into your … Read more
Listen to this blog post by clicking the player below! First designated in 1979 as Black Music Month by President Jimmy Carter, June was officially declared Black Music Month by presidential proclamation in 2000. In President Joe Biden’s 2024 Proclamation, he notes that “Black music is a staple of American art and a powerhouse of … Read more
Listen to this blog post by clicking the player below! In my last blog post, I shared several programming structures that you can use to center student voice and choice in your ensemble classrooms (click here to check out that post!). But what could a rehearsal look like that intentionally centers culturally responsive practices? Remember, … Read more