Music Ensembles and Culturally Responsive Teaching

Abstract

This qualitative study investigates the role of music ensemble repertoire selection in the formation of musical identity in high school students. I acted as a teacher-researcher (Kincheloe, 2003) in a constructivist, culturally responsive music classroom (Brooks & Brooks, 2001; Gay, 2018; Ladson-Billings, 2021; McKoy & Lind, 2023; Wiggins, 2015). Literature on culturally responsive music classrooms has previously focused almost exclusively on popular music, as well as culturally relevant music for specific minority student populations that do not match my own student population (Davis, 2016; Green, 2011; Hess, 2019; McKoy & Lind, 2023; Shaw, 2020). I was curious about the differences for my own students: how does incorporating my students’ cultures into our music ensembles relate to their identities as musicians? How does that further affect their learning?Using a sample of students from two ensembles, a choir and an orchestra, I collected data from interviews, surveys, recorded rehearsals, and classroom assignments. Contrary to my initial expectation that culturally responsive repertoire selection would directly influence musical identity, the findings from my research illustrate how individual mindset, collective culture, and learning experiences, as well as repertoire selection, all affect students’ musical identities. I also identified a part of culturally responsive teaching which I have called intellectually responsive teaching. While culturally responsive teaching in the music classroom allows for a much richer, deeper, and more significant experience for all students, intellectually responsive teaching in the music classroom allows for celebratory and exploratory experiences, challenge and rigor, and joy in making music.