Music Education in a Multicultural Setting
The idea of a multicultural education in the field of music is one of the most difficult aspects to understand. Not only are there diverse students in the class, but music also has multiple diverse aspects to each song. Whether it is religion or race, music is understood around the world, no matter the culture.
When many people think of church or religion, one of the top characteristics noted is the music. Musical worship is very popular for many churches, which does make its way into schools by using Christmas music for concerts. This is something that affects people who do not have a religion or other people who have different religions other than Christianity. According to Adria Hoffman (2011), holiday musical performances are becoming very sensitive to the public eye (p. 55). It is debated that this is not a true separation of the church and state. Since the United States is a country with a mass of the population being Christian, bringing the holiday into schools is very simple to do, but it does have its consequences. Furthermore, scheduling events may interfere with certain religions too. As stated by Adria Hoffman (2011), a band director scheduled a marching band competition on Rosh Hasbana, which is the Jewish New Years (p. 56). The Jewish students in the class confronted the teacher about their issue, and the director explained to them that if they did not show for the competition, they would receive an F for the day due to how important the competition is. As one can see, there is a large difference between these two scenarios. I believe a teacher should find the happy medium. If students have problems with the music due to it being religious or demeaning, they should have the option to opt out of singing that specific song. On the other hand, if a teacher schedules a competition on the day of a sacred holiday, he or she should respect the other students and their beliefs. Not only does this affect the students, but …show more content…
It is discussed that there is deep and explicit discussion on how neglected music education is as a role (Cross, 2013, p. 20). The idea that music pertains to all types of people is rather amazing. Music can reach across different races and cultures. This is because of emotions. According to Roger Cross (2013), everyone has something called emotional intelligence (p. 22). Emotional intelligence pertains to how people feel to certain pieces of music. This is beginning to be necessary to promote sustainable values and behaviors among all cultures. Music education is supposed to focus on the multicultural issues in music due to the diversity in the music that is obtained by the director and handed to the students. For example, we played music in my band based on different cultures, such as African, English, and Spanish. This affected us in a positive way because everyone felt they were important in the band. It is hard for people to relate if they feel unaccepted by the majority. It is mentioned by Roger Cross (2013) that music is a cultural-creation act (p. 22). This is what links so many people together when it comes to band. I believe this is why so many people in band or choir call each other a family. Everyone respects everyone because we are all connected in some way. I agree with this article since it brings in culture, race, and religion all together. It persuades people that music is an important aspect in a multicultural
The idea of a multicultural education in the field of music is one of the most difficult aspects to understand. Not only are there diverse students in the class, but music also has multiple diverse aspects to each song. Whether it is religion or race, music is understood around the world, no matter the culture.
When many people think of church or religion, one of the top characteristics noted is the music. Musical worship is very popular for many churches, which does make its way into schools by using Christmas music for concerts. This is something that affects people who do not have a religion or other people who have different religions other than Christianity. According to Adria Hoffman (2011), holiday musical performances are becoming very sensitive to the public eye (p. 55). It is debated that this is not a true separation of the church and state. Since the United States is a country with a mass of the population being Christian, bringing the holiday into schools is very simple to do, but it does have its consequences. Furthermore, scheduling events may interfere with certain religions too. As stated by Adria Hoffman (2011), a band director scheduled a marching band competition on Rosh Hasbana, which is the Jewish New Years (p. 56). The Jewish students in the class confronted the teacher about their issue, and the director explained to them that if they did not show for the competition, they would receive an F for the day due to how important the competition is. As one can see, there is a large difference between these two scenarios. I believe a teacher should find the happy medium. If students have problems with the music due to it being religious or demeaning, they should have the option to opt out of singing that specific song. On the other hand, if a teacher schedules a competition on the day of a sacred holiday, he or she should respect the other students and their beliefs. Not only does this affect the students, but …show more content…
It is discussed that there is deep and explicit discussion on how neglected music education is as a role (Cross, 2013, p. 20). The idea that music pertains to all types of people is rather amazing. Music can reach across different races and cultures. This is because of emotions. According to Roger Cross (2013), everyone has something called emotional intelligence (p. 22). Emotional intelligence pertains to how people feel to certain pieces of music. This is beginning to be necessary to promote sustainable values and behaviors among all cultures. Music education is supposed to focus on the multicultural issues in music due to the diversity in the music that is obtained by the director and handed to the students. For example, we played music in my band based on different cultures, such as African, English, and Spanish. This affected us in a positive way because everyone felt they were important in the band. It is hard for people to relate if they feel unaccepted by the majority. It is mentioned by Roger Cross (2013) that music is a cultural-creation act (p. 22). This is what links so many people together when it comes to band. I believe this is why so many people in band or choir call each other a family. Everyone respects everyone because we are all connected in some way. I agree with this article since it brings in culture, race, and religion all together. It persuades people that music is an important aspect in a multicultural