Not Heroes
Teachers Implementation of Culturally
Sensitive and Sustaining Pedagogy
in Music Classrooms
Melissa Salguero David Moellenkamp Joyce Click
Musical achievement is the focus of Teacher...deeply knows Teachers know that what goes
the classroom. students. on in the classroom is
...effectively interacts in multiple BIGGER than the classroom
Students are engaged, excited, and
cultural settings. and is a part of engrained
self-motivated.
social arrangements.
Teachers create engaging and ...values multiple paths to
musical excellence and defines Teachers brings in multiple
challenging lessons and do not follow
excellence in multiple ways. perspectives when examining
one particular methodology.
a topic.
One problem: Underrepresentation of minoritized
students in U.S. music classrooms, especially in the
higher grades (Elpus and Abril, 2011; Gurgel, 2015).
Another problem: 89.6 % of U.S. music teachers are white
(Gardner 2010)
Participant Identification and Data Collection Theoretical Framework
Survey and video to identify participants Ladson-Billings
Observations of classroom teaching (non
participant) 6 prongs of
Interviews with teacher Culturally
Additional documentation: concerts, Relevant
paper programs, music, recruitment trips
Pedagogy
Conceptions of Knowledge
Lifelong learning
Doctorate with no intention of teaching
collegiately
Reflective teaching and growth mindset
Discovering and implementing new pedagogical
ideas
Curiosity
Learns and shares the why?
Incorporating student interests into pedagogy
Its important to know
what you dont know.
Chuck Cushinery
Clark High School, Las Vegas, Nevada
Conceptions of Relationships
Commitment to forming connections between
student learning and life outside of the classroom
Retreats
Open door policy
Creating environments
Values students input and experiences
Supportive and collaborative structure
Facilitating a community of learners
Remember that they are
people first and that music
is second.
Beth Hankins
Lakewood High School, Lakewood, OH
Conceptions of Self and Others
Receptive to students
Student input
Humility
Admitting Mistakes
Asking for student feedback
I think just giving attention to the
students and focus putting your focus on
them so that they know youre always
watchful for them and that you have their
best interests in mind.
Joyce Click
North Central HS, Indianapolis, IN
Musical Excellence
Encouraging Student Leadership
Student Serving Multiple Roles in the
Classroom
Section Leaders
Dance Captains
Mentors
Provides a model for students
Elicits individual musical strengths
Often people just chase a trophy, but I
think it really wastes- it diminishes all the
work youve put in.
David Moellenkamp
Los Alamitos High School, Los Alamitos, CA
Sociopolitical Consciousness
Melissa Salguero
P.S. 48, Bronx, NY
InterCultural Competence
Hammer, M. (2012)
References
Elpus, Kenneth and Carlos R. Abril. "High School Music Ensemble Students in the United States: A Demographic Profile." Journal of
Research in Music Education 59, no. 2 (2011):128-145.
Gardner, Robert D. Should I Stay or Should I Go? Factors that Influence the Retention, Turnover, and Attrition of K-12 Music Teachers in
the United States Arts Education Policy Review, 111: 112-121, 2010.
Gurgel, Ruth E. Taught by the Students: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Music Education. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.
Mitchell Hammer. The Intercultural Development Inventory: A New Frontier in Assessment and Development of Intercultural
Competence. In Vandeburg, Paige, and Lou, Eds, Student Learning Abroad (Chapter 5, pp. 115-136.) Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing,
2012.
Ladson-Billings, Gloria. The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers,
1994.
Ladson-Billings, Gloria. "Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy." American Educational Research Journal 32 no. 3 (1995b):
465491.
Barbara J. Shade, Cynthia Kelly, and Mary Oberg, Creating Culturally Responsive Classrooms(Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association, 1997). This book, a valuable resource for music teachers and music teacher educators, provides guidelines on ways for
teachers and teachers-to-be to reflect cultural preferences, values, and ways of behaving in the classroom.
Rosa Hernndez Sheets, "Urban Classroom Conflict: Student-Teacher Perception: Ethnic Integrity, Solidarity, and Resistance, The
Urban Review 28, no. 2 (1996):16583.