Why Grades Shouldn't Exist - Alfie Kohn

“Walking on eggshells”: music educator perceptions of agency in times of surveillance and divisive concept laws

Legislation in the United States has increasingly led to limitations on what and how educators are able to teach in the classroom. These measures, often deemed divisive concept laws, can lead to a ...

Music educators’ perceptions of divisive concepts laws

Since the inception of widespread public schooling in the United States, state legislatures have mandated curricular content and instructional practices to advance various social projects and visio...

Music educators’ perceptions of divisive concepts laws

Since the inception of widespread public schooling in the United States, state legislatures have mandated curricular content and instructional practices to advance various social projects and visio...

Black Music, White Halls: Toward a Black American Music Curriculum – ACT

Published in Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 25 (1): 52–76 [pdf]. https://doi.org/10.22176/act25.1.52

No One Dies in this Dystopia

I am all done with grading for the semester just past, but the work sticks to me in a way I can’t yet manage to fling off.

Divining an Afrofuturist Music Education – ACT

Published in Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 22 (4): 131–58. [pdf] https://doi.org/10.22176/act22.4.131

Three Questions on Questions: On Asking, Knowing and Noticing

“Students aren’t great at asking questions well.” This was Kristen DiCerbo, Khan Academy’s Chief Learning Officer, in a recent Chalkbeat article. She was offering her explanation for why Khanmigo hadn’…

“I Made Myself Fit In”: Johny’s Story

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to re-story the experiences of a first-year music teacher with regard to race and class. Johny was a first-year high school guitar teacher in the southwestern United States who identified as Hispanic and was raised in a family with a lower income. He was also a first-generation college student whose path to university study was atypical because of his major instrument, musical background, little high school music class participation, and entrance to postsecondary music study at a community college. Johny’s story is a work of critical storytelling and is interpreted through an intersectional framework. His story compels us to thoughtfully attend to curriculum, musical knowledge, equity, and how music educators can serve an increasingly diverse student population in schools of music. Issues for consideration include (a) increased support of nontraditional students, including those from marginalized populations, such as students with lower incomes, first-generation students, and community college transfer students, and (b) promoting meaningful and collaborative change across multiple areas in schools of music.

The Myth Of The Spoiled Child – (Book)

The Work Of Alfie Kohn

'Students Are Being Treated Like Guinea Pigs:' Inside an AI-Powered Private School

Leaked documents reveal the inner workings of Alpha School, which both the press and the Trump administration have applauded. The documents show Alpha School's AI is generating faulty lessons that sometimes do "more harm than good."

'Students Are Being Treated Like Guinea Pigs:' Inside an AI-Powered Private School

Leaked documents reveal the inner workings of Alpha School, which both the press and the Trump administration have applauded. The documents show Alpha School's AI is generating faulty lessons that sometimes do "more harm than good."

The Concept of Cultural Humility as It Relates to Instructional Practices in the General Music Classroom

A framework of cultural humility includes three main tenets: (a) commitment to lifelong, critical self-reflection; (b) recognition and mitigation of power imbalances; and (c) accountability to individuals and institutions. In this article, I aim at applying the concept of cultural humility to frame my analysis of musical diversity in music education. Through a cultural humility lens, music teachers may acknowledge their own beliefs, values, biases, and prejudices in relation to diverse musics. A commitment to lifelong introspection through self-reflection and critique may help teachers continue to investigate new ways to redress power imbalances inherent in music education, as well as build their relationships with students and communities bidirectionally.

Intersections in Music Education: Implications of Universal Design for Learning, Culturally Responsive Education, and Trauma-Informed Education for P–12 Praxis

To increase equity in music education, teachers can strive to know each student as a whole child, proactively remove barriers to learning, and seek to honor students’ multifaceted and intersectional identities. In this article, we first define intersectionality and examine demographics in music education. Then, we summarize three asset-based pedagogical approaches (Universal Design for Learning, Culturally Responsive Education, and Trauma-Informed Education) and synthesize their similarities. Finally, we present implications in the form of generative ideas for music educator praxis, or values-guided action. We hope our suggestions help music educators create music experiences where students (and families) feel seen, safe, welcomed, and valued as musicians and people. We also hope our suggestions can contribute to music teacher collegiality and collaboration by providing educators with tools to develop positive relationships with colleagues who are different from themselves.