Re-Visioning Music Education Toward Social Justice
Music education is currently in a state of re- visioning. Music educators continually work to find new and innovative ways to reach their student populations. In doing so, as a disci- pline, we increasingly draw on a wide range of musics, including world and popular mu- sics, and create different kinds of classrooms, such as ukulele or guitar classrooms and tech- nology-based classrooms. Issues of equity and social justice emerge at the forefront of many music educators’ agendas, but many educa- tors struggle with the ways such issues may actualize in our classrooms. Equity and social justice issues are complex and teachers raise valid concerns about age-appropriateness and inserting politics into the school curriculum. In this article, I highlight several important issues to keep in mind as we navigate social justice issues in music education.
A question of definitions
First, we must note the distinctions between equity and equality and between systemic and individual issues. Equity and equality are of- ten used interchangeably. However, they mean very different things. In the context of educa- tion, equal treatment means that all students receive the same (treatment, resources, etc.). That might mean that all students receive a school t-shirt to wear with black pants for the upcoming concert. The purchase of black pants, however, may be easy for some chil- dren while a struggle for others. An equity praxis ensures that each student gets what they need. That might mean that students with de- cidedly more resources receive less than stu- dents who have minimal resources. An equity revision to the concert uniform above might provide a t-shirt and ask students to wear something they like on the bottom or provide a full outfit, if a certain “look” is required. Teachers also might consider creative ways to accommodate when their program requires
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Juliet Hess
a specific purchase—a recorder, for example. An equity perspective involves recognizing that any purchase is a class issue. A minor ad- justment in price or a minimal funding com- mitment from administration might allow the possibility of having several free recorders for each class. Quietly connecting with classroom teachers may provide a way to identify stu- dents who may need support without calling any attention to the students themselves.
The second distinction to make is between systemic and individual issues (Sensoy & Di- Angelo, 2012). As we think about equity work in education, it is easy to understand oppres- sions such as racism in terms of the individu- al. Doing so means focusing on racist acts—a person using a racist slur is an example. While focusing on individual acts is important, it often misses the larger picture. Issues such as racism and classism operate through larger structures (Goldberg, 1993). The way the media represents race, for example, encour- ages particular stereotypes. The media is part of a larger system that reinforces these same stereotypes (hooks, 1992). A racist slur is unquestionably a problem, but it is a symp- tom of a larger systemic issue, rather than the problem itself.
In the general music class, it is easy to privi- lege students who take private piano lessons. These students excel in our classes, but the reasons for their success are rooted in class privilege. Unsettling this class privilege might involve both recognizing its presence and ensuring that success in our classes is not contingent in the least on private study. Systemic issues in music education routinely privilege students who can afford private les- sons, encourage them to audition for postsec- ondary music programs (who usually only accept those with private lessons in classical music or jazz), and prepare them to become
General Music
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