Considering Culturally Responsive Teaching,Children,and Place in the Music Room

Conception of Self and Others

As teachers, preparing to be more responsive to the diverse group of students present in our classes, we need to first consider where we come from, who we are, and what were our school and music experiences growing up (Gay, 2010; Nieto, 2012). Through this self-reflection, we become aware of the lens through which we view ourselves and our students. It is also through this awareness that we can be thoughtful about how our own experiences may affect what we expect from our students.

Culturally responsive music teachers also take the time to reflect on the students coming into their music room. What kinds of music activities do the students participate in outside of school? What are the celebrations that the students attend? What kinds of music do students listen to with their peers and families? “Culturally responsive teachers go beyond their classrooms to build a knowledge base about their students culture” (Abril, 2009, p. 87).

Music teachers do not have the same amount of time with the students as classroom teachers and so they need to think carefully about how they can mine information from their students. Using questionnaires and Google applications such as Google forms for students and families to fill out and inviting family and community members to come and share in music are merely some of the possible ways to connect with the families of students (Abril, 2013; Nieto, 2012). In addition to drawing on the experiences of students and their families, there are opportunities to draw on the unique music experiences of other members of the school community.

A Vignette

One night, in my first year of teaching music, I was busy working at cleaning up the music room. In the back of the class were these long bamboo poles. They always seemed to be getting in the way. I had no idea what use they would be, and so I decided to throw them away. As I was hauling them out of the classroom, the custodian stopped me and asked me why I was getting rid of his tinikling poles. Completely clueless as to what he was talking about, I just shook my head. He then shared that he had brought these poles with him from the Philippines when he had moved to Canada. He started sharing with me about how the tinikling dance is the national dance of the Philippines. He had me get down on my knees and showed me the rhythmic pattern to use with the poles when tinikling. He then started showing me several different dance patterns. Soon, he was singing and the two of us were performing tinikling dance steps together. From that point on, I always invited him into my music class to share about his dance experience in the Philippines and to teach us all tinikling dances. Each time he came and shared with the students, I was amazed at the students’ responses. They were engaged and excited and wanted to learn the dance. Drawing on the experiences of my students, staff, community, and myself has led to a much more diverse learning community for my students.

Conception of Knowledge

Culturally responsive teachers think critically about the curriculum and the content that they select to use with students. When choosing music, teachers are thinking about what it is that they want their students to know. In addition, music teachers are considering what it is that their students want to know or learn about music. “Music and materials should be selected with integrity and sensitivity . . ., no matter the style, genre, or tradition” (Abril, 2013, p. 9). Shaw (2012) developed a set of questions for music teachers to consider when selecting music. She suggests that music teachers need to consider what music would build on students’ previous experiences and their cultural experiences, while considering the various learning styles represented in the classroom (p. 76). Culturally responsive teachers understand that knowledge is constructed from the vast experiences that students have. Considering students’ past experiences when selecting the curriculum and content is vitally important.

Culturally responsive teachers carefully consider the music selections that they use in their class. Music selections do not only have to be representative of the students in class. When selecting music, Abril (2014) has suggestions of questions that need to be answered before using the piece. “From what cultural community does this [music] emerge? What does it mean? To whom is it important and why? How has its meaning and importance changed over time” (p. 17)?

Social Relations

Culturally responsive teachers demonstrate self-reflection, a desire to know the students, families, and members of the community in which the school resides and to think critically about the music and materials selected for class. The activities used to deliver curriculum and content to students are equally of importance. “Authentic education is not carried on by “A” for “B” or by “A” about “B” but rather by “A” with “B,” mediated by the world—a world that impresses and challenges both parties, giving rise to views or opinions about it” (Freire, 2013, p. 160). Teachers and students working with each other in pursuit of knowledge is a key ingredient of being culturally responsive. Open dialogue, collaboration, and opportunities for questioning are all important social interactions.

As I was considering the various teaching strategies I could use to be more culturally responsive, I enrolled in a course on children and place. Not entirely clear what was involved in this course, I was surprised when I saw natural connections between the ideas of place and culturally responsive teaching. I was also surprised to see that both culturally responsive teaching and children and place concepts referred to cooperative learning as a successful strategy to use with students. As a result, I decided to draw on the concepts of place in addition to those of culturally responsive teaching as I prepared to implement culturally responsive practices into my teaching. In the following section, I will provide information on place concepts as well as how they relate to culturally responsive teaching in the music room.

Place in School

Just as with culturally responsive teaching, when considering place, teachers need to think critically about the social and psychological needs of students. The students coming to music are from a variety of backgrounds with different ideas, needs, and desires about music. How teachers respond to these ideas, needs, and desires will determine what kind of place the music room is for each student. Students’ identities have already been formed prior to entering the music room. These identities will have a significant role on how to create a place of importance for each student. Each student coming to music has a need for a place and a need for “security, comfort, belonging, connectivity, identity, and at-homeness” (Ellis, 2010, p. 12). Music teachers have an especially difficult task of creating this sense of place for students, as time in the music room is often quite limited. Considering this, it is even more important to think critically about the physical layout of the music room, what types of music and materials are used, and how the music and other materials are delivered to students. Do the students entering music feel connected to the place? What is it about the music room that invites students in and draws them to the place? Do students have a sense of belonging when they come to the music room?

A Vignette

This past winter I took the time to sketch out my music room’s physical design. As I was going through this process, I was considering the kinds of questions as mentioned above. When I first started teaching at the school 7 years ago, I had spent considerable time determining how I wanted my room to look. Since that time I have made few changes. I was very comfortable in the setup of my room, but were my students? As I reflected on the layout of the music room, I was struck by what worked well and what needed some redefining. I could easily identify what spaces my students found awkward in the room, which ones they avoided completely, and the spaces where they connected the most. What I found helpful as I went through this process was considering how each of the areas I had defined would help the students coming to my music room feel as if it was their space, a place with connections that they were attached to and would be excited to enter. The biggest takeaway was the need for more personal touches around the room to make the place more comfortable for students. I had done well at creating defined spaces where students could sit with proper posture and sing, large open space for movement, and areas for both pitched and nonpitched percussion. What about the wall space that the students see on a daily basis? Would students benefit if I highlighted some of the special song-based picture books or interesting and unique instruments I had instead of only bringing them out on special occasions? As a result, I decided to create areas visible to students, displaying books and instruments for them to explore and touch.

Place in Curriculum and Content

In addition to examining the physical layout and how students belong in the music room, teachers need to carefully consider the music content used in class, just as culturally responsive teachers think critically about music selections and lessons used with students. Curriculum and music content should be selected with the students in mind, appealing to the wide array of identities of students present in class. “Resources should be relevant to students’ biographies while inviting them into new ways of thinking about activities” (Ellis, 2005, p. 65). Thinking critically about how to promote meaningful interactions into the music room is an important part of what the music teacher considers when selecting music materials for class.

Place in Music Activities

Once curriculum and content are selected, music teachers need to think about the types of music activities to use with students. “Group activities that invite conceptual playfulness are valuable for warming relationships and enlivening everyday life in the class” (Ellis, 2005, p. 66). Activities that work on building relationships between teacher and student and among students help build a sense of place for each student. Music activities need to promote community, while building on student’s independence and provide a place where students’ ideas and opinions are valued. It is through these activities that students are drawn to the music room and able to develop a sense of belonging to the place. Students need to be part of the process of selecting music activities. By inviting students into this process, music teachers are illustrating to students that they are all valued in the music room.

A Vignette

After spending a year studying the concepts of culturally responsive teaching and of place, I returned to the music room excited to put what I had learned into practice. My first endeavor was to create an activity that would bring my students together, connecting them to the each other and to the class. I laid the groundwork for cooperative learning groups by reviewing social skills and completed a few practice sessions with the class as a whole. Once the students got down to work, I was completely shocked when I had student after student coming up to me and asking if they could work on their own. Two additional students approached me and explained that they worked well in groups of two, but if the group was larger than that, they did not feel successful. In all my efforts to create a group project that would encompass all I had learned, I had forgotten to consider my students’ personal needs. I learned that my students were, for the most part, aware of what made them successful learners, and it was that information that I needed to tap into to create a place where my students would feel valued.