Learn how to create an affirming music learning environment for all learners
Registration is currently closed
Why You Want to Enroll
Looking for practical strategies to provide a positive and affirming learning environment for all learners in your music program?
Know that culturally responsive teaching is important, but feeling uncertain how about how to get started in your music program?
The Creating an Affirming Music Learning Environment 4-week course provides K-12 music educators with:
- A safe, but brave, space to learn in community with like minded music educators who are all working towards culturally responsive, equitable music programs
- The foundational skills to foster relationships with students that provide knowledge you can use to ensure you are engaging in culturally responsive teaching and learning
- Essential knowledge about using asset based approaches and creating a sense of belonging in your learning environment for all learners to feel the safety necessary to engage in rigorous music learning
Before engaging in work to develop curriculum and instruction that will support a culturally responsive and equitable approach to music learning, K-12 music educators must first create the conditions necessary in the learning environment for students to meaningfully connect and engage.
In this course, K-12 music educators will dive deep into what it means to cultivate a music learning environment that provides safety, purpose, and the sense of belonging students need in order to take the risks needed for high quality, culturally responsive, rigorous music learning. Additionally, participants will explore classroom management and facilitation through a culturally responsive lens.
Participants will engage in “how to” discussions and activities, receive supporting materials, resources, and expert feedback so that they can save time and energy while developing the confidence to implement strategies in their music programs.
Who’s the Course for?
- K-12 music educator of all disciplines
- Instructional leaders who support K-12 music educators
By the end of the course, you will:
1. Know how cultivating an affirming learning environment and a sense of belonging provides the conditions necessary for culturally responsive teaching and learning.
2. Understand how to develop knowledge about learners’ cultural frames of reference beyond the surface in order to create a responsive learning environment that prioritizes an asset-based approach.
3. Be able to identify means for utilizing a classroom facilitative approach, rather than classroom management approach, so that you can create a plan to work in partnership with learners.
This course is right for you if:
- You want to create a music learning environment that provides the necessary conditions for culturally responsive teaching and learning
- You want to better connect with your learners
- You want clear steps for how to create a sense of belonging in your music program
Move beyond “relationships”: If you want to create a culturally responsive learning environment, you must do more than just “have relationships” with your learners. This course provides a clear process for how to utilize the levels of culture in order to learn the important knowledge you need to design a responsive learning environment. Additionally, this course will teach you how to remove common obstacles and barriers in the learning environment that keep K-12 music educators from being able to engage learners in more rigorous music learning.
More than just another “knowledge dump”: You don’t need another course with a bunch of “fluff”: content and knowledge that you don’t know how to implement. This course focuses on action and implementation. You’ll leave each session with clear action steps and ready to implement what you’ve learned so that you can see real results in your music program’s learning environment.
Feedback from past program participants:
“I really appreciated you modeling for us how to lead a lesson with inclusiveness. When you asked and used our pronouns, used subtitles, and modeled different ways to interact with your sessions, it put into clear focus how little things make such a big difference in feeling safe and welcomed into your space. It was refreshing to be respected as an educator with valuable experiences of our own to share. Your feedback was always affirming but also pushed us to think even more deeply.” Music Educator, Virginia
“Ashley’s sessions were very well organized and concise. I loved having the workbook to take notes during the sessions. The time we had together was just enough to make me want to take a more in-depth look at incorporating culturally responsive teaching practices and creating curriculum to support it.” Larissa Perez, National Sales Consultant, West Music
What you’ll learn:
- The impact of understanding your learners’ cultural frames of reference on the learning environment
- What information is needed about your learners, and how to develop relationships overtime that go beyond the surface level of culture
- How to utilize the strengths of your learners as assets, and reframe challenges as needs
- The difference between welcoming and belonging
- Why a sense of belonging isn’t a “nice to have”, it’s a matter of equity
- Common obstacles and barriers to an affirming music learning environment (and how to break through them)
- The difference between classroom management and classroom facilitation
- How working in partnership with learners fosters skills students can use for self-regulation
- How to create a plan to work in partnership with students to co-create the learning environment
What’s Included?
- 4 live, virtual sessions over 4 weeks to get deep with knowledge and have time to practice and discuss (each session is 90 minutes)
- Access to an online course community (not on Facebook!) to ask questions and network with like minded music educators
- Course workbook and resource list to short cut you to success
- PD Certificate for 6 hours upon completion of course tasks; NY state teachers receive 6 CTLEs when you enroll via Frontline!
- Access to session recordings for 30 days after the conclusion of the course so you can re-watch
PLUS PRE-WORK BONUS: Receive complimentary access to our Critical Self-Reflection & Bias online module from our PD Library
Your investment
- Registration is currently closed
*Would you like us to facilitate this course for your school, district, or organization? Click here to request a call to discuss!
Here’s what music educator, JoAnn Cain, shared about our professional learning offerings!:
Hear what teachers & instructional leaders say about our professional learning offerings here!
What to expect
Sessions
All sessions are 90 minutes.
Session 1 – Using the Levels of Culture to Know Your Learners
Session 2 – Using Learner Strengths in an Asset-Based Approach
Session 3 – Creating a Sense of Belonging
Session 4 – Responsive Music Classroom Facilitation
Interaction & Community
This is a fully interactive course, no “sit and get”! Expect to engage in discussion and skill building practice tasks during each session. Completed course tasks are required in order to receive the PD certificate.
Additionally, we will have an online community to discuss, get feedback, and network with like minded music educators between our live sessions.
Course access and recordings
Each session will be recorded (except for break out rooms). All recordings will be available for 30 days following the conclusion of the course.
Cancelation & refund policy
- There are no refunds
- In the rare event that A. Cuthbertson Consulting does not receive enough enrollment to host the course, we will provide an alternative learning pathway for all registrants or apply the fees to a future offering of the course
About the Facilitator
Ashley Cuthbertson, M.Ed, NBCT (she/her) is the Founder & CEO of A. Cuthbertson Consulting, LLC, an educational consulting firm that helps K-12 music educators connect with their learners so they can engage students of all backgrounds and abilities in high quality music instruction that develops skills for both inside and outside the music classroom. Ashley’s approach centers culturally responsive pedagogy as the key lever to ensuring equitable pathways to success for the diverse and ever-changing needs of today’s music learners.
Described as an “engaging and charismatic” teacher educator, Ashley has served hundreds of music educators across the U.S. and internationally, helping them to take action towards equitable music learning by connecting music instruction to the cultural frames of reference of their students to more easily attract, engage, and retain students in their music programs. Music educators report that her professional learning programs are “engaging”, “safe”, and provide strategies that “will have a positive impact” on their students.
A Nationally Board Certified Teacher, Ashley holds a Master’s in Education, as well as certifications in the Kodály approach and Arts integration. Ashley has over fourteen years of experience in education as a general music educator, choral educator, a band educator, a K-12 musicianship instructor, a private lessons instructor, lead teacher, new teacher coach, adjunct professor, curriculum writer, speaker, and consultant.
A passionate advocate for music education, Ashley additionally serves the National Association for Music Education as a member of the Music Education Policy Roundtable and the Virginia Music Educators Association as chair of the DEI Council.
Hear what teachers & instructional leaders say about Ashley’s work here!