Resource Bin:
Throughout the course we read several articles on a variety of issues. We then prepared discussion questions as a group, often directed at a guest speaker to our class. We spent some time in our weekly meetings discussing these topics further.
When
ASD and Community Music
Treweek, C., Wood, C., Martin, J., & Freeth, M. (2019). Autistic people’s perspectives on stereotypes: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Autism, 23(3), 759–769.
Baldwin, A. (2017). Community music-making for everyone via performing ensembles: here are five groups that make an inclusive, musical difference in their communities.(Lectern). Teaching Music, 24(3)
Discussion Questions
1. Treweek et al. indicate the uniqueness of people with ASD. Based on its diversity, are there potential difficulties/obstacles for music educators to design an inclusive community program?
2. How does ‘confirming’ the stereotype of a diagnosis play into the outside judgement of one’s status, or ‘contrasting’ the stereotype leads to doubt of the diagnosis or difficulty accessing supports? How does a diagnosis differ between different sexes/genders/cultures?
3. How do we approach and speak to parents in denial or unaccepting about a diagnosis of their child, or, how do you support a family that has not been able to get a diagnosis due to slow medical system/wait times?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Music Therapy
Elizabeth Mitchell. (2019). Community Music Therapy and Participatory Performance. Voices, 19 (1). https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v19i1.2701
Gary Ansdell. (2002). Community Music Therapy & The Winds of Change. Voices, 2(2), np. https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v2i2.83
Discussion Questions
Question 1: What is the value of accreditation and how does that interplay with community music programs and people who strive to create inclusive musical backgrounds without formal musical/music therapy training?
Question 2: Where is the distinction between music as a therapeutic action and music as an educational tool and/or benefit to the community?
Question 3: Can the medical implications of music therapy co-exist with the Social Model of Disability?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Culturally Responsive Teaching
DeVito, D., Telles, T., & Hidalgo, B. (2020). Culturally Responsive Research Projects in a Title I Elementary Center for Fine Arts. Visions of Research in Music Education, 35.
Discussion Questions
Question 1: The article includes a diagram depicting a three phase model. Could we work through the value of this diagram as a planning tool and discuss how others could adapt this methodology to their own context?
Question 2: "Assessment was always important in music education and it was always a part of what we do," (DeVito, et al, 2020, p. 22). Can you expand on what you see as the role and purpose of assessment in culturally responsive education?
Question 3: What kind of questions can educators ask themselves and their communities to ensure that their programs are culturally responsive in a way that encourages a broader knowledge of each others' contexts?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Decolonizing
Bradley, D. (2012). Good for What, Good for Whom?: Decolonizing Music Education Philosophies. In The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy in Music Education.
Discussion Questions
1. Can academic spaces (that are inherently exclusionary i.e. university = accessed by those that can pay for it) lead the way for decolonization within music education contexts in order create the systemic change at the pre-service level? What are the obstacles that are currently preventing this transition from happening outside of research?
2. When engaging in problematizing potentially colonizing actions and discerning what is the "right" action, how do we navigate these decolonizing practices from within a system that is already in place?
3. How do you find balance between action learning and music appreciation, particularly in terms of students' prior experience/knowledge and proving differentiation to meet student's individual needs?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Belief and Religions
Benedict, C. (forthcoming Jan 2021). Educating for Intelligent Belief or Unbelief. In C. Benedict, Music and Social Justice: A Guide for Elementary Educators. New York: Oxford University Press
Discussion Questions
1. “The purpose of the unit it to help students think through current debates being played out in the media with the goal of having them “think through how these experiences would have been different without religious liberty and the pioneers of ideas and laws who made it possible” (p. 118). I am taken by the image of the perpetual stranger (to others). What do you feel this ‘stranger-ship’ implies for our ability to even know the self, much less the other?
2. How does one adapt a pedagogy of neutrality without allowing your own beliefs to affect the dialogue? Should we attempt to remove our own voice?
3. How do we teach multi religious themes to the unbelief and still account for inclusion? For example how do we account for scientology? How do we make Jehovah Witness students feel inclusion when they are not religiously allowed to take part in any Christian activities?
4. How can we honour long standing traditions within a school community while also recognizing the more recent focus on non-denominational experiences?
5. "Do not assume that simply because students attend a particular faith-based house of worship they can speak to the musical practices within." (pp.132) Do you think it’s appropriate to let students present/ talk about their religious music in class? (If they want). Are there any risks of doing this?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Social Justice
Sensoy, O., & DiAngelo, R. (2017). Is everyone really equal? : an introduction to key concepts in social justice education / Özlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo. (Second edition.). Teachers College Press: Chapter 11: “Yeah but…”: Common Rebuttals.
Individual Discussion Questions
Jasmine:
1. Sensoy and DiAngelo believe that, "rebuttals that function to block out, cut off, and negate explanations are counter to the goals of education" and ask readers to "reflect on whether the goals of their questions are greater clarity or greater protection of their existing worldview" (p. 185).
As an educator, when we are confronted with those who may feel their worldview is being threatened, how do we engage in meaningful dialogue?
2. Cathy has introduced to us the concept of a neutral pedagogy where all voices are given the space to be explored. How do we address the concerns of parents who disagree with this philosophy and have specific beliefs they want to emphasize in their child's education?
3. How do we negotiate a balance between "social justice warrior" (in the derogatory sense) and a teacher sensitive to the issues of inclusion?
Shihfan:
1. “The dynamics of intersectionality are deeply significant and it is impossible to develop critical social justice literacy without an ability to grapple with their complexities” (p.190). How may educators guide students to understand intersectionality if the majority of them have similar backgrounds?
2. “The language we use to name a social group shapes the way we think about that group, to think critically about language is to think critically about power and ideology” (pp. 192). For example, what terms/ sentences which teachers commonly use in class could be adjusted and be more socially inclusive?
3. “Because dominant institutions in society are positioned as being neutral, challenging social injustice within them seems to be an extra task in addition to our actual tasks” (pp.196). Besides the systematical obstacle, is there any way that educators may embed the social justice concept into the current frame of teaching?
Johnny:
Issue 1 – The dominant group.
Issue 2 – Negativity
Issue 3 – dominant group in a musical context
Ben:
1. How do we distinguish between people who have genuine confusion and misunderstandings, versus those who have reactionary thought patterns? At what point is resistance to changing ideas more than simple human nature of needing time to adapt?
2. Where can and should we find the balance between the forces of individual choice and socialized patterns of behaviour? Is there a way to be both accepting of the fact that people may not have as much freedom of choice as we like to think based on their acculturation, upbringing, or life experience, as well as accepting that human beings can choose to change and can choose hard actions?
3. How can we grapple with the range of resistance without running into that feeling of burnout? To fight each and every example of resistance encountered already seems daunting - is there an ethical way to 'triage' our encounters with these issues so that we can maintain our desire for change and not negatively impact our mental health and dealings with the world around us?
Marlee:
1. When engaging with social issues within the classroom, it is important for teachers to create spaces for students to meaningfully dialogue - how can teachers manage the space between building supportive environments and becoming a caring adult for students while also maintaining professional standards of practice - what I really mean here is, when students are sharing deeply personal experiences and concerns, how can teachers avoid a space where students are seeking reciprocal personal information about teachers?
2. Considering language, which is ever-evolving, where can teachers look for current trends and connections to their own critical examinations of power and society? How do teachers stay "in-the-know" without being bogged down by "edu-speak" that is simply rhetoric and not actionable?
3. There are so many injustices within education, and even more in the world, how can educator's choose which issue to fight for? We can say that one action (choosing to change specific phrases in our pedagogy, for example) is a start to create positive change - but is that really enough? When we can see various issues within our community - how can we ethically choose just one to fight for?
ASD and Community Music
Treweek, C., Wood, C., Martin, J., & Freeth, M. (2019). Autistic people’s perspectives on stereotypes: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Autism, 23(3), 759–769.
Baldwin, A. (2017). Community music-making for everyone via performing ensembles: here are five groups that make an inclusive, musical difference in their communities.(Lectern). Teaching Music, 24(3)
Discussion Questions
1. Treweek et al. indicate the uniqueness of people with ASD. Based on its diversity, are there potential difficulties/obstacles for music educators to design an inclusive community program?
2. How does ‘confirming’ the stereotype of a diagnosis play into the outside judgement of one’s status, or ‘contrasting’ the stereotype leads to doubt of the diagnosis or difficulty accessing supports? How does a diagnosis differ between different sexes/genders/cultures?
3. How do we approach and speak to parents in denial or unaccepting about a diagnosis of their child, or, how do you support a family that has not been able to get a diagnosis due to slow medical system/wait times?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Music Therapy
Elizabeth Mitchell. (2019). Community Music Therapy and Participatory Performance. Voices, 19 (1). https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v19i1.2701
Gary Ansdell. (2002). Community Music Therapy & The Winds of Change. Voices, 2(2), np. https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v2i2.83
Discussion Questions
Question 1: What is the value of accreditation and how does that interplay with community music programs and people who strive to create inclusive musical backgrounds without formal musical/music therapy training?
Question 2: Where is the distinction between music as a therapeutic action and music as an educational tool and/or benefit to the community?
Question 3: Can the medical implications of music therapy co-exist with the Social Model of Disability?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Culturally Responsive Teaching
DeVito, D., Telles, T., & Hidalgo, B. (2020). Culturally Responsive Research Projects in a Title I Elementary Center for Fine Arts. Visions of Research in Music Education, 35.
Discussion Questions
Question 1: The article includes a diagram depicting a three phase model. Could we work through the value of this diagram as a planning tool and discuss how others could adapt this methodology to their own context?
Question 2: "Assessment was always important in music education and it was always a part of what we do," (DeVito, et al, 2020, p. 22). Can you expand on what you see as the role and purpose of assessment in culturally responsive education?
Question 3: What kind of questions can educators ask themselves and their communities to ensure that their programs are culturally responsive in a way that encourages a broader knowledge of each others' contexts?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Decolonizing
Bradley, D. (2012). Good for What, Good for Whom?: Decolonizing Music Education Philosophies. In The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy in Music Education.
Discussion Questions
1. Can academic spaces (that are inherently exclusionary i.e. university = accessed by those that can pay for it) lead the way for decolonization within music education contexts in order create the systemic change at the pre-service level? What are the obstacles that are currently preventing this transition from happening outside of research?
2. When engaging in problematizing potentially colonizing actions and discerning what is the "right" action, how do we navigate these decolonizing practices from within a system that is already in place?
3. How do you find balance between action learning and music appreciation, particularly in terms of students' prior experience/knowledge and proving differentiation to meet student's individual needs?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Belief and Religions
Benedict, C. (forthcoming Jan 2021). Educating for Intelligent Belief or Unbelief. In C. Benedict, Music and Social Justice: A Guide for Elementary Educators. New York: Oxford University Press
Discussion Questions
1. “The purpose of the unit it to help students think through current debates being played out in the media with the goal of having them “think through how these experiences would have been different without religious liberty and the pioneers of ideas and laws who made it possible” (p. 118). I am taken by the image of the perpetual stranger (to others). What do you feel this ‘stranger-ship’ implies for our ability to even know the self, much less the other?
2. How does one adapt a pedagogy of neutrality without allowing your own beliefs to affect the dialogue? Should we attempt to remove our own voice?
3. How do we teach multi religious themes to the unbelief and still account for inclusion? For example how do we account for scientology? How do we make Jehovah Witness students feel inclusion when they are not religiously allowed to take part in any Christian activities?
4. How can we honour long standing traditions within a school community while also recognizing the more recent focus on non-denominational experiences?
5. "Do not assume that simply because students attend a particular faith-based house of worship they can speak to the musical practices within." (pp.132) Do you think it’s appropriate to let students present/ talk about their religious music in class? (If they want). Are there any risks of doing this?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Social Justice
Sensoy, O., & DiAngelo, R. (2017). Is everyone really equal? : an introduction to key concepts in social justice education / Özlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo. (Second edition.). Teachers College Press: Chapter 11: “Yeah but…”: Common Rebuttals.
Individual Discussion Questions
Jasmine:
1. Sensoy and DiAngelo believe that, "rebuttals that function to block out, cut off, and negate explanations are counter to the goals of education" and ask readers to "reflect on whether the goals of their questions are greater clarity or greater protection of their existing worldview" (p. 185).
As an educator, when we are confronted with those who may feel their worldview is being threatened, how do we engage in meaningful dialogue?
2. Cathy has introduced to us the concept of a neutral pedagogy where all voices are given the space to be explored. How do we address the concerns of parents who disagree with this philosophy and have specific beliefs they want to emphasize in their child's education?
3. How do we negotiate a balance between "social justice warrior" (in the derogatory sense) and a teacher sensitive to the issues of inclusion?
Shihfan:
1. “The dynamics of intersectionality are deeply significant and it is impossible to develop critical social justice literacy without an ability to grapple with their complexities” (p.190). How may educators guide students to understand intersectionality if the majority of them have similar backgrounds?
2. “The language we use to name a social group shapes the way we think about that group, to think critically about language is to think critically about power and ideology” (pp. 192). For example, what terms/ sentences which teachers commonly use in class could be adjusted and be more socially inclusive?
3. “Because dominant institutions in society are positioned as being neutral, challenging social injustice within them seems to be an extra task in addition to our actual tasks” (pp.196). Besides the systematical obstacle, is there any way that educators may embed the social justice concept into the current frame of teaching?
Johnny:
Issue 1 – The dominant group.
- What does this really mean? Who is the dominant group?
- Is it contextual? Man vs Woman vs Single dad vs single mom
- Is there a hierarchy within the group? Rich vs poor, “mixed” races, tall vs short etc…
- Can anyone actually classify as this term?
- Is it simply a visual aspect?
Issue 2 – Negativity
- Is there an end when fighting for rights?
- When an injustice case is resolved, do we move on and look for another?
- Is OMG religiously correct to use?
Issue 3 – dominant group in a musical context
- Is there a dominant group among institutionalized music? Why?
- Is there a dominant group in the “mainstream” market? Why?
- How does dominance shape these markets? Example radio play, higher education, etc…
- What is the relation of dominance in music and the dominant group in society?
- Do we value the music of certain cultures over other cultures? Why?
Ben:
1. How do we distinguish between people who have genuine confusion and misunderstandings, versus those who have reactionary thought patterns? At what point is resistance to changing ideas more than simple human nature of needing time to adapt?
2. Where can and should we find the balance between the forces of individual choice and socialized patterns of behaviour? Is there a way to be both accepting of the fact that people may not have as much freedom of choice as we like to think based on their acculturation, upbringing, or life experience, as well as accepting that human beings can choose to change and can choose hard actions?
3. How can we grapple with the range of resistance without running into that feeling of burnout? To fight each and every example of resistance encountered already seems daunting - is there an ethical way to 'triage' our encounters with these issues so that we can maintain our desire for change and not negatively impact our mental health and dealings with the world around us?
Marlee:
1. When engaging with social issues within the classroom, it is important for teachers to create spaces for students to meaningfully dialogue - how can teachers manage the space between building supportive environments and becoming a caring adult for students while also maintaining professional standards of practice - what I really mean here is, when students are sharing deeply personal experiences and concerns, how can teachers avoid a space where students are seeking reciprocal personal information about teachers?
2. Considering language, which is ever-evolving, where can teachers look for current trends and connections to their own critical examinations of power and society? How do teachers stay "in-the-know" without being bogged down by "edu-speak" that is simply rhetoric and not actionable?
3. There are so many injustices within education, and even more in the world, how can educator's choose which issue to fight for? We can say that one action (choosing to change specific phrases in our pedagogy, for example) is a start to create positive change - but is that really enough? When we can see various issues within our community - how can we ethically choose just one to fight for?