DIVERSITY IN THE MUSIC CLASSROOM
Music education by nature has the power to bring people together, to foster creativity and self-expression, and to promote understanding and empathy. It is of paramount importance therefore, to create a classroom culture where all students feel valued and respected.
One way to do this is to incorporate activities and discussions that promote understanding, and mutual respect. This means getting to know each student as an individual and treating them with respect and openness. It also means becoming aware of one's own taken-for-granted assumptions and working to challenge them. Making music education more inclusive, is to use a diverse and representative musical repertoire. This means incorporating music from different historical periods, regions, and styles. It also means making sure that the music used in class reflects the diversity of the student body. This can help students see themselves and their cultures represented in the curriculum and foster a sense of belonging. Furthermore, this could engage students in research leading to a presentation on a musician or composer from a culture or background that is perhaps only fleetingly covered in the curriculum. It could also include providing opportunities for students to create their own music that reflects their own cultural heritage. Creating this welcoming and safe environment for musicians to explore the music can help inspire students' emotions, engage them in their musicality, and even make them discover and develop members’ potential. By affirming the success student-musicians accomplish during rehearsals, whether small steps or giant leaps, helps make musicians feel comfortable to make mistakes and explore playing their instruments, especially in ensemble playing. Fostering therefore, a culture of openness and respect by actively seeking out and valuing the perspectives and contributions of all students, is key to achieving a feeling of inclusiveness.
Moreover, such contact can potentially enhance intergroup relations across racial and cultural boundaries. Collaboration is therefore a key component of an inclusive music classroom. Instead of focusing solely on individual performance, ensemble playing creates a feeling of belonging and provides opportunities for students to work together to create and perform music. 'Group ownership' can be encouraged by allowing the musicians to make decisions musically about the pieces they are performing. Including them in the musical decision-making process invests them more in the rehearsal process and makes them feel more connected to the music because they see their own interpretation of the music being conveyed, allowing their voice to feel heard. Last but not least, creating an inclusive music classroom is providing accommodations and support for students with disabilities. This may include providing alternative materials or methods of assessment, as well as making sure that the physical space and equipment are accessible. This welcoming environment can be created by being open and inviting to ensemble members by having open body language and using friendly gestures and facial expressions.
Additionally, since the environment of a music ensemble is by definition collective, it is important to consider different techniques and strategies to make musicians with disabilities and exceptionalities feel confident and included in the ensemble. For instance, one can work with each student individually when assigning their instrument to determine what instrument best fits their abilities. One can assess their fine and gross motor skills using a recorder or song flute to determine if a brass or woodwind instrument would be a better fit for their abilities. This is beneficial because students with certain cognitive or motor impairments may find brass instruments easier than woodwinds or strings because brass instruments require comparatively little hand coordination.
Comparatively, students with hearing problems may find brass instruments difficult due to the need to distinguish between overtones, thus reed instruments may be a better choice for them because they can feel the vibrations from the reed through their teeth on the mouthpiece.
To this end, educators can modify parts of the music to assist students with disabilities and exceptionalities. This can include simplifying rhythms from difficult parts or changing the octaves of melodies to fit the student’s needs and capabilities. Additionally, educators can simply reduce the amount of music students play. This can include providing them a list of the songs that the ensemble plans to perform and then having them choose certain songs that they would like to focus on learning, which provides them with a more manageable amount of music to learn.
All of the above factors can work together in order to support student and staff behavior, support decision making in the education process, and lead to social competence and academic achievement which will create equitable educational experiences for everyone involved in the process.
Nestor Taylor 02.07.2024
