The premise of a culturally responsive approach is to use students’ cultural references as a basis for instruction, thereby enabling students to construct new understanding based on what they already know. The most compelling argument in its favor is its effectiveness.  As one of the many music teachers whose voices are represented in Vicki Lind’s and Connie McCoy’s excellent book, Culturally Responsive Teaching in Music Education: from Understanding to Application observes, “it’s just good teaching.”

Engaging children on their own cultural ground, however, raises more complex questions — is it appropriate for teachers to use classroom instruction to advocate for social justice, and, if so, to what extent? What are the ramifications for a teacher, who does not share a student’s heritage, appropriating aspects of that student’s culture for instructional use?

In many schools in many parts of the country, social justice is inextricably linked to the curriculum. But in other teaching environments, the path and the politics are less clear.   We have only to observe the breathless reports, in conservative media, of schools becoming “re-education camps” to know that these efforts to use classrooms to advocate for social change in more overtly activist ways are viewed with mistrust and misunderstanding by some.

This is where Culturally Responsive Teaching in Music Education; from Understanding to Application is a useful reference. It looks to have been written as a textbook to accompany a college methods course (it even has review questions at the end of each chapter). As such, it provides a concise and accessible, but by no means superficial, overview of the history and the politics of culturally responsive teaching in a way that is free of politics itself. The overall perspective of the book is summarized in the opening line:

“A fundamental premise of teaching is that students are unique in the ways that they learn. It is one of the reasons that designing instruction that incorporates a variety of strategies and approaches in order to meet the needs of diverse learning styles is a fairly common practice amongst teachers (p. 1).”

In the first part of Culturally Responsive Teaching in Music Education, subtitled “Understanding”, authors Dr. Vicki Lind and Dr. Constance McCoy review the development of culturally responsive teaching, beginning with the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education. It was this ruling that resulted in the gradual desegregation of schools and was accompanied by a growing awareness among educators and social scientists that students of color often had different modes of learning and social norms that were not reflected in the curriculum and in teaching practices.

Also discussed are the voices that emerged during the 1970’s and 80’s, including that of Brazilian educator Paolo Friere, whose enormously influential 1970 book Pedagogy of the Oppressed challenged the “banking model” of education in which students were viewed as empty “accounts” into which knowledge was “deposited.” Friere argued instead that teaching needed to focus on the emancipation of students’ minds through the development of critical consciousness (conscientização). The call for teachers to avoid simply extending the culture of the dominant group led to a number of more inclusive pedagogical frameworks, including Gloria Ladson-Billings’ culturally relevant pedagogy.  Friere’s insistence that teaching is a political act that cannot be separated from pedagogy, however, insured that all subsequent discussions of teaching in more culturally responsive ways are inextricably linked to the larger questions of social justice and a teacher’s responsibility to see social justice done.

In music education one of the paradoxes of culturally responsive teaching is that, while we strive to teach music in a way that honors the music and music making practices of students’ cultures in an authentic way, music teachers, particularly in elementary schools, are, by and large, female, white, and middle class. Addressing this disparity, according to Lind and McCoy, begins with teachers engaging in critical self-reflection, with a particular focus on one’s biases.  It is not enough to adapt content.  Teachers must also be prepared to reevaluate, even abandon, their most longstanding and cherished practices. And because the cultural makeup of the classroom changes constantly, that process of self-evaluation must be ongoing — not an undertaking that is easy for teachers who are accustomed to saying, “I got this,” but an essential one.

Section II of Culturally Responsive Teaching in Music Education seeks to apply the understanding developed in Section I with a series of vignettes describing teaching situations where these principles come into play. There is always a danger that vignettes such as these, fictionalized composites, not real-life examples, will seem contrived and, consequently, less resonant. However, Lind and McCoy do a thoughtful job of illustrating the points they are trying to make by keeping their examples focused on familiar classroom scenarios. And each vignette is supported by the testimonials of actual teachers, suggested strategies for implementation, and, again, discussion questions.

The final chapter offers a vision for a transformed music education system in American schools using cultural responsiveness to make music classrooms “a rich and vibrant reflection of our humanness (p. 131).” To achieve this lovely idea, Lind and McCoy write, we must begin by disrupting the self-perpetuating cycle of traditional music education centered on Eurocentric music ideas, including a conception of musicianship that focuses on the quality of the music being made instead of the quality of the experience of music making. The scope of what is considered repertoire must also expand, not only because utilizing music students already know something about is more likely to interest them, but because the relentless focus on European classical repertoire sends the message, to students who are not able or willing to embrace it, that they are not musical.

As Lind and McCoy point out, these changes must occur at all levels of the music education system, including national teaching organizations and, especially, university music education programs. One-day workshops and other forms of “superficial” exposure to diversity are not enough; training programs of all types need to be redesigned to focus more on instructing teachers and teaching candidates how to teach in culturally responsive ways.  The process of ongoing re-evaluation, that individual teachers must undertake, is one that these programs must also embrace.

In the end, though, it comes down to individual teachers and the choices they make, the questions they ask themselves, and their willingness to offer and receive constructive feedback from colleagues. Those conversations can be challenging at times, particularly when they take place between teachers of different generations, cultural groups, and teaching situations, but they are the conversations we must engage in for our students’ sake. In those discussions, Culturally Responsive Teaching in Music Education: from Understanding to Application provides a highly recommended point of reference.

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Play, Sing, & Dance: An Introduction to Orff Schulwerk is a book that is perfectly described by its title. Published by Schott in 2002, author Doug Goodkin takes the entirety of the Orff Schulwerk experience and distills its essence into a book that both novice and experienced teachers can use to better understand the workings of the Schulwerk.

This book begins with a two-part introduction.  The first section describes the “majestic scope” of the Orff Schulwerk, its spread around the globe, and its core beliefs.  The second section, “The Story of the Schulwerk,” highlights the critical historical events that led to the development of the Schulwerk and works to dispel some of the myths that have grown around Orff Schulwerk.

Play, Sing, & Dance then begins in earnest.  The rest of the book is divided into two major sections. The first, titled “Orff Media,” is a sixteen-chapter investigation into different methods of educating students. Beginning with chapters on playing, singing, and dancing, he then discusses the use of language, instruments, and drama in enhancing a child’s education.  Each chapter is filled with examples of activities that are usable in a music classroom and describes the reasoning behind their inclusion in the realm of Orff media.

The second section only has seven chapters, yet this section delves deeply into elemental music theory. Titled “Elemental Style,” this section explores how melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic concepts are presented to students in both the Orff Schulwerk classroom and the Orff Schulwerk teaching training courses.  The “Volumes” are one of the core sources of musical materials in Orff Schulwerk, and Goodkin uses two chapters to explain them. The first chapter explains their history, development, and usage, while the second chapter describes their progression and the logic behind that progression.

Doug Goodkin has this amazing ability to write just as he speaks; clearly, eloquently, honestly, and with just the right amount of humor.   Using story-telling techniques and personal anecdotes, he makes the Schulwerk seem as approachable as an old friend. When I encounter a fellow music educator who is unfamiliar with Orff Schulwerk, this is unfailingly the book that I refer them to.  In Play, Sing, & Dance, Goodkin is able to not only explain the many different media found in the Schulwerk, but he also takes the time to weave the origin story and encourage those without training to go and seek out that training.  I read this book both during my Levels training and afterwards, and I still find pearls of wisdom to enrich my professional or personal development.

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Book by Dr. Karin S. Hendricks

Book published in partnership with National Association for Music Education

Compassionate Music Teaching will change the way you teach. Author Karin Hendricks reminds educators of what is truly important in the music classroom – students. And the way to reach them is through compassion. Students’ enjoyment of music is driven by motivating them to do well and taking ownership of their learning. Hendricks is careful to emphasize that quality music-making should be the goal of music education, but that students should have a say in that goal. She reminds teachers that competitions and performances should not be the main focus of music class. The day-to-day music-learning process that students go through as musicians is what music education is about. Throughout the book, Hendricks takes a look at what compassion is and isn’t and discusses why it’s needed now more than ever.

Music educators of all levels and specializations will benefit from reading this book. Hendricks provides readers with explanations of various types of compassion, cites research concerning compassion and empathy, gives clear suggestions for how to incorporate compassion into one’s teaching, and summarizes interviews/in-depth studies with five compassionate music teachers (CMTs) from diverse settings. The CMTs have all shown compassion for their students while still upholding high musical standards. The interviewees include an elementary music teacher/choral director in a rural district; a general music teacher in an urban high school; a private teacher at the university level; a high school band director within a supportive community; and an educator that has led vocal music in a range of settings, including churches and refugee populations. Hendricks is an experienced music educator who currently teaches at Boston University. She has won numerous awards for her teaching and is widely published in both texts and peer-reviewed journals. Her bio can be found here: https://www.bu.edu/cfa/profile/karin-s-hendricks/

Not only is this book an engaging read, but it is also extremely well-organized. Concise sections with descriptive headers allow readers to absorb one section at a time or to dive-in and read many. Chapters cover trust, empathy, patience, inclusion, community, and authentic connection. At the end of every chapter, reflection questions cause readers to relate the material to their own teaching. As a teacher who is well into her career, the questions made me take a step back, remember why I entered this profession, and reflect on what kind of teacher I continue to strive to be.

As an Orff educator, I appreciate how Compassionate Music Teaching complements the Orff process. Hendricks encourages readers to view students as equal collaborators, to let them explore with teachers and to discover the hows and whys of learning. In Orff, students similarly explore and create, with the teacher acting as a guide. Both Compassionate Music Teaching and Orff Schulwerk motivate students to take ownership of their learning. Orff Schulwerk empowers students to be musical and this book describes a similar process.

On a personal note, I read this book as I worked with fifth graders in the weeks leading up to their annual December concert. I did my best to put Hendricks’ recommendations into practice. I shifted my focus from performance-based goals to utilizing compassion to motivate students to set their own goals and to take ownership of their learning. Students gave constructive and inventive suggestions for how to change, edit, and perform the music in every rehearsal. Students were excited about their concert, not stressed, and so was I.

Compassionate Music Teaching is available in paperback, hardcover, and digital format. If you are someone who is constantly on the go, I recommend downloading the digital copy so you can read it in those rare moments of downtime. Compassionate Music Teaching was published in 2018 by Rowman and Littlefield in Partnership with the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). NAfME has put its stamp of approval on this book and so should you.

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Making Music Cooperatively: Using Cooperative Learning in Your Active Music-Making Classroom

While it is often a normal occurrence for the content of a book to diverge from its title, this is definitely not the case when it comes to Making Music Cooperatively: Using Cooperative Learning in Your Active Music-Making Classroom, written by Carol Huffman.  Huffman, an experienced music educator whose expertise has taken her to the Jacob School of Music at Indiana University, offers her rich, varied and skilled musical background, as well as her strong devotion to the Orff-Schulwerk process of teaching, to the world of cooperative learning in the music classroom.   

Published in 2012 by GIA Publications, a major and reputable publishing house for music education resources and materials, Making Music Cooperatively, is logically compiled.  It starts with how best to prepare students and teachers for success with cooperative learning, diving deeply into developing a safe and healthy learning environment.  Sequencing straightforwardly, Huffman gives tools with which the progression of cooperative learning can unfold.  She then presents a host of cooperative learning activities that can be used in a multitude of ways, all the time maintaining the conviction that when students become their own teachers, knowledge is more readily acquired and more profoundly retained. 

Ms. Huffman’s style of writing leads the reader into an effortless communication with her, yet still remains articulate and professional, as though one is in attendance at a rousing workshop.  Since she is so descriptive about cooperative learning from beginning to end, any questions that arise while reading are eventually answered, leaving the reader ready to tackle any situation that may arise while embarking upon this teaching and learning process.  The topic is also approached practically, considering honest and candid classroom situations.  Realities of the music room, including time restraints, skill levels of children, age, behavior concerns, and family and colleague apprehensions are not shied away from.  This authenticity allows the reader to imagine themselves engaging in cooperative music learning rather than becoming defensive, believing that these pursuits could never happen in their classroom.   

How many music educators find themselves questioning if children today seem different somehow.  They are needier.  They lack social skills and a respectful manner.  This struggle that we face each and every day with our students is taken on boldly by Ms. Huffman.  She challenges teachers to commit to teaching children beyond the subject matter of music.  While she believes that we are “teachers first and music teachers second”, she never abandons her strong conviction that students remain in active music-making, the literal act of being engaged in music making.  Through cooperative learning, not to be mistaken as group learning or group work, schoolchildren can grow both as sensitive musicians and thoughtful human beings.  If you believe that you have a duty and responsibility to teach our children in this manner, this book is definitely for you.   

The most impressive feature of this book, besides the fact that is both strongly based in research and powerfully grounded in the heart, is that no matter your philosophical beliefs about music education, how many years you have taught, or where you are in your teaching at any given moment, the ideas employed in this book can be taken, adapted and made your own.  The reader is encouraged to use as much or as little as both teacher and children can manage.  Huffman embraces all music educators, supports their situations and perceptions, and believes that all can move forward in this beautiful adventure. 

Making Music Cooperatively:  Using Cooperative Learning in Your Active Music-Making Classroom, by Carol Huffman, is available through most booksellers as well as music specialty merchants such as GIA Publications or Music Is Elementary for $17.95.  This book may also be purchased through Amazon for $29.99 for the spiral bound version or $16.99 for the digital version.   

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Around this time of year, classroom management problems can seem to pop up.  The excitement and busyness of the holiday season is over, the weather can be problematic, and indoor recess – ugh!  This week we are sending out a collection of tools for your toolbox; a look back at some of our popular classroom management posts.  Holly Walton may inspire you to refresh some classroom procedures and head off problems before they start.  Jennifer Bailey shares her tips that “really work” and advises on setting up a safe space for kids to reset and refresh instead of act out.  I have also included two reviews of books that focus on classroom management strategies you may wish to read on your own or with your PLC!  In February and March, we folk dance and move as much as we can in my classroom to keep everyone busy and moving.  Winter is also when I bring out the tubanos for the intermediate classes.  What are strategies and tips to be happy and learning with your students even when we have a bit of cabin fever?   Please share your tips in the comments on the blog so we can help each other “Make it Work!” 

• Positive Procedures

• Classroom Management Tips

• Providing a Safe Space

• Book Review: Classroom Management for Art, Music, and PE Teachers

• Book Review: Responsive Classroom

The post Making It Work: Classroom Management Toolkit first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Classroom management – it’s a phrase we are all very familiar with and yet I feel like I still don’t quite have a grasp on it. I am finally starting to think my lessons are solid, but I have trouble delivering them due to behavior issues. If you’re like me, you look to the teachers with the most well behaved classes in the school to see how they do it. Many times though, it feels like I’m comparing apples and oranges – we’re both teachers, but our classrooms are run completely differently. I’ve read a few classroom management books, but I always run into that same problem – I see 400 students, including every single behavior issue in the school, only once or twice a week. How do I manage a classroom like this?!

Enter Michael Linsin, the author of Classroom Management for Art, Music, and PE Teachers.

Linsin was an elementary classroom teacher for many years, but when he switched to teaching PE, he realized he needed to revamp how he managed his classroom. In this book, he goes through the basics of what he believes specialists need to do for classroom management, in six parts.

Part I – Leverage and Influence

This part of the book essentially covers all the things you have complete control over – especially the lessons and yourself.

Linsin states that one of the biggest advantages of being a specialist teacher is that the subject is something the kids can genuinely get excited about. We, as lovers of music, have a responsibility to share our subject area with enthusiasm – “Keeping that passion in the forefront, and not being afraid to express it, is a powerful first step in creating a class your students will look forward to and buzz about in the days leading up to seeing you.” Not only do we need to express our passion, but we have to create lessons that have something worth getting excited about. Linsin also suggests previewing the “best” part of the lesson before the class even enters the room, so they are reminded of what they get to learn and do when they behave.

Obviously, the most important component of the classroom management equation is YOU, the teacher. Linsin encourages specialists to “care without caring” – desire the best for your students, but do not take misbehavior personally. If a student talks back, don’t let her goad you into an argument. Don’t get angry, or sad, or sarcastic – just keep your cool. The most important thing is to constantly be calm, no matter what happens.

Part II – Routines and Procedures

“For everything repeatable, there should be a standard and highly specific way of doing it.”

Routines are paramount in Linsin’s classroom management philosophy. They keep students busy and help your classroom run smoothly. Linsin suggests to first explain the procedure simply and in detail, sometimes adding an extra step or two to keep things from becoming mundane. Model the routine exactly as you expect, show what you do not want to see, and finally have individual students, then the whole class, perform the routine. Always hold your classes to the highest standard – if they miss a step, make sure to do it over until they get it right.

The most important routine to develop is how to enter the classroom. Once this procedure is established, it sets the tone for the rest of the lesson. If your students enter the music room exactly how you instructed, you have pressed a reset button – this is not their regular classroom, this is the music room and things are done differently here.

Part III – Listening and Following Directions

Linsin’s process for giving directions can be broken into three steps:

1. Be sure you have the students’ complete attention.

2. In a calm voice, “paint a complete picture for your students” of what you want them to accomplish.

3. Pause frequently and check for any confusion that still may remain.

Once these three things are done, just stand back and let everything unfold. Try to observe, intervening only if there is utter failure. In that case, follow the three steps above and have them start again. Allow students to work their way through the directions on their own and they will be invested in the music process. This makes your students more confident, self-sufficient, and excited to come to your class where they are given this opportunity to succeed.

Part IV – Rules and Consequences

If there is one thing Michael Linsin says in his books and weekly emails it is that you need a set of classroom rules, consequences for breaking said rules, and you have to follow through. This part of the book details his three rules and three consequences, how to teach rules, and how to deliver consequences. The big point he makes is that if your classroom management plan is logical and has been explained thoroughly, then all you have to do is follow it to the letter – with every single student. “You can relax in knowing that a calm, even clinical, approach will always work better in the long run.”

Part V – Bad Days and Tough Classes

I think of this section as the Troubleshooting part of the book. And, just like with a computer, many times all you have to do is restart the activity and it’ll work much better the next time around. Stay calm, slow down, and restart when needed – solid advice.

Part VI – Final Words

This part is mostly a call to action and reminders of the important points from earlier sections. It’s not very long, nor should it be, just enough to conclude the book.

——–

My personal opinion about Classroom Management for the Art, Music, and PE Teacher is that is a quick read to focus your energies before the school year begins. This is probably not a book that will completely change everything about how you run your classroom – it will just remind you of how you should act and give a few hints for getting there.

As for my complaints, they are minimal:

1. Linsin speaks in generalities and rarely uses concrete examples. When he does use examples, it becomes apparent that he never taught music.

2. There is a lot of repetition. Linsin drives his main points home by repeating them throughout the book many times, which can get a little boring at times. I’m glad he’s highlighting his most important points, but I got them the first four or five times.

3. There are times when statements are too idealized. I felt like Linsin was saying if you do things like he says, your class will be perfect and no one will ever misbehave. I sometimes wanted to yell at him and say “Kids will still have bad days!”

Overall, I would definitely recommend grabbing a copy of the book and quickly reading it before the school year starts back up. It will get you thinking about your classroom management plan again and maybe even help you modify a couple of things to be more effective. You can even read some of the chapters online on Amazon’s website: http://amzn.com/0615993265

If you aren’t up for reading his book, or want a supplement to it, Linsin sends out weekly classroom management emails. They are all available on his website: http://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/

Have you read any books or found any classroom management techniques that work well in your music classroom? Please leave your comments below!

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