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A key part of my framework for Culturally Responsive Music Education is the use of rich and diverse musical materials. Our learners need to see themselves reflected in the music we present, they need to see others different from them, and they need to learn about issues of the world. A common question I often get asked is “how do I know if a musical piece is inappropriate?”
I have had to check myself numerous times as I have gotten better information about the repertoire and musical materials I use which has led me to discontinue the use of music that I have found to be harmful. At the end of the day, no music educator is seeking to harm their students, but without intentional examination of musical materials, that is exactly what could be happening.
Today, let’s talk about making Responsible Repertoire Choices.
What music should be used in the music classroom?
I believe that all education should serve to advance our learners’ understandings of themselves, others, and the world, and that as music educators we do this by using music as our vehicle. When selecting musical materials, we must keep that guiding principle in mind. Additionally, here are some other questions to consider:
- Is this music relevant and worth our time?
- Does this music provide for a robust, multifaceted learning experience?
- Is this music aligned with my values?
- Does this music provide opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of musical elements, concepts, and skills?
I see a lot of lists going around full of songs to remove, but I think we need to think about this in a different way. Instead of seeking to “remove and replace,” seek instead to focus on music that allows for a robust musical experience. Does that mean you’ll have to give up some of your “tried and true” favorites? Probably. And it also means that you’ll be making space for a deeper, more meaningful experience in your music room; isn’t that what we all want?
How to know what’s appropriate and what’s not? How do you make a responsible repertoire choice?
This is a common question and I understand where it’s coming from. For so long, music educators have relied on resources and “experts” to tell us what is good and what’s not. I argue, that we can’t rely on others, we have to be the authority ourselves and that requires work on our part.
The short answer to the question “how do I know if this song is appropriate?” is that you have to do your own research. I know that ‘researching’ seems daunting; music educators have so much on our plates already, but if we really want to provide for a robust musical experience that doesn’t perpetuate harm, this is what needs to be done.
In today’s day, researching doesn’t need to be scary! We have so much information right at our fingertips with the internet. Here are some quick research tips:
1. Find authentic musical examples. Authentic meaning it’s performed by the composer, originator, or someone from the culture. Be sure to find multiple examples to compare and contrast, never rely on just one example! Seek out and partner with culture bearers and culture bearer created resources.
2. Find information on the composer or originator. Culturally responsive music educators are focused on centering people who are worthy of our attention. That means that if we come across composers who are racist, sexist, transphobic, or perpetuate other harms that we are not going to promote them by using their music. Period. If you can’t give your students the full story of the composer because they have problematic things about them, you have no business using their music. Be sure to find lots of sources for this information and be aware of the biases that those sources may have.
3. Find information on the history and purpose of the music. This helps inform our performance practices and ensures that we are performing the music authentically or that we are not performing the music at all because that is not actually the music’s purpose. For example, in some cultures, particular songs are sacred and are not meant to be used outside of cultural traditions and activities. For us to perform the song in this instance (in our music classrooms), would be disrespectful.
4. Find information on cultural context and the people from that culture. Music=culture=people. This means that we can’t divorce learning about music from learning about people. When doing your research on a piece of music, be it a folk song for a general music class, or a composed piece for a high school choir, be sure that you also educate yourself on any cultural context as well as historical information. As I mentioned before, be sure to find lots of sources for this information and be aware of any biases those sources may have.
I’ll also point out that you may find that some songs really don’t have that much information to be found out about them. Personally, there is so much music that does have readily available information, that I do not find it useful of my or my learners’ time to keep those songs on my rotation. Additionally, I don’t find risking that the song could be problematic to be worth it. I would rather focus on music where I definitely know.
Through this process, you may find that songs you love don’t make the cut. That’s okay. Making a responsible musical choice means that when presented with the full information about it, you do the responsible and ethical thing by your students. Knowing the full “story” behind the music before presenting it to your students (or not presenting it to your students at all because the information shows it to be problematic) is how we make responsible repertoire choices.
What resources exist?
The more I learn, the more disappointed I find myself in the resources that are readily available to music educators. Many song “collections” (I’ll save my critique of song collections for another post!) provide just a song on a staff, with maybe a quick note about where the song came from like “US” or “Virginia” or “Mexico”, but not much else. This is a huge red flag!! How are we to know where exactly the song came from, who it came from, it’s purpose, it’s use, history, context, etc from a simple and generic note like that! This is exactly why so much problematic music has been passed on and on, because not enough of us have been discerning enough to point out how incomplete this is to music publishers and hold them accountable.
There are resources that exist that give much better information, unfortunately they are few and far between at the moment. Here are a few of my go-to resources:
- Library of Congress
- Smithsonian Folkways
- Association for Cultural Equity; ACE Education Resources
- New York Public Library-Divisions; NYPL: Schomburg Center
- Patricia Shehan Campbell, Ellen McCullough-Brabson, and Judith Cook Tucker “Roots & Branches”
- Institute for Composer Diversity: Composer Diversity Database, Works Diversity Database, and Choral Works Database
I know there is work being done to provide music educators with high quality, well-researched, authentic resources, and I’m looking forward to the day where these resources are the norm and not the exception.
Rich, Musical Materials: A Key Facet of Culturally Responsive Music Education
Remember, culturally responsive music educators utilize a robust and multifaceted approach to teaching music. The choices we make about musical material are a major part of how we employ a multifaceted approach that allows us to utilize music not just as a way to learn musical concepts and skills, but as a vehicle to learn more about ourselves, others, and the world. And that’s the true goal of education after all.
What are your go-to resources?
I would love to know what your go-to resources for diverse, high quality, well-researched, and authentic music are! Share below or share on social media and tag me: I’m @ACuthbertson10 on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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. I’m continuing my webinar series this month with “Black Music Traditions in the Music Room”! It will be on Wednesday, February 23rd at 7pm EST.
I’ll be teaching two live lessons suitable for the general music classroom that feature Black Music traditions utilizing my framework for Culturally Responsive Music Education.
Participants will experience a lesson at the primary and upper/secondary general music levels that demonstrate a multi-faceted approach to teaching music while also exploring the blues and hip hop.
Come live to see and experience a robust approach to music education that extends beyond just facts and skills, and moves learners towards relevant understandings about themselves, others, and the world!
Mark your calendar and register today!
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