MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION Mary Theresa Reed, Chairperson
Multicultural Music: A Partner for 21st Century Skills
On July 15, 2010 in Washington, DC, the Partnership for 21st
Century Skills,
also known as P21, released the core sub- ject map that integrates the Four Cs into arts curriculum. Te three Rs include Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic and the four Cs include Critical thinking and problem solving, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity and Inno- vation. Illinois is one of at least 15 states that are a part of this partnership.
Te map was released at a Capitol Hill briefing. Organizations involved included the American Alliance for Teatre and the Arts, the Music Educa- tors National Conference, the National Dance Education Organization and others. As stated in the release, “Te map provides educator-created examples of how art subjects (dance, music, theatre, and visual and media arts) can be fused with skills to create engaging learning experiences that promote 21st century knowledge and skill acquisition. In ad- dition to aligning teaching and learning to the demands of today’s world, the map cites specific student outcomes and pro- vides project examples for grades four, eight and 12.” Tis information, along with other detailed information regard- ing P21 is available at
www.p21.org. You can view the entire map at this website.
I was particularly encouraged to read the following excerpt from the document. “Global Awareness: Te arts provide opportunities and experiences for stu- dents to understand global issues; to work collaboratively with individuals
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representing diverse cultures, religions and lifestyles in a spirit of mutual re- spect; and to understand other nations and cultures, including those that shape their thoughts in other languages. Te awareness and empathy that come from the collective production of art or the study of art by others enables students to develop a truly global point of view.” Tis obviously supports the importance of multicultural music education.
As usual, when presented with another task, such as writing standards or cur- riculum mapping and more recently common assessments, our hearts start to race, the stress level rises and then after several moments of panic, we realize that we already do these things. An example of how we use critical thinking and prob- lem solving in my department involves one of our performance assessments.
1. Students listen to a performance piece from their ensemble’s recent public concert.
2. Using a written critique form containing such criteria as intona- tion, expression, technique and style, they critique the performance using a rating scale and written comments to describe, analyze and make informed judgments about what they just heard.
3. Trough group discussion students share their ideas and reflect on their critical thinking which leads to their various solutions to specific
problems. Students share through class discussion and the teacher reinforces solutions that the class collaborated on in future rehearsals and preparation of performance
We do not have to “reinvent the wheel.” More importantly, we do not have to feel as though we are not a part of the big picture. Te Arts are considered nation- ally as one of the core subjects! Tis is important as we face a time of massive cuts in program and staff. Information that is part of this nationwide partner- ship in education for 21st
century skills
pertains to us and should be a part of any information that is disseminated regard- ing the future of arts education.
I encourage you, as multicultural music educators, to visit the website and read through the curriculum map. Note the statements under interdisciplinary themes regarding health literacy and civic literacy and more. On the ISBE website you will note that one of our state goals is to en- sure that the Illinois Learning Standards embody the fusion of the three Rs and the four Cs (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration and creativity and innovation.)
Another compelling and encouraging statement from the P21 document is the following: “Each of the four distinct disciplines of the arts (dance, music, theatre arts, and visual arts) offers its own unique set of knowledge, skills, and processes. As a whole, however, the arts are uniquely situated to provide links
Illinois Music Educator | Volume 71 Number 2
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