Cause I Know: Breaking the Silence About Racism in American Music Education

• In Event: Race, Racism, and Representation in Music Education

Abstract

American music educators are 86% White (Elpus, 2015).  The overrepresentation of Whites is bolstered by curricula entrenched in Western European classical music traditions, while today’s music industry is heavily influenced by Black and Latinx musicians.  Who are the Black and Latinx music teachers in the United States? How have some of these educators overcome issues of social/educational marginalization because of race?  This paper seeks to reveal the effects of institutional racism in music education by connecting the individual lived experiences of two music educators (Bahamian female and Puerto Rican male) and how they encountered repeated obstacles and demonstrated an extraordinary level of resiliency in the advancement of their careers.

Authors

• Deejay Robinson, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Tawnya D. Smith, Boston University

• Karin S. Hendricks, Boston University