Do Your Students Know (Your Why)?

Dr. Juliet Hess offers both theory and practical suggestions about how music classrooms are uniquely poised to inspire and support social change at the intersections of activism, critical pedagogy, and music education.  Highlighting the framework and specific examples from her book Music Education for Social Change: Constructing an Activist Music Education, Dr. Hess shares her research, stories, and ideas for what teaching for social change could look like and sound within music education classrooms.

As music educators, we are well aware of the importance of Social Emotional Learning (SEL), especially in the wake of pandemic learning and teaching.  But what might it look like in the music classrooms?  What opportunities are we including - and missing - for seamless inclusion of SEL in music ed?  This podcast with Dr. Scott Edgar focuses on the possibilities for practicing SEL in the music classroom - both with adults and students.  Dr. Edgar also reminds us of the necessity of an equity lens in our SEL practice, common SEL stumbling blocks (and how to overcome them), as well as future learning opportunities for teachers in regards to SEL in music classrooms.  Listen in and get a few new ideas to try this week - and beyond!https://musicedforward.com/podcast/22

Do students know why you show up at school every day?  Could sharing your “why” help you connect with students - and possibly even invite more student agency in your classroom?  This episode contains an invitation to look beyond the day-to-day and embrace the big picture of what is possible in and through our music classrooms - and what role your “why” might play in the process.

Alice Tsui joins us on the podcast this week to talk about how to create brave spaces that empower student and collective voice while centering joy in Black Lives Matter and AAPI communities. Alice’s Insta videos @musicwithmissalice demonstrate her inspirational approach to working with her students and her school community. In this podcast she shares very practical ideas for moving music education forward in both the short and long run, including how to continue the personal aspects of anti-bias/anti-racist work so we can bring that into our professional lives and classrooms. We. invite you yo join us in the conversation.https://musicedforward.com/podcast/20

From start to finish in this podcast, Girl Conductor - Ms. Maria A. Ellis - offers her wisdom, passion, and sheer joy in teaching and learning! Maria shares how she starts classes the first time she meets students with the intention of building relationships and knowing her students’ musical preferences. She tells her own story about being rejected from a music education training program - and how she was able to get in only 3 months later.  And she offers each of us some sound advice about how to be the most successful, influential music teachers and human beings we can be. Maria is a true cheerleader for all students and teachers, and her passion is contagious.Show notes - musicedforward.com/podcast/19

As music educators, we’ve learned too much this past year to go back to “normal,” as soon as pandemic safety allows. From the lessons of pandemic teaching to the anti-bias/anti-racist lessons learned this past year - curriculum re-design in music education is not an option.  It is imperative.  This podcast outlines three small but mighty steps that we can implement starting today and continue to implement over time.

Dr. Carlos Abril joins us in the podcast today to talk about the current role - and the potential future impact - of colleges and universities in moving music education forward.  He has a clear and cogent vision for the kind of music educators he’d like to inspire and empower - those who become leaders in the field and agents of change in music ed. Join us for this thoughtful and hopeful conversation on how the academy can be integral to transforming music education at the undergraduate and graduate levels (with K-12 thrown in, for good measure).

In part 2 of this conversation with The Passionate Black Educator, Jasmine Fripp, highlights the importance of music educators being fluent in diverse styles of music in order to serve and empower our students as musicians and humans.  We also talk about ear training, music notation (including and beyond Western notation), and being “clouded by our own nostalgia” - and how to move ourselves forward, to the benefit of our students and communities.  Jasmine shares ideas about how we can broaden our own minds, perspectives, and skills as educators - so we can pass those possibilities along to our students. What happens when we are afraid to leave our “stoop” - and what might happen if we decide to leave our “stoops” anyways.  Tune in for some inspiration, love, and straight talk on how to move music education forward.

In this episode, Jasmine Fripp, The Passionate Black Educator, talks about the ways music educators, our music classrooms, and our music curricula “give hate” - whether we are aware of it or not.  Jasmine lists specific examples of ways our “hate” - intended or not - impacts our students, and how we can adjust our teaching practices so our classrooms and curricula are welcoming, inclusive, and empowering places for all of our students.  Show notes: https://musicedforward.com/podcast/15

Shouldn’t diversity, equity, inclusion, and access be central to all of our learning with students and teachers? Dr. Karen Howard shares context and practices to further diversity, equity, inclusion, and access and move music education forward. With a focus on teaching practices in music education and beyond, Dr. Howard shares her research, as well as the research of others, to inform possible evolutions in our practices in music teaching and learning. This episode highlights an incredible number of resources - both academic and pedagogical. You don’t want to miss this one!