What Can Music Teachers Do for Black Lives?
As riots erupt over racist police murders & injustice across the US and people of color are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, right now is not the time for inaction. If you are, like me, a white person, there has to be an impetus toward action. At the same time, there has got to be a balance between speaking up and listening to others. If you are not a person directly affected by certain injustices, then you are likely not the person with the best solution for said injustice. As educators, we complain daily that the people trying to fix the problems in education are not teachers themselves. Why then, would anyone expect white policymakers & philanthropists to be the people best suited toward making decisions that will most affect Black communities?
When I was younger, I used to be louder. About everything. I used to believe that no one could or should keep me from speaking out. About anything. But as I grew older and wiser, I realized that as a straight, cis, white woman who now works in a professional context, I am not always the person who needs to be heard the loudest. I need to pass the mic.
That being said, my friend & colleague Siobhan put it out to white band directors to say something, because there is so much that we need to address. I am probably not the best person to speak up. But I’ve been tasked with it by nature of my position.
My goal in the struggle for racial justice is to support from a less visible spot. But if asked by a friend, especially by a friend who is a Black woman, to speak out or to answer up, I consider it a responsibility to provide.
These are steps that we can take as a music education community that I think are important, based on what I know and more importantly, what I’ve been told. These are still things I am working on, because the work never ends.
And yes, while that balance is important, ending racism is the duty of white people. Things will only change if we’re the ones pushing for that change. We must listen & address the needs of our Black friends, colleagues, students, and community members. We are the majority of music teachers, by an absolutely bonkers statistical margin. What we do will only change when we change.
Recognize & reflect.
Self-awareness is the essential first step to becoming an anti-racist. Don’t think that because you live outside the South or you voted for Obama or you have Black friends or a Black partner or a Black child or you take photos with Black students (FERPA is a thing for a reason, folks) that you are absolved. As Americans, we are born into a racist country and moreover, we are born into a racist world. Anti-black racism is imbued in our societal DNA. The most succinct depiction of this idea that I’ve seen came from an outfit worn by Andre 3000. His outfit asked: “Across cultures, darker people suffer most. Why?”
(When I first saw this photo on Twitter, it was accompanied by the caption, “More like Andre 3 Million”)
We also must accept that anti-racism is a process. It’s never complete. As the brilliant Valeria Brown, founder of #ClearTheAir says, “This is your homework — for the rest of your life.”
(And if you’ve not checked out #ClearTheAir, a hashtag that teaches more than any college course I’ve ever taken, and a community that I could not be more grateful for, you absolutely must. Do it today.)
De-center yourself.
It’s not about your journey. You are not Frodo (or if we’re being honest, Sam), tasked with being a hero, looking to destroy that ring. Also, if we’re talking about eliminating racism, Tolkien was not the guy to look to for advice. Racism is not a magical entity that can be defeated by a single, albeit difficult & complex task. As you start to recognize the world around you, it’s important to keep your eye on the prize. This is not about you becoming a better or more enlightened person. It’s about saving lives. Period. If you feel the need to talk it out, find an affinity group or a person to vent to. If you feel the need to write about it & track it, buy a bullet journal. Anti-racist work is not about you publicly being recognized as an anti-racist. And it’s not about highlighting good white folks, either. It’s good to see people doing the work. But more importantly, we need to elevate the work of Black musicians, activists, scholars, and the others as a part of the work.
Read widely.
There are so many resources out there, so many things you can look up to find out where to start. There is so much to discuss & so much to study. The Clear the Air website, listed above, is an invaluable resource.
A good starting place is Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum*. This is a foundational work for anti-racist reading. Specific to what we do, For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood by Dr. Chris Emdin is also an important resource. One of the most talked about books as of late is How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi, but a prior book of his, Stamped from the Beginning is also essential. In terms of workbooks & self-work toward anti-racism, Layla F. Saad’s Me and White Supremacy is also important.
And you might be thinking, is this just about Black lives? What about the lives of migrants at the border, or Jewish worshippers who are gunned down at synagogues, or queer or trans folks who are also victims of violence at absolutely ridiculous rates? Scholars warn against playing the “oppression olympics”, and I would recommend you read the original document on intersectionality — from Kimberle Crenshaw, who invented the term. Oppressed populations do better by supporting each other, not competing to see who suffers the most.
*Dr. Tatum’s formative work is mostly available on audiobook, as paperback copies are currently on backorder. You might be able to find it on Amazon; I don’t link there.
Perform & recognize Black music.
As music educators, we teach about jazz. And we have to teach jazz as Black music. It is ahistorical not to do so. I heavily advocate for teaching popular music. But we have to teach popular music from a historical perspective, as all of it came from the African diaspora. If you’re not teaching jazz or popular music, ask yourself why.
Educators must also not erase the presence of Black composers & artists in the classical instrumental & choral tradition. If you know precious little, then it’s upon you to do some digging. Aside from just teaching jazz — which in my opinion, is essential to teaching American history — it’s important to play & study the work of modern Black composers. One very pertinent example of this could be an examination of the newly minted Pulitzer-winning opera, The Central Park Five, composed by “the Dean of African-American opera composers”, Anthony Davis.
In my last year or so of teaching band, others may have thought I had a warped sense of duty because I believed in performing music by diverse composers rather than just “what works better” for my group. But it’s important. This is genuinely much easier for choral folks, but it’s something band & orchestra folks must do as well. There are resources out there to help you, with the Institute for Composer Diversity being one of the best.
Also a note — while you cannot ignore the cultural significance of Princess Tiana, all of the music in The Princess & the Frog was written by a white dude. While trumpet legend Terence Blanchard played in the film, there are way better resources for teaching young kids about jazz than simply showing the movie. Sorry friends.
On an elementary level, in addition to teaching jazz, teaching composers like William Grant Still is important. (Below you’ll find an absolutely wonderful video of violinist Randall Goosby playing excerpts from Still’s “Mother and Child” and discussing the music, all of which is absolutely wonderful. My students this past year, between 1st & 4th grade, absolutely loved this video & listening to this movement.)
And teaching hip-hop. (I did the linked lesson with 4th & 5th grade this year.) And continuing that conversation about eliminating racist songs from the elementary curriculum is just as necessary as it has ever been. Is is hard work to alter your curriculum? Yes. Is it necessary for our kids? Also yes. Do you tend to alter your curriculum each year to better fit the needs of your students anyway? You probably should. Do you also need to do this with an eye toward anti-racist work? You must. You absolutely must.
Handle your classroom.
When I was a middle school band director, I probably yelled too much. Especially at my first job. In the real world of teaching, without a seasoned professional supervising what you do, I will say I found some things I was not equipped to handle and had not been trained in. But something important that I knew was that the Buck Stopped with me. I was not dependent on administration to handle my class for me, even if things got wild.
And sometimes, when things do get wild, or even when I make a mistake in how I handle kids? Talking it out as a large group can help enormously. The Compliment Game is a really great way to reset & rethink how the people in a classroom deal with each other.
Your main tool for managing your classroom should be relationships, not just with kids but with their families. If it is difficult to gain the trust of a family, gain the trust of an on-site counselor. Teachers should not be the authoritarian final word on what a kid does, but part of the village that raises children. That might sound a little hippy-dippy, but then again, former students of mine may read this and totally disagree in terms of how I’ve handled things. But they’ll agree with you that I almost never wrote referrals — I handled it. I’ve not always made the right decisions with classroom management, and I can own up to that, but if I can say anything with confidence, I don’t make a habit of turning kids over to other authorities. And I strongly believe that we need to invest in more social workers & counselors in school & fewer police officers. If you’re overusing the call button in your room, you are contributing to the problem.
One easy way to build relationships (and leave work smiling) is to make use of the Sunshine Call, and not just for little white boys who’ve recently learned how to control themselves in class. If you notice a student who is doing an amazing job, whether it’s a matter of progress or that the kid is just a rockstar who might get overlooked elsewhere, then call their families & tell them so. I had a student once who told me that when I left a message on her mother’s voicemail that her mother played it on speakerphone for her entire family to hear in the car, over and over again. Look at who you’re calling and why you’re calling that student’s family. Building positive relationships with your students & their families is absolutely central to creating a more harmonious and often more productive classroom.
Support your Black colleagues & their students.
Maybe you teach in a segregated school. If you don’t, some of your colleagues probably do. When we say segregated school, we mean racially segregated via economic policy. Some folks don’t seem to believe in segregated schools, but they exist in every city in the US (this highlighted case is but one example in Florida). In many cases, economic segregation is worse in larger, more supposedly progressive cities like NYC. But it is everywhere. For folks who might have assumed that Minneapolis was some haven of folks getting along, we now know what the real situation is there.
Do you have colleagues that need help getting music programs off the ground in schools where de facto segregation and the subsequent lower tax base funding is in full effect? Go help them. Offer to help them without strings attached. Don’t tell them what they need. Ask them what they need. And offer help whenever you can. Go over to their schools when you know they’re there. Tell them, “I’m here, give me something to do.” Help file their music. Help organize or inventory instruments. This is something I really need to get on next school year, however that looks, now that I’m not going bananas running my own program.
Also recognize that, as a white person, you might not be the teacher best suited to throw yourself into a situation where next to none of your students look like you. If you happen to get a job like that, take it seriously. Don’t be a savior. Just do the work.
Finally, yes, you want to support all of your students. But think about the racial & ethnic make-up of your program. And then think about the racial & ethnic make-ups of honor bands, orchestras, and choir. Think about how we fix that. Think about the barriers to participation — both economic, with fees & transportation costs, as well as social. Sometimes, students’ families need support other than just giving them instruments. Find ways to offer & collaborate on resources for that as well. If you’re a white band mom with a van, you can help with that more than you realize (and your service is appreciated). Just make sure you’re also doing the other work to keep yourself in check, too.
Don’t give inches.
Don’t defend Michael Butera, when NAfME already fired him. Don’t let someone like Larry Clark get away with the sort of nonsense that he has, when the Midwest Convention cancelled his sessions already. (While we’re at it, this is a fantastic interview with Mr. Clark by the brilliant composer Jennifer Jolley.) Don’t excuse the racism of folks. Don’t allow it to occur without consequence. Between the time I sat down to write this & prior to publishing it (roughly a 48 hour span), the Austin Symphony Orchestra did just that when they learned of horrifying remarks made by one of their trombonists. That how you eliminate racism — there have to be actual consequences for it.
Be political.
There’s no way around it. For many people, their very existence is political. If you are a white teacher, it’s time for you get political to protect the lives of your students & your colleagues. We can all see & understand the harm caused by the current president — NAfME recognized that when they put out a massive lobbying effort & membership call to action to stop the confirmation of Betsy DeVos. So don’t dare say that our organization is not or should not be political. Education is political. Our salaries are paid by the government, and as we’re seeing in what will be the aftermath of the pandemic-induced recession, nearly half of state budgets go to schools. If your gubernatorial elections are mid-term, then get just as involved in those as you are in presidential elections.
So yes. Taxes are political. Unions are political. Teaching is political. Don’t sit out.
And support the right candidates. Someone asked on twitter the other day about Black women running for office who they could support. One federal Rep from Florida you can easily support is Val Demmings from Orlando, who is an absolute rock star. Pam Keith is also amazing, attempting to flip FL-18 back blue, and in need of your support. My state and federal reps are also Asian women; my federal congresswomen is the first Vietnamese-American woman ever elected to Congress, the hard-working Stephanie Murphy. And my state rep is the first Iranian-American woman elected to the Florida House, the wildly popular Anna V. Eskamani. You can support all of them through these links.
Feel free to tell me that all I care about is winning elections. I care about making a difference and moving us forward and I support all of these aforementioned candidates in doing so. If you live in a place where it is more difficult to move the direction of your elections, then you can call your reps & write letters. Even if you have supposedly liberal representation, it can be difficult to fight for racial justice. Ask Omari Hardy, a City Commissioner of Lake Worth Beach.
And it’s not just about candidates. It’s about policies. Educate yourself. And keep up. Electoral politics don’t change everything. But they do shape what we do as educators.
Teach more than just music.
Some people talk a big game about teaching lifelong skills as a part of music and then get hung up on tuning. I don’t necessarily blame them. But we can always do better in teaching the “other stuff.” I have two significant plans I put into place while teaching middle school where I was able to go further.
One was my Star-Spangled Banner unit that I started to develop the year I began teaching chorus. That was the school year in which Renee Fleming sang the Start-Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl. I knew I had to show my chorus kids that, but of course, they asked me to watch more Star-Spangled Banner performances. Moving forward, when we covered this in class, I also asked my students to tell me what they thought about the activist bent of Beyonce’s 2016 performance during the Super Bowl halftime show. It should be obvious, but irrelevant to race, their opinions ranged widely on the subject of activism in musical performances. Because I knew those kids for three years, many of their ideas about these topics changed across their middle school careers. It was really cool to witness. I also covered this as Colin Kaepernick’s protests began and the anthem itself became a flashpoint of controversy.
The unit developed into something much bigger than I ever intended, taking into consideration genre, racial politics, and Garth Brooks speaking out in support of rioters in LA in 1993. Yes, you read that correctly. Even modern country’s biggest ever star has gotten political in his music, which means you can, too. Four years of the SSB unit in, several of my kids requested to perform Brooks’s song “We Shall Be Free” in conjunction with my Rock Band students. That was not a year of terrific ratings at MPA, but it was a year in which my students genuinely demonstrated that they had started to think about music in a greater context than just what they did in the classroom everyday.
In my last year of teaching middle school, our cross-curriculur themed Spring Concert was all about the Harlem Renaissance. Connected in that was reading of Harlem Renaissance poetry all throughout the year, the discussion of the early struggles of jazz musicians, and lots of talk about segregation. I started by discussing the geography of Africa and talked with my students about why the borders of African countries look the way that they do.
I showed all of my middle school students the above video, one that lays bare the realities of desegregating schools in the South (& elsewhere; history does not let Boston off the hook for this one) and the experience of young Ruby Bridges. And while the video is upsetting (I recommend prepping the video with discussion of the words that they’re going to hear), it’s not causing fresh trauma. There is a wonderful guide about not re-traumatizing students here on Teaching Tolerance.
And let’s be real here. If you’ve not done a ton of teaching music history as a part of your ensemble program before, this is the absolute best time to start. COVID-19 is going to change the way we teach music. Why not incorporate more history, more social context, add more links & resources for further study in everything we do? If we have to reimagine education, reimagine it so that it bends that long arc toward justice, not maintains the status quo while using Zoom & Google Classroom.
Contribute to others’ causes.
You don’t have to start your own non-profit in order to be of service. Find someone else who is doing the work and help them.
You can enrich the experience of young Black children learning about music in New Orleans here via The Roots of Music.
You can support young people & those working to create safer communities through music programming, particularly in Chicago, through Guitars Over Guns.
You can assist with performing arts education for underserved students in Los Angeles by way of Inner City Music.
You can assist with the education of young girls & gender non-conforming kids through the Girls Rock Camp Alliance+.
If you’re looking specifically to get materials in the hands of kids, you can support the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation+ (I hated the movie, the organization is great) or Little Kids Rock+.
You can support musicians internationally by supporting Musicians Without Borders.
If you’re looking to support Black folks and other people of color beyond music education support, you can do so in a variety of ways.
You can give to work toward better education for students so they find themselves equipped to fight bigotry & racism by donating to Facing History and Ourselves.
The I Project, based out of Chicago, is specifically aimed at intersectional support of queer youth of color living on the city’s South Side.
A music-based charity, Music for Relief seeks to contribute toward disaster relief funding in the places that need it most.
Police violence against Black people and abuse of the criminal justice system is at the heart of what we’re fighting against, and so if you wish to assist in that, you can donate to The Sentencing Project.
If you are looking to advance the cause of decarceration in your community, you can contribute to a community bail fund. This is my local Central Florida Community Bail Fund, so please feel free to donate here.
+this symbol indicates a non-profit which has previously donated to my former students and/or an organization that I have volunteered for or otherwise been associated with.
Listen & keep working.
You’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to do the wrong thing at the wrong time. You can’t save everyone. But doing nothing at the moment is inexcusable. You might think that this is the worst time to become activists, to become overtly political while also teaching music, as surely we will be in the fight for our lives regarding pandemic-induced budget cuts over the next several years. But you’re wrong.
We are not just in the fight for our lives. We’re in the fight for our students’ lives. That is an everyday battle.
Being an ally is not about wearing a t-shirt or posting a Facebook status. Don’t give up when it’s not fun. Don’t just do the flashy work — as mentioned earlier, so much of taking down any force of evil is much less about Avengers-type big budget fights and so much more about the nuts & bolts of organizing. You think Shuri is simply a magician whose brilliant ideas spring forth perfectly formed from her brain? No. She has to sit down & do the equations, or the absolute slog of design work, to bring her contributions toward the cause to life. Don’t just get involved for the shouting from the frontline. Get involved on the back end, from the administrative support side, bring water & sunscreen to demonstrators, and keep doing the work.
Do you have other things you want to bring up? Other things I need to hear & address? Other organizations you know that deserve support, during this time & into the future? Please let me know.
And please stay safe out there. If you’re reading this? You? Reading this? Right now? We need you tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that. Take care.
Remember: “This is your homework. For the rest of your life.”
