education? Does the music program reflect the needs, desires, and cultures of the school and community? What would make a student and/or family believe “this class is for me/my child?”2


Inclusion: In special education, inclusion is when


students with exceptionalities learn alongside their age peers, engaging as full participants in a range of activities with in- dividual supports and curricular modifications when need- ed. In a broader sense, inclusion implies making space for the “other” within already existing structures. For example, when a student with physical impairments uses an adaptive instrument in wind band, or a student who is blind pairs with a sighted student to facilitate participation in marching band. According to Stewart (2017), a person or system with a diversity/inclusion mindset seeks incremental growth toward representation of all populations, but with minimal or no changes to the ways things are done. Equity: In contrast, equity in education involves


changing systems and structures to create conditions in which all children can achieve their educational potential. An equity or justice mindset “celebrates reductions in harm, revisions to abusive systems and increases in supports …[in- cluding] getting rid of practices and policies that were having disparate impacts on minoritized groups” (Stewart, 2017). El- pus and Abril (2011) demonstrated that our current practices and policies result in underrepresentation of minoritized groups in secondary ensembles. Are we ready to examine and change our systems and practices? Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. Culturally responsive


pedagogies reject deficit mindsets about minoritized commu- nities, “…acknowledg[ing] the value of the cultural heritages of differing groups, both in terms of curriculum content and in terms of how these respective cultural legacies influence students’ attitudes, dispositions, and ways of learning” (Lind & McCoy, 2016, p. 18). Tus, culturally responsive pedago- gies emerge from teachers learning about--and developing strategies for connecting music education to--the cultures present in their school and community. Culturally responsive teaching is validating, comprehensive, multidimensional, empowering, transformative, and emancipatory (Gay, 2010, in Lind & McCoy, 2016, p. 17).


Tere is very little diversity at my school… do I really need to think about this? Although MI has fairly diverse overall student enrollment, much of the racial/ethnic diversity is concentrated in sub- urban and urban places. Nevertheless, I must answer this question with a resounding “YES,” for three reasons. (1) Race and ethnicity are only two of the many ways that students are diverse. For example, your school has students who are male, female, LGBTQ. Furthermore, diversity is oſten invisible: your school has students who have exceptionalities, students with varied SES, students who practice different religions (or no religion), etc. (2) Equity- and justice-oriented mindsets celebrate reductions in harm. Even if you teach nearly all White, nearly all middle/upper middle class suburban kids,


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a failure to recognize the identities of the “few” students is potentially harmful. (3) If somehow you teach in a setting made up entirely of the dominant culture (which is not really possible, see #1 and #2), your students are heading out for life in our very diverse country. Tere is very little potential harm in creating music education that reflects and embraces human diversity, and very much for students to gain.


I was taught to treat everyone the same—that ignoring difference was polite and fair. Aren’t we creating divisions by labeling people? Well, first, we know that teachers/schools do not treat everyone the same. For reasons ranging from unconscious bias to cultural norms, most aspects of school life, including discipline referrals, rates of diagnosis for special education, and achievement are highly correlated with gender and race. Moreover, children are already learning about human diversity… they are inundated with negative and harmful messages about race, ethnicity, gender, and ability (etc.) every day. When we as teachers do not explicitly model and discuss respect for and valuing of cultures, genders, and musics, we are allowing these messages to remain unchallenged. While we certainly should not single out or tokenize a child on the basis of a difference, our instruction should reflect awareness and valuing of all students in the room. Te way that we talk, the materials we choose, the behavior we expect, and our relationships with families and the community should reflect our commitment to understanding and valuing our students as whole people.


Tis is so complex… Where do I even start? Sometimes a “diversity/inclusion” mindset is a good place to start. Find out how the demographics of your classes com- pare to the school as a whole (gender, race/ethnicity, students with IEPs, students who receive free/reduced lunch, etc.). If you notice a group is underrepresented in a class or your pro- gram, try to find out why. For more equity/justice-oriented changes, in addition to implementing culturally responsive pedagogy, you could try to: • Restore voices silenced by the traditional canon of music education literature and pedagogy. Seek out mu- sics from MI, the US and around the world, created by diverse peoples and composers3


.


• Value oral/aural traditions and learning styles along- side written forms, e.g., by teaching musics from aural traditions aurally. • Blur the line between school and community by part- nering with local musicians and dancers—invite them as guests, collaborate with them for performances, etc. • Adapt instructional practices and materials to meet individual music learning needs of all students, includ- ing not only students with IEPs, but also students with religious differences. Sitting out of music making is likely an acceptable adaptation only if a student’s IEP specifies it is necessary due to sensory or emotional/ behavioral needs.


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