Creating an Inclusive Classroom Through Music

  Creating an inclusive classroom through Music

If Charlie parker was right, "Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom."

So knowing that music sums up my experience or yours, it stands to reason that there's a song to represent each and every one of us.

It is imperative to create a classroom that is inclusive and fosters a sense of belonging.  

Music is the key.

Take Stock of Your Students

Who are you teaching? Not just their names, but their many identities.   There's a term you may have heard: Intersectionality is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage."

Do you have a large population of students that speak Spanish?  Choose songs from Mexico, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, & other Spanish-speaking countries.  

• Mi Cuerpo
• La Cucaracha
• Vamos a La Mar

Consider exploring Latinx musicians throughout
the year & honoring Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15-October 15 through classroom decor (Check out the 3 I's to ace classroom aesthetics)

Being inclusive does not stop with race or culture *learn more here*.  Belonging to a social class or identifying as a member of the LGBTQ+ community are equally powerful.  

Doing your homework is hard, but so worth it.  I've learned a lot from Decolonizing the Music Room, but there are also loads of resources from music education associations such as NAfME.

Evaluate Your Physical Library

If you don't have a list in excel or Google Sheets of songs in your physical library, this is a bit of a beast.

1. Take count of all your songs
2. Alphabetize them
3. Check for duplicate titles with different arrangers or orchestrations.

Let's pretend for the sake of this blog that you've done that.  (Bravo!!)  

1. Look for patterns.
1. My school is 100+ years old and steeped in tradition.  I inherited a classroom from someone who taught there for 3 decades and did not believe in purging music.  Needless to say, most of the music bequeathed to me were Christian hymns, composed by white men, or Patriotic.  
2. 
   Categorize music when possible 
• Patriotic
• Religious
• Film 
• Broadway (Check out In The Heights) 
  
• Folk Songs
• World language
2. Identify gaps
1. Do you see loads of religious music but few secular tunes?
2. Do you have loads of songs in Spanish but none in French?
3. Do you have Christmas but no representation for Hanukkah, Diwali, or Chinese New Year?
4. Consider instrumentation
3. Cull the music
1. Unless you're teaching in a Christian school, you very likely do not need 72 Christmas songs. And even if you are teaching in a religious school, consider what is age appropriate.  
2. If your school encourages holiday tunes, include a variety of holidays.
3. Look for problematic music & learn the history to make educated decisions
1. Oh Susanna & Camp Down Races
2. Jingle Bells
3. Star Spangled Banner (later verse)
4. Ice Cream Truck Song
4. Say goodbye to songs that do not serve your population.  Thank 'em for their serve, but seriously...peace out!
4. Order new music that fits in the gaps.  

Evaluate Your Digital Library

This is very much the same as a physical library, but there's an added benefit.  Digital libraries track the number of plays!

Look at your most played list.  If you use Spotify, they have an end of the year (New Year) feature that even tells you this in a clear & concise way!  

Purchase on Purpose

Consider the following questions:

• Do you have musicians, artists, & composers that reflect your student body?  
• Are you aware of songs that resonate in certain cultures & communities?
• Do you have pieces that your current ensembles have the skill set & instrumentation to play or sing?
• Do you have LGBTQ+ friendly pieces?
• What are your curricular goals?
• Who has a diverse music library that you respect?
• How can you acquire these songs?
• Do you need instruments in order to perform this piece authentically and respectfully?

I use world music as a starting point.  It allows me to honor countries of origin, explore holidays, and consider cultural values in both elementary music & middle school music classes.  What do you use as a jumping off point?