From Understanding to Application, Vicki Lind and Con- stance McKoy present an important addition to the literature on equity and inclusion in education. Specifically, this book synthesizes the history and theoretical background of cultur- ally relevant pedagogy, adds information on music, culture, and identity, and relates music-specific recommendations for culturally relevant pedagogical practices. Lind and McKoy met at the first Symposium on Music Teacher Education in 2005. They quickly discovered that they both saw a “need to explore approaches to teaching music that were responsive to the cultural needs of learners” (p. x). This book represents the culmination of 10 years of collaborative work and study.


Culturally Responsive Teaching in Music Education is well- organized, thoughtful, and incredibly readable. Lind and McKoy wrote for an audience of practicing teachers and undergraduate students, so they limited use of jargon and carefully explained specialized vocabulary. Moreover, they wrote in an engaging style that uses real-life examples, fic- tionalized vignettes, and quotes from practicing teachers to illustrate the content. The authors were careful to use ex- amples from general, choral, and instrumental settings. The book is presented in two sections: Understanding, in which Lind and McKoy present a case for culturally responsive education, and Application, which describes practical ap- proaches to a more culturally responsive music room.


Before teachers can embark on the journey of becoming more culturally responsive, they must first understand what culture is and why culture is important in the classroom. Be- ginning with the premise that “[e]very learning situation is mediated by cultural influences, and no learning situation is culturally neutral” (2016, p. 10), Lind and McKoy guide the reader through the history and theory of culturally respon- sive pedagogy, including how educators in the past saw cul- tural differences from a deficit perspective. This information is conveyed in a way that compiles available information on culturally responsive instruction so that readers with varying levels of prior knowledge regarding culturally responsive pedagogy can all benefit. For example, I found their summa- ry of the foundations of culturally responsive practice to be particularly informative (p. 34). The first half of the book is helpful both for music teachers who are not sure that cultur- ally responsive pedagogy is necessary, and also for teachers who need help explaining to administrators or parents why they are adopting culturally responsive practices in their mu- sic room. This section of the book also invites teachers to reflect on their own identity, and on how their own culture may be influencing their pedagogy.


The second half of the book, Application, is prefaced with the caveat, “There are no ‘tips and tricks’ to providing instruc- tion in music that is culturally responsive. As with other ex- amples of good pedagogical practice, employing culturally responsive teaching effectively in the music classroom takes


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knowledge, understanding, commitment, and patience” (p. 84). However, Lind and McKoy go on to present practical strategies that could be modified, provide starting points, or serve as exemplars for culturally responsive practices in mu- sic rooms. These examples first focus on instruction in in- dividual music rooms. Then, Lind and McKoy suggest how school cultures could be more inclusive, and make sugges- tions about ways to include the larger community in creating a culturally responsive school and music room.


Lind and McKoy chose to focus on race, ethnicity, and cul- ture, noting that other differences such as gender and (dis) ability also require teachers to adapt their instruction (p. 4). This decision not to focus on (dis)ability may simply rec- ognize that other recent resources already exist (see Ham- mel and Hourigan’s Teaching Music to Students with Spe- cial Needs: A Label-Free Approach, 2012). However, we as a profession might benefit from a similarly thoughtful and thorough examination of gender in school music settings. School can also be particularly challenging for recent im- migrants, specifically in terms of linguistic, religious, and other cultural differences such as experiences with author- ity. Within their stated delimitation of race, ethnicity, and culture, Lind and McKoy briefly address both English as a second language (ESL) and religious difference, and many of the techniques and suggestions in the Application section can be extrapolated for recent immigrants. But with one in four students under the age of 8 in the United States having immigrant parents from all over the world (Fortuny, Hernan- dez & Chaudry, 2010), I think more specific vignettes and suggestions related to recent immigrant families would be a good addition for the next edition of this book.


I highly recommend that all music teachers make time to read Culturally Responsive Teaching in Music Education: From Understanding to Application. One foundational be- lief that most music teachers agree on is that music educa- tion is for every student. And yet, “Music is personal; it is a part of who we are, and it is a part of who our students are. We teach in a subject area that is integrated into the human psyche, a subject area that is a rich and vibrant reflection of our humanness” (p. 131). Therefore, creating school music programs that are responsive to the needs of all students re- quires that we come to know our students as individuals, which includes their cultures. Teaching music in a culturally responsive manner could benefit all of our students, and this book will help teachers who wish to begin or to advance further along this journey.


Fortuny, K., Hernandez, D. J., & Chaudry, A. (2010). Young children of immigrants: The leading edge of America’s future. Brief No. 3. Urban Institute (NJ1).


Hammel, A., & Hourigan, R. (2012). Teaching music to stu- dents with special needs: A label-free approach. New York: Oxford University Press.


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