Anti-Racism resources
“ I hasten to point out, however, that a rush toward solutions, our “solutionism” as journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates (2015) calls it, is part of the problem of our white racial frame. Solutionism is problematic because it usually frames the racism that is part of music theory’s racialized structures as a disease that can be cured, rather than as a structure that needs dismantling (racism is a structure, not a disease).”
- Music Theory and the White Racial Frame - Philip A. Ewell "An antiracist approach must be intersectional—meaning that race, gender, class, sexuality, and other aspects of one’s identity where oppression exists are inextricable from one another. An antiracist approach names these forms of oppression and their manifestations inside and outside the classroom.” - Promoting Equity: Developing an AntiRacist Music Theory Classroom - Dave Molk & Michell Ohnona |
We understand that grappling with this information can seem overwhelming and daunting at times. There is a lot of work to be done. Here are some great places to start if you are new to this work. A larger list of resources is available below.
GETTING STARTED:
Here are some questions to begin reflecting upon what you are teaching and why. Consider not only the repertoire you choose, but the full scope of your work as a choral director and the decisions you make regarding audition practices, recruitment, attire, performance opportunities, touring, etc.
The Black Voices Matter Pledge - A Pledge of Antiracism in Choral Practice outlines specific action steps for choral practitioners to take across diverse settings.
Starting resources for conversations:
GETTING STARTED:
Here are some questions to begin reflecting upon what you are teaching and why. Consider not only the repertoire you choose, but the full scope of your work as a choral director and the decisions you make regarding audition practices, recruitment, attire, performance opportunities, touring, etc.
- What biases are you replicating in your pedagogy?
- Consider how the mentality of “West is best” might show up in your teaching and decision making.
- What are the power dynamics in your environment?
- Who makes decisions?
- Who decides what is good/right in terms of sound, musical expression, presentation, etc.?
- How does oppression manifest in your classroom/department/institutions?
- How we teach, not just what we teach, determines how inclusive our classrooms are. Consider,
- Do I teach all material the same way?
- Do I use Western frameworks to teach non-Western musics?
- Do my pedagogical approaches welcome the wisdom and experiences of each student/participant?
The Black Voices Matter Pledge - A Pledge of Antiracism in Choral Practice outlines specific action steps for choral practitioners to take across diverse settings.
Starting resources for conversations:
- How to Be an Anti-Racist- Ibram X. Kendi (Penguin Random House Publishing): https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/
- The Ezra Klein Show (Podcast) - Bryan Stevenson and How American Can Heal: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bryan-stevenson-on-how-america-can-heal/id1081584611?i=1000485472204
Below are some more specific pedagogical resources for choral directors. Please feel free to reach out to Krystal Morin (Past President NHACDA) or Will Gunn (Current President NHACDA) if you need more specific guidance for your situation.
Websites:
Composer Diversity Resources:
Articles:
Webinars:
Non-Fiction Books:
Music for Social Justice:
Podcasts:
Instagram:
Websites:
- Black Voices Matter Pledge: https://www.blackvoicesmatterpledge.org/
- The Choral Commons: https://www.thechoralcommons.com/
- Decolonizing the Music Room: https://decolonizingthemusicroom.com/
Composer Diversity Resources:
- Beyond Elijah Rock: The Non-Idomatic Choral Music of Black Composers: https://www.mlagmusic.com/research/beyond-elijah-rock
- Composer Diversity Database: https://www.composerdiversity.com/
Articles:
- Listening for Whiteness: Hearing Racial Politics in Undergraduate School Music: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40327298?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
- What is Written on Our Choral Welcome Mats?: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26662695?seq=1
- Just Vibrations The Purpose of Sounding Good: https://www.press.umich.edu/9293551/just_vibrations
- Humane Music Education for the Common Good: https://iupress.org/9780253046918/humane-music-education-for-the-common-good/
- Embracing a Transformative Pedagogy - Music Departments and White Supremacy: https://www.icareifyoulisten.com/2020/08/embracing-transformative-pedagogy-music-departments-white-supremacy/?fbclid=IwAR19Xkcg0TwLv7ERHR5nLCIssCnmFNZcNtQw00uAfjQ97B-Pp3-5SPib44o
- Promoting Equity: Developing an AntiRacist Music Theory Classroom: https://nmbx.newmusicusa.org/promoting-equity-developing-an-antiracist-music-theory-classroom/
- A Choral Reckoning of an Imperfect History in the US: https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/choral-reckoning-imperfect-history-of-the-united-states?fbclid=IwAR1oAj0pNpBXx7MEdHO_ewQ3BGnfrvTQzAIcaJWsZ1Ws00mxPbzWAcZ7urg
- Music Theory and the White Racial Frame: https://mtosmt.org/issues/mto.20.26.2/mto.20.26.2.ewell.html?fbclid=IwAR3T5FxBixAqVjrz6CqhOp4zJDCFpeIWVFlfHh8eWDhwNVrmDLpvKc1_z2g
Webinars:
- The Intersection of Social Justice and Music Education: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQJJUl1S3Iw&ab_channel=etmonline
- Tonality Talks: https://www.facebook.com/ourTonality/videos/
Non-Fiction Books:
- East of Flatbush, North of Love: An Ethnography of Home - Dr. Danielle Brown
- Not Light, But Fire- Matthew R. Kay
- Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria- Dr. Bevery Daniel Tatum
- The Warmth of Other Suns- Isabel Wilkerson
- Dying of Whiteness- Jonathan Metzi
Music for Social Justice:
- Justice Choir Songbook: https://www.justicechoir.org/songbook/
- We Rise: A Movement Songbook (Poor People’s Campaign): https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/arts-culture/we-rise-a-movement-songbook/
Podcasts:
- The Choral Commons: https://www.thechoralcommons.com/
- Nice White Parents: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/712/nice-white-parents
- 1619 Podcast (The whole series is excellent and music is specifically addressed in episode three: The Birth of American Music): https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/podcasts/1619-black-american-music-appropriation.html
- The Score- Urban Music Education: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-score-eric-jimenez-justin-mclean-8GAqRjZMycu/
- Pod Save the People: https://crooked.com/podcast-series/pod-save-the-people/
- Code Switch: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch
Instagram:
- @decolonizingthemusicroom
- @antiracismcalendar
- @ibramxkendi
- @blacklivesmatter