Over time I have seen the slow evolution of curriculum with regard to diversity and representation. While progress has been made, however, there remains significant work to ensure that representation is embedded meaningfully and sustainably in music education.
But what is ‘representation’? Simply put, representation is about ensuring all young people see themselves, their culture, and their potential reflected in the music curriculum and learning environment. It is about giving sufficient visibility and acknowledgement to the wide range of cultures that we encounter in our teaching spaces. It is not merely a matter of replacing or removing inappropriate content, as I have heard in some discussions; it is about moving beyond a Eurocentric or western way of operating to encompass a range of musical styles, cultures and traditions. This might include incorporating composers and performers from underrepresented backgrounds, exploring non-western musical forms, and embracing the contemporary genres students engage with when outside school.
Why do we need representation?
Representation can make a huge difference to young people. For those we teach, it can provide a sense of belonging and give a sense of aspiration, which goes hand-in-hand with representation. Famously, Marian Wright Edelman, the American activist for children’s rights, said, ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’, and we see this in different facets of society. Some children who love reading are surrounded by books and see adults reading in the home. Some teenagers may choose to go to university because their parents did. There are exceptions, of course, but generally we are a product of our environment. The things we consume through the media, the people we interact with, and the places we live in can greatly affect the trajectory of our lives.
A great model for this influence comes from renowned psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner. In his Ecological Systems Theory (1979), shown in Figure 1, we sit at the centre of a model that has different systems acting on us. These range from the direct influence of our family and peers in the Microsystem to the huge cultural shifts resulting from significant historical events in the Chronosystem.
Fig. 1. A visual model of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (1979) – Hchokr at English Wikipedia, edited, tinyurl.com/43thjktc
As important as is it for young people, representation also offers a role for educators. All five Ecological systems in Figure 1 affect us in some way; sometimes this can be subtle, but it can also be glaringly obvious. Our young people come to us with these systems weighing down on them, and this is why we need to be intentional about making them feel seen. In the Ecological Systems Theory model, schools (and therefore teachers) are in the Microsystem; that is, the band closest to the individual. This means that we have great influence in the lives of those we teach. If we can show our young people that anything is possible for them in the world of music, we give them more options in the hope that they make good choices for themselves as they grow. I am aware that this can sound idealistic and almost utopian, but it does not demand much from us except to teach a diverse and exciting curriculum – which, as good educators, we should be striving for anyway.
Representation also fosters creativity and new ways of thinking. Music is created and performed with vast differences from culture to culture. When we expose our learners to different types of scales, voice tones or instruments, we open doors of opportunity to them that invite trying something new. This is especially important in composition, which can be challenging for students and teachers alike. Bringing representation into our curriculum can challenge us and this is a good thing. It forces us to learn new things, question our biases and seek out different opinions. When I was in my first music teaching role, I wanted to teach some of the songs that I had been taught. Thankfully, I was taught songs from many different traditions, so was able to pick music that best suited the children I was teaching – but that may not be the case for you. It can be easy just to teach what we were taught, but at some point we have to stop and decide whether it is appropriate for our current setting and in this time. Many of the songs we grew up with have been revealed to be wildly inappropriate, so we have to be on a constant journey of learning and evaluating.
What practical things can we improve?
Suggested ideas for school settings – © Tolu McCarthy 2024
I have the privilege of helping schools and organisations diversify their provision, and I have developed a model that offers clear ideas for how to go about this. While I cannot go through the whole framework in this short article, I can provide what I hope is a useful starting point. The first thing to do is to take a good look around and conduct a critical audit of your music provision: assess whose voices are represented and whose are missing. Here are some things to think about:
- Do you teach a range of genres and traditions?
- Are diverse composers – past and present – featured or is the current curriculum ‘male, pale and stale’?
- Are the contributions of underrepresented groups contextualised rather than tokenised?
It is worth mentioning here that representation is for everybody and should include everybody. Although we tend to focus on genres and cultures, we still need to consider other areas of identity. Do you study any women in your curriculum? What about disabled musicians?
If you work in a very diverse setting, this initial audit is fairly straightforward. You may be able to identify and fill in any gaps quite easily. However, if you are in a setting where there is little to no diversity, then I would argue that this process of diversifying your curriculum is even more necessary. Learning about music from different influences brings about not only musical benefits but also social and relational benefits that our young people will need in wider society.
Once you have done this assessment, identify key areas you want to develop. We only have so much time in our schedules and we want to focus on the most impactful areas first. You may want to add this to your music development plan (in whatever form this takes).
Another step is to do lots of talking, which is vital. So often we're quick to try new ideas and in most cases that is a good thing. However, when it comes to matters of identity, we want to make sure that we are sharing our thought processes with the right people. We have to be willing to acknowledge that we may not be the expert, and for someone who has been teaching a subject for many years, this can be difficult to do. In a previous MT article I wrote about the importance of community and sharing best practice, and this plays a big part in adding representation to your curriculum.
Consider the following:
- Who do you know that is already doing representation well? Can you have a discussion with them?
- Could you talk to someone from a different background to gain some insight about what should or should not be said about their music and culture?
- Could you ask your global majority learners about any musicians they may want to study?
We are fortunate to be living in an age of great technological advancement. We are no longer bound by location. Between social media, video-sharing platforms, streaming services and artificial intelligence, we have everything we could need at our disposal. You may need to cast your net wider but, more often than not, someone is willing to hear you out and help.
Moving forward
Representation in the music curriculum is not a box-ticking exercise; it is an ongoing commitment to equity, inclusion and excellence. By embracing diversity, we not only enrich music education for our students, but we prepare them to enter a world where understanding and appreciating different cultures and perspectives is essential. As music educators, we (along with others in an individual's microsystem) have the privilege and responsibility to shape how young people view themselves and the world.
Throughout this article I have deliberately used ‘we’ – enriching our music provision is a team effort. We may work alone or in smaller departments, but our combined work is significant. My hope is that if we can put the work in now, we will reap the rewards when we see a generation of confident and ambitious young adults, from all backgrounds, proudly taking up space in all areas of society.
