Equity in Music Education: Avoiding Cultural Appropriation in the Music Classroom

Wind Band, Folk Songs, and Cultural Appropriation: A Time for Response

“…Teaching through culturally sensitive means has received a fair amount of recent attention in general music teaching contexts. Various facets of improved teaching practice have been outlined by authors, including strategies for working with various languages and music traditions, 7 conducting ethical song research, 8 considering possibilities for cultural exchange in the music classroom, 9 and maintaining authenticity as much as is realistically possible given the constraints of the typical music classroom. 10 Music education scholar Carlos Abril noted that attaining a true level of authenticity through school music experiences is likely impossible because "in school, music is separated from its primary source many times over.…”