The History of Multicultural Music Education and Its Prospects

Abstract

This article examines how American perspectives about world music have evolved based on the controversial discussion of “music is the universal language.” At earlier periods, scholars showed their interest in musics of other cultures from the ethnocentric standpoint. Gradually, scholars came to value the music differences of cultures, which generated the antithetical discussion of “music is not the universal language.” These past discussions contributed to the awareness of cultural differences of musics. However, we should go beyond mere awareness, until we reach the degree to which world music is actually learned and taught maintaining the sound balance of the two extreme aspects of music. Technology can promote the quality of both music class and music teacher education by offering real opportunities for engaging and exploring world musics.

Critical analysis of culturally relevant pedagogy and its application to a sixth grade general music classroom

“…Chapter 4 presented multicultural music education through a brief history, as well as a short delineation between multiethnic and multicultural music education (Campbell, 1992(Campbell, , 2002Kang, 2014;Miralis, 2006). Multicultural music education does not necessarily require students to develop sociopolitical awareness and at times can mimic the ideas that were inadequate in multiethnic education (Banks, 2013…”

“…Studies showed that students benefited from this approach and that teachers had to work to become culturally competent. Multicultural music education is a product of professionals in the field seeking equity for all musical styles (Kang, 2014). This chapter describes, briefly, the history of multicultural education and discusses scholarly writings about music education and culturally relevant pedagogy.…”

“…The belief was that non-Western European music had not yet evolved. It was not until the 1940s that scholars started appreciate the differences in music of people of different cultures (Kang, 2014).…”

“…Kang (2014) listed the cyclical structure in Asian music and the emphasis on rhythmic complexity in African music as examples that are not similar to Western music. The International Society for Music Education, founded after World War II in 1953, encouraged the preservation of folk music (Kang, 2014). In 1967, Music Educators National Conference, now The National Association for Music Education (NAfME), brought together a group of educators and scholars to discuss the music education profession in the Tanglewood Symposium.…”

“…In 1967, Music Educators National Conference, now The National Association for Music Education (NAfME), brought together a group of educators and scholars to discuss the music education profession in the Tanglewood Symposium. The final declaration of this Symposium suggested that music of all styles and culture belongs in the music education curricula (Kang, 2014). This proclamation occurred 13 years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision and three years after the signing of the Civil Rights Act.…”