The Need For Multicultural And Culturally Responsive Music Education In American Schools?

Introduction One of the enduring themes in music education research over the last few decades has been the need for more multiculturalism and culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) in the American music classroom (Anderson, 1992). Researchers, such as Walker (2000), Hoffman (2011), Loza (2006), and DeLorenzo (2012), have all written extensively about the need for more diverse, culturally responsive music education in American schools. While there is certainly a great deal of evidence that increasing multiculturalism and cultural responsiveness in the music curriculum is a worthy goal, and despite several proposed methodologies and techniques (Dekaney & Robinson, 2014; Hess, 2010), the majority of curricula remain predominantly Eurocentric (Loza, 2006;

To be fair, there has been a great deal of improvement but mostly in the area of general classroom music. The performance ensembles (band, orchestra, chorus etc.) that make up the majority of music education, particularly on the secondary level, have changed little in the decades since the Music Educator’s National Conference officially made multiculturalism a priority (Swanwick, 1999). It has also been pointed out that the lack of multiculturalism and CRP in the American music classroom is a social justice issue, as well as an educational concern since the Eurocentric hegemony of music education often makes culturally diverse students feel excluded, disinterested, and may prevent them from developing their own musical talents (Swanwick, 1998; Hess, 2010; DeLorenzo, 2012). Music education, like all education, should be able to adapt to meet the needs of diverse students, yet the previously cited research all implies that progress has been slow. Given the consensus on the necessity for more diverse music education the question must be asked: What are the factors standing in the way