acceptance,” or a sense that these issues are irrelevant in today’s society (Ullucci, 2009, p. 776). For example, if a student has a negative attitude toward his diverse peers and the teacher does not explain that his attitude is inappropriate, then the student will continue to talk negatively about students from diverse cultures because he understands that his negative attitude is acceptable in the classroom. When issues such as racism, sexism, and class privilege are not discussed in the classroom, students from diverse cultures will understand that the teacher does not acknowledge that “experiences of oppression exist” (May, 2009, p. 46). If the teacher does not include the musical traditions of her diverse students in the curriculum, then the implicit message will be that the United States’ musical traditions are only about the dominant groups of society. Furthermore, this approach marginalizes students of diverse cultures because they come to music classes already marginalized by the “historical experiences of oppression in their ethnic or racial communities” (p. 46). For teachers to acknowledge various social issues such as racial biases makes it possible for students who have experienced oppression to interact with their teachers and peers (May, 2009). By addressing social issues that diverse students encounter, teachers can possibly eliminate negative attitudes that students learn from their communities and homes. Because racial issues are emotionally sensitive, “educators need to make sure that their students are ready to discuss it; otherwise, school could be a breeding ground for racism” (Vang, 2010, p. 36). However, utilizing a multicultural approach to education cannot eliminate all of the problems that we are faced with when teaching students of diverse cultures.
Conclusion Utilizing a multicultural approach to education can help teachers to address and eliminate racial biases, and negative attitudes that diverse students are faced with in the United States’ school system. Furthermore, lower expectations of diverse students can negatively affect the students’ self-image. Therefore, teachers must challenge their beliefs about students from foreign cultures because they may have acquired biases that can affect a child’s learning. Music teachers need to participate in multicultural community activities to learn about their diverse students’ backgrounds and adopt their cultural values into the music curriculum. Creating a culturally relevant environment can help students to become enthusiastic about
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learning new musical concepts. In this manner, students will understand that their teacher acknowledges cultural diversity. According to Hadley (as cited in Campbell, 2008), “valuing the ethnic and cultural diversity must continue to be a high priority in education as our students learn to live in an increasingly independent world” (p. 24). Because the United States’ school system is becoming increasingly diverse, teachers will need to utilize educational approaches that are aimed toward addressing the needs of all students regardless of their cultural background.
References Braud, H. N. (2007). “Easier said than done:” Pre-service teachers and multicultural education (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from
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Martin, D. J., & Loomis, K. S. (2007). Building teachers: A constructivist approach to introducing education. Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning.
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Vang, C. T. (2010). An educational psychology of methods in multicultural education. New York, NY: Peter Lang.
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Krista Edwards, a public- school music educator, college instructor, piano performer, recording musician, and composer/arranger, has presented at various workshops and professional development courses for in- service music teachers. Her current research interests deal broadly with the evolution of multicultural education and the application of sociological perspectives to music transmission.
February/March 2017
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