Culturally Relevant Pedagogyin the Middle School Choir

Michelle L. Herring

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas

After the panel, we had the opportunity to have dinner with the panelists at the Century City Marriott. Since Ms. Gruwell works at a Marriott on the weekends, the hotel let us have a big dinner there. When we got to the hotel, we were able to walk up to the panelists and shake their hands. During dinner, Renee came to speak with us at my table. She showed us the tattoo on her arm from Auschwitz. The tattoo looked like little numbers from a barcode. She told us how some of the needles they used were infected and that some people got skin diseases. She told us how one person sucked out the ink from her skin because the doctors who gave her the tattoo quietly told her to. If she had not sucked the ink out, she would have been sent to the gas chamber the next day, because her number was called.

Everything from today related to something we have read or watched in class. It’s amazing how Ms. Gruwell went out of her way to contact all these people to come to speak to us. By meeting these people, it made the books we’ve been reading more meaningful. It also made me realize that anything is possible! (1999, p. 43)

Overview

What is culture? Ethnicity? Race?Teacher/Student DemographicsCulturally relevant/responsive pedagogy (CRP)

Practical applications

Background

What is culture?Pre-1950s: behavior and customs (Banks, 2001;

Bennett, 1999; Campbell, 1996)Current definition

KnowledgeBelief systemsSymbols and meaningLanguages and dialectsNon-verbal communications Identification

MacrocultureMicroculture

How is culture transmitted?

ParentsSchoolsReligious organizationsOther institutions or social groups

Race

Can include observable physical traits (Yetman, 1999)

Social construction not a scientific truism (Campbell, 1996)

EthnicityA socially distinguished groupCan be a race, religion, or national originSet apart from the majority of societyFour types of ethnic groups (Banks, 2001)

CulturalEconomicPoliticalHolistic

Who are we teaching?Students by Ethnicity and Gender:

African American 612,465 22.9%

Hispanic 762,854 28.5%

White 1,131,901 42.4%

Asian/Pacific Islander 70,766 2.6%

Amer. Indian/AK Native 9,888 .03%

Two or More Races 80,282 3.0%

Total Minority Students 1,536,255 57.5%

Economically Disadvantaged 1,535,670 57.5%

Limited English Proficient (LEP) 234,451 8.7%

Male 1,371,153 51.3%

Female 1,297,003 48.6%

Source: National Center for Educational Statistics

Who is teaching?Teachers by Ethnicity and Gender:

African American 22,616 13.1%

Hispanic 22,593 13.1%

White 122,738 71.4%

Amer. Indian/ AK Native 499 0.2%

Asian 1,806 1.0%

Pacific Islander 133 0.07%

Two or More Races 1,483 0.08%

Total Minority 49,13028.5%

Males 35,093 20.7%

Females 134,283 79.2%

Source: Florida Department of Education

School MonocultureSchool Culture

Middle ClassEurocentricFemale DominatedHidden Curriculum

CULTURE SHOCK!Passive reactionAggressive reaction

Frustrated!!!

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) supports curriculum that is sensitive to and non-judgmental toward the cultural backgrounds of students (Brown & Cooper, 2011).

Enhancing students’ success by acquiring knowledge of their cultural backgrounds and translating this knowledge into instructional practice (Irvine, 2010) .

A culturally relevant pedagogue is one that “teaches to and through the strengths of ethnically diverse students” (Gay, 2000) .

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

Academic SuccessCultural CompetenceSociopolitical Awareness

Objective: Students will create an ostinato composition using improvised instruments or body percussion based on a photo to perform in a community concert.

An Example…

http://nyportraits.blogspot.com/2010/07/singing-for-supper-in-washington-square.html

http://nyportraits.blogspot.com/2010/07/singing-for-supper-in-washington-square.html

Who are these people?What are they doing?

Where are they?Why are they performing?

How do they perform?Who is their audience?

http://nyportraits.blogspot.com/2010/07/singing-for-supper-in-washington-square.html

What is the musical role of each performer?What is each performer using as an instrument?

What type of music do you think the performers were performing? Why?

http://nyportraits.blogspot.com/2010/07/singing-for-supper-in-washington-square.html

“It was brightly, painfully sunny and hot on Sunday. These wonderful singers donned sunglasses so they couldsing in relative comfort.Street singers often animate their acts with hand gestures, shout-outs and poses. It's not enough just to standthere and sing. Singers need to cajole their audience to give up their hard-earned cash.Most sane New Yorkers were inside or out of town, because of the intense heat. There was barely a breeze. I wassilly enough to go shoe shopping and wound up walking around in circles, delirious and sweating. Oh, what weladies do in the name of fashion!”

Assignment (Cultural Competence, Academic Success)

Form a group of five studentsAsk each group member to take on the role of one of the performers. Create an ostinato for that person using body percussion or an improvised instrument.

Arrange the group’s ostinati into a 2-minute composition with a beginning, middle and end. Layering ostinato, a verse/chorus structure, or using a form similar to ABA can be ways to design compositions.

Perform compositions for class.

http://nyportraits.blogspot.com/2010/07/singing-for-supper-in-washington-square.html

Community Extension (Cultural Competence, Academic Success)

Perform compositions as a community recital Project or provide copies of the urban street singers photo to the audience.

Nominate one person from each group to discuss interpretations of the photo.

Perform each group’s interpretation of the assignment.

Conclusions

World is becoming more diverse, globalizedAs Music Educators we have an opportunity to

reach many different cultures I encourage you to:

Learn a new instrumentListen to a new genreDiscover a new cultureLearn from your students, they are the best

teachers.

Thank you!

Michelle Herring

University of North Texas

mlherring13@gmail.com