Check Yourself A List for Affirming Classroom Spaces

Do the work to name the power dynamics at play. Though understanding one’s positionality⁴ should be understood in any situation, this examination seems most applicable when using songs and materials of a cultural group for the classroom. But it is not enough to name your positionality when doing this. One must also examine power dynamics.

Stillness and silence grants time to critically analyze practices.

I consider song lists that present the harmful histories of songs, such as Songs with a Questionable Past,⁷ a useful resource because the history of many songs has unintentionally (and intentionally) been lost. These lists model the behavior of researching and these histories should be learned by any music teacher. But I caution against using song lists for this believing you are also changing your pedagogy.

We should stop singing harmful songs. Full stop. But for us to gain a level of self- sufficiency and to reckon with the internal beliefs that created these songs to begin with, we should also make connections to why we shouldn’t sing a song, not only stop what songs we sing because a list says so.

Remember that teachers come in all forms. A stove may not seem like an obvious teacher, but when the burners are hot that stove has a lesson to teach. So take stock of who you read, who you follow on social media, who you watch on television. Be aware of the words and thoughts permeating your space. You may not see a teacher present, but you are still learning.

Examine if the representation around you is as diverse as the song repertoire you aspire to. It is more likely that racially minoritized students in US classes are taught by teachers who have different lived experiences and identities than their own⁹. It is important that those voices are centered in our actions.

Seek experts with a teaching spirit. Uphold the expertise of culture bearers whose expertise comes from lived experience. This includes the expertise students bring with them to your class.

Remember that if an identity is outside your own, no amount of study or immersion in a culture can truly reveal that lived experience. We may earn the respect of those in the community and prove ourselves worthy of the description of an ally over time, but we will never understand what it means to have that lived experience and we should defer to that positionality.

If folks are willing to give their time to teach, start with LISTENING to what they have to say. Don’t undermine their expertise. Don’t demand their time, or make them defend their perspective, or accuse them of withholding access to a group. And remember, you asked them for help, not to grant you permission to do what would make your life more convenient.

Offer to compensate experts (expertise is not only gained through academic credentials). Advocate for monetary compensation and leverage privilege to protect folks as they speak truth to power. It is easy to forget that while we amplify minoritized voices, they speak and act with no protection from physical and emotional abuse. Minoritized experts run the risk of losing promotions. They are criticized for being too sensitive, while non-minoritized colleagues are often praised for innovation. The time to thank someone for their bravery is not in the safety of a text message after the meeting. The place is out loud, during the meeting, while it is happening. Write checks. Leverage privilege.

Feedback grows us or slows us Here, our points intersect. If (and when) you receive feedback from someone who has EXPERTISE, revisit SILENCE and active LISTENING. In your silence, hold initial reactions as valid. You feel how you feel. But then look to your response for clues if you are using feedback in meaningful ways.

Examine your response:

A reflective (not reflexive) response can reveal when feedback has a chance to make a lasting change in behavior. But also remember not to strictly value objectivity above emotion, nor dismiss emotion as irrational. Emotion and rationality strengthen one another. Artist, activist, and educator, Sunn m’Cheux asks these questions¹⁰:

Understanding the emotions driving our reactions may reveal:

Naming these emotions can turn fragility into crucial moments of growth. Understanding our emotions creates opportunities for strength and integrity. If we grow self-awareness of our emotions, we develop a capacity to absorb information that grows us from the inside - out.

If you avoid vulnerability, this will challenge you. If you exert authority to maintain order, this will challenge you. If you internalize feedback as commentary on your worth, this will challenge you. But we give musical feedback because we know a performance can be better. When we ask students to sing again but with more support, if we correct fingerings or bowings, it is simply feedback, not an evaluation of a student’s worth. And though it is tempting to take feedback on inclusive practices as judgment on our goodness or badness as a person, we should remember that it isn’t about us in the first place.

If the concept of assimilation still escapes you, stand still and quiet when you are choosing songs, choosing a way to teach, or assess learning and ask, “Why this way?” and “Who says so?” Responses like, “That’s how it’s always been” or “That’s how I learned,” are strong indicators that more reflection is needed.

Good faith questioning suggests critical thinking. And critical thinking forces us into a space of self-awareness. You may find yourself in conflict with things you have known to be true and with things you are good at doing. In that self-reflection, we may discover our intention in providing opportunities is not founded in affirmation but is in service of replicating what we experienced as students, and consequently rooted in the belief that a student’s lived experience is deficient because it is not like ours. It is then our “noble duty” to “save” them. We convince ourselves we provide opportunity, but when participation is set to an unquestioned standard we are policing participation. This pedagogy for the standard exacts a price, and that price calls for students to shed aspects of their identity and understanding not aligned with the standard. Assimilation.

The work required to build affirming classrooms is no different. In times when you feel overwhelmed, consider if you are attempting to swallow systemic inequity whole. Reframe equity as a choice in the moments we interact with others one on one. It is not that those moments are less important because they are smaller. They are important because small moments perpetuate systemic inequity. We can feel hopeless against systemic inequity (the system depends on our hopelessness), but we counteract that by tending to equity at a personal level of engagement.

Each day presents its own unique opportunities to act equitably (or not). Some days the choices seem simple and obvious. Other days your limited energy is split between processing situations, making decisions, and surviving the day. But each day resets at 0. So, if on the days you find yourself coming up short, more opportunities will come. Practicing everyday builds your chops.

Thoughts to be continued… ● Silence as a legitimate and useful way to begin ● Active listening is the accompaniment to silence ● Surround yourself with experts and listen (again) ● Feedback grows us or slows us ● Practice everyday