Paige Lee's Portfolio Page

Link to my mini-course: Supporting Cultural Responsiveness & Equity in the Music Classroom

About Me

My name is Paige Lee and I live in Rochester, NY, where I have been teaching K-8 General Music, Choir, and Band since September 2022. I'm originally from Putnam Valley, NY, in the lower Hudson Valley. I received my Bachelor's degree in Music Education in May 2022 from Nazareth University and am in my second semester of the CDIT program at Albany.

I am passionate about arts integration, social-emotional learning, culturally sustaining pedagogies, specialty music ensembles, and creating a positive classroom environment in which every student feels seen, heard, and affirmed.

My Topic and Purpose

The purpose of this course is to provide music teachers with the tools and resources to promote equitable and culturally responsive pedagogies in their classroom.

This topic is of particular interest to me as I teach music in a Title I district that serves primarily Black or African American students. At my specific school, 98% of my students live in poverty. I completed my student teaching in this district and was involved with this district throughout my college years. I worked as a teaching assistant in various classrooms and volunteered for the music department as part of my undergraduate Honors thesis, which surrounded equity and inclusion in the music classroom. I feel that there was not adequate preparation in my undergraduate studies for teaching in a Title I district, specifically within the subject of music.

Scope of Content and Learning Outcomes

Topics that will be covered in this course:

What is culturally responsive teaching and how is it beneficial for students and teachers?
What is equity and what does it look like in education? What inequities are currently prominent in our education system and how does this impact music education specifically?
What are some methods, resources, and tools for making music accessible to all students, regardless of factors such as race and socioeconomic background?

Learners will be able to:

Define culturally responsive teaching, explain how it impacts student learning, and provide examples
Identify issues of equity that exist in the U.S. education system
Identify issues of equity that do or can exist in music education
Describe specific applications of culturally responsive pedagogies to music instruction
Brainstorm methods to promote equity and make instruction accessible to all students in the music classroom
Demonstrate knowledge of culturally responsiveness and equity by creating activities and/or lessons that utilize the concepts presented in this course

Needs Assessment

Instructional Problem: Music in schools, typically instrumental music, can often times seem inaccessible to students who do not come from an affluent family. Undergraduate music education programs do not always adequately address how to make music instruction work for all learners, which is essential knowledge for music teachers to have in order to reach all of their students.

Learners: Participants will be practicing PreK-12 school music teachers with a minimum of one year of teaching experience who completed at least one degree in Music Education.
Analysis of Gaps: Prior to taking this course, participants will likely have an understanding of the resources required to actively engage as a student in a school music program and further one's experience through outside-of-school practice and taking advantage of additional opportunities. Most likely anyone who is a music teacher was an active participant in their own school music program as a child, and likely engaged with music outside of school to reach the high level of musicianship required for admittance into a college music program. They may also be aware of this due to their current job duties as a music teacher and/or through working with music teacher colleagues. However, unless participants grew up in a low-income household, attended a low-income school district, or faced other obstacles in terms of having resources and support, or witness these issues in their current job, they may not be aware of how such factors can greatly impact a child's experience participating in music. Additionally, participants may not be conscious of how many undergraduate Music Education programs teach music pedagogies that are heavily White- and Western-centered, and that the way many of us are taught to teach is not always applicable to students outside of the White, upper-middle class population.
Intent Statement: This mini-course will help participants address their needs and possible gaps in their teacher preparation because it will inform them of teaching practices that are more inclusive to student populations that are directly affected by issues of equity in terms of education, race, and/or socioeconomic status. Participants will gain a better understanding of how to adapt and tailor their music instruction in order to reach all students and ensuring all students are being met where they are.

Analysis of the Learner and Context

Participants will be practicing PreK-12 school music teachers who have been teaching in a PreK-12 school setting for at least one year and have completed at least one degree in Music Education. Most, if not all, music teachers often recall their own experiences with music growing up, and this will also impact their learning in this course. Becoming proficient at an instrument, which is the bare minimum for being accepted into a collegiate music program, requires several resources, including an instrument to use at home, time to practice at home, a safe and quiet space for concentrated practice, and a private lesson teacher. Although as music teachers our goal is not to create more music teachers or professional musicians within our students, we want to nurture and encourage students who show an affinity for music, which typically involves participating in additional music activities, both in and outside of school. All music teachers have an understanding of the resources, time, and support that comes with these additional activities, because most students in traditional PreK-12 public school settings may get to do music at most for an hour each day. These prior personal experiences will influence the beliefs and opinions that participants are entering this course with, as well as their cultural experiences in school as they reflect on issues of equity and cultural responsiveness.

The demographics of the schools that participants attended in their PreK-12 years as well as the demographics of schools they have taught at and currently teach will determine the amount of prior knowledge regarding equity issues in school music programs and culturally responsive teaching. Participants may be vaguely familiar with the topics in this mini-course from their undergraduate education, but how much they have explored them on their own or in their career will vary with each participant in addition to their past experiences.

Participants can apply elements of this mini-course to their own school music program as they see fit for them, their school community, and their students. This course could be adapted as a professional development opportunity for public school music teachers.

Performance-Based Objectives

After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to:

Describe the need for culturally responsive teaching and specifically why it is needed in the 21st-century music classroom
Describe the importance of employing methods and pedagogies that support students affected by obstacles in- and out-of-school due to issues of equity
Create a lesson plan founded on ideas of culturally responsive teaching and considering issues of equity
Identify contemporary sources and research that support the value of culturally responsive teaching

Task and Content Analysis

Before taking this course the participant should:

Have a background in and have a basic understanding of music education
Possess computer skills that allow them to follow online directions, create and edit documents, and navigate search online engines for research purposes
Be able to understand, analyze, and create lesson plans in alignment with the 2014 Music Standards created by the National Association for Music Education, and/or music standards put out by the state in which they teach or have certification

Unit 1: Culturally Responsive Teaching

After this unit the participant will be able to:

Define culturally responsive teaching
Discuss steps needed to understand and implement culturally responsive pedagogies
Provide examples of teaching methods that promote and/or support cultural responsiveness
Discuss and explain how culturally responsive teaching benefits students

Unit 2: Issues of Equity in Music Education

After this unit the participant will be able to:

Define equity and inequity
Identify specific examples of inequities that affect children and communities across the U.S.
Provide examples of inequities that can impact a child's participation in school music programs
Discuss and explain how issues of equity can negatively impact a child's participation and/or engagement in school music programs

Unit 3: Pedagogical Techniques to Foster Cultural Responsiveness & Address Issues of Equity in the Music Classroom

After this unit the participant will be able to:

Provide examples of pedagogical techniques that can foster cultural responsiveness in the music classroom specifically
Provide examples of ways to address inequities as a music teacher (this can include brainstorming alternative methods to methods traditionally presented by music teacher preparation programs)
Identify resources and references to support music teachers and schools in their work towards equity and inclusion

Unit 4: Incorporating Pedagogical Techniques to Foster Cultural Responsiveness & Address Issues of Equity in the Music Classroom

After this unit the participant will be able to:

Identify how culturally responsive teaching supports specific 2014 National Music Standards
Identify ways in which music teachers could utilize resources and references found in previous unit to benefit their instruction and students
Synthesize ideas and concepts from each unit by creating a lesson plan highlighting their learning from the course, that aligns with the 2014 National Music Standards

Curriculum Map

References and Resources

Bates, V. C. (2018). Equity in music education: Back to class: Music education and poverty. Music Educators Journal, 105(2), 72–74. DOI: 10.1177/0027432118803046

Conkling, S. W., & Conkling, T. L. (2018). I’m the one who’s here: an experienced music teacher, a low-income school, and arts participation as a reform strategy. Music Education Research, 20(4), 517–530. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2018.1445211

Hammond, Z. L. (2014). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Corwin.

Hoffman, A. R. (2013). Compelling questions about music, education, and socioeconomic status. Music Educators Journal, 100(1), 63–68.

Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally responsive pedagogy. American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465-491.

McKoy, C. L. (2021). Culturally responsive teaching: What it is, and why it’s important in music education. Southwestern Musician, 22-25.

National Association for Music Education. (2024). Diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. https://nafme.org/diversity-equity-inclusion-and-access-deia/

National University. (2023, September 20). Equity in education: Understanding equity in the classroom. https://www.nu.edu/blog/equity-in-education/

New York State Education Department. (2018). Culturally responsive-sustaining framework. https://www.nysed.gov/crs/framework

Rucker, N. M. (2019, December 10). Getting started with culturally responsive teaching. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/getting-started-culturally-responsive-teaching/

Slater, J., Strait, D. L., Skoe, E., O'Connell, S., Thompson, E., & Kraus, N. (2014). Longitudinal effects of group music instruction on literacy skills in low-income children. PLoS ONE, 9(11), 1-9