Cultural Practices that are Relevant Increasing Motivation and Participation in the Music Classroom

1. Cultural Practices that are Relevant Increasing Motivation and Participation in the Music Classroom Presented By: Elizabeth Soules October 27, 2011 - WMEA Convention

2. Presentation Overview • Culturally Practices that are Relevant (CPR) • My Journey • Definitions and background of CPR

3. Presentation Overview • Examples • Curriculum Content • Pedagogy • Classroom Management • Physical Classroom Environment • Family Involvement

4. My Journey • Spring 2008- graduated from UW-Eau Claire • 2008-2009 – taught elementary music in Owatonna, MN • Fall 2009 – hired to teach music at Falk Elementary School in Madison, WI …and thus began my journey in CPR

5. My main mentors along the way… • Andreal Davis, MMSD Assistant Director of Equity and Family Involvement • Michelle Belnavis, MMSD Instructional Resource Teacher for Cultural Relevance • Dr. Sharroky Hollie, co-founder of CLAS school in CA, and The Center for Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning(CCRTL) • Falk Colleagues • Kira Fobbs, Kim O’Donahue, Poppy Paynter, Emily Schmitt, Marisa Flowers, Amy Covey, Sheila Zenk and Kim Dahl

6. What has this journey involved? • School/District professional development • Site visits • Coaching opportunities • NBCDI in Anaheim, CA • Summer Institute • Reading related books and articles • Collaboration with colleagues • Experimenting and reflection with my own practice

7. What is Culturally Relevant Practice? “A pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes” (Ladson-Billings, 1994)

8. What is Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching and Learning or CLR? • “The validation and affirmationof the home culture and home language for the purposes of building and bridgingthe student to success in the culture of academia and mainstream society. Simply put, CLR is going to where the students are culturally and linguistically for the aim of bringing them where they need to be academically. Metaphorically, CLR is the opposite of the sink or swim approach to teaching and learning.” (Sharroky Hollie, in press, Oct. 2011)

9. MMSD CPR Vision – Andreal Davis“Breathing new life into our practice” • Strands of CPR • African American Language Development • Family Involvement* • Black Communications • Classroom Management* • Teaching From Principles CPR Model • Culturally Relevant Literacy Practices *denotes strands addressed throughout presentation

10. Find Out Who is Underserved “An underserved student is any student who is not successful academically, socially, and/or behaviorally in school because the school as an institution is not being responsive to the student.” (Hollie, 2011)

11. Remember… • Race is based on an individual’s physical characteristics, primarily skin color. • Culture includes the beliefs, social norms, behavior patterns, arts, institutions, knowledge, and traits of a racial, religious, or social group. • Culture also includes a group’s knowledge and expectations about appropriate interactions and activities that are common to that group. (Madison Metropolitan School District. (Winter, 2009). MMSD Guidelines to Address Culturally Responsive Practices: Early Intervention Through Assessment. Madison, Wisconsin)

12. My favorite definition of culture… “Whatever is meaningful or relevant to you” - - National Urban Alliance

13. Top Cultures of Our Students(CCRTL Institute 2011) Age Culture Gender Culture Religion Culture Class Culture Nationality Culture Ethnic Culture Shout Out – what other cultures are there?

14. CPRin regards to the Content of MusicEducation

15. Content: • Create a balance of multicultural music that reflects the students that you teach. • Choose authentic music • Teach history of the music, connect to where your students are to make it meaningful. • Think outside the box and include all types of music (country, pop, hip hop, etc.) • Branch out and use youtube and other media resources for sharing music

16. Examples From My Curriculum • Stepping Unit • Great project for group work and creativity • Hip Hop Project • See full unit handout • Various Drumming programs • World Music Drumming • Hot Marimba • The West African Drum and Dance: A Yankadi-Macrou Celebration

17. Examples From My Curriculum • Recorder Buddies • Call and response – put different “beats” under patterns for fun • Various folksongs, folkdances, and street games • Multicultural fieldtrips, assemblies, and guest artists • Flash Mob dance

18. CPR in regards to Instructional Strategies or Pedagogies

19. Instructional Strategies or Pedagogies • CLR Pedagogies with Activities Categories • Responsive Literacy • Responsive Vocabulary • Responsive Language • Responsive Management • Movement • Attention Signals • Ways of Discussing and Responding • Collaboration (CCRTL Institute 2011/Dr. Hollie) *See lesson plan template

20. CPR in regards to Classroom Management

21. Classroom Management • Planning meaningful and relevant lessons which engage all learners will automatically benefit your classroom management. • Plan with variety and balance. • Identify behaviors as cultural or a misbehavior. • Find places to address the cultural behaviors specific to the underserved students.

22. Ask yourself:Is this cultural or is it a misbehavior? -If cultural, how will you be responsive?-If a misbehavior, follow through with school procedure.

23. Cultural Behavior Examples: • Overlapping (blurting out, interrupting) • Going responsive – “I love your enthusiasm, right now we are using My Turn, Your Turn so I am going to ask that you wait until it is your turn”

24. Cultural Behavior Examples: • Talking to peers during instruction • Going responsive – Provide time for collaboration “I like that you want to share your ideas with your friends, right now we are listening to the instructions and you will have time later to discuss your ideas with others”.

25. Cultural Behavior Examples: • Distracting movement • Going responsive – provide time and/or parameters for movement “This is a time when you may do a chair dance”. “If the music moves you to dance a bit, you may do so with your hands”

26. Cultural Behaviors Spectrum From CCRTL Summer Institute – Dr. Hollie

27. Acknowledge “Good” Behavior • Dance circles/competition • Choice of youtube video or song at the end of class • Choose a game • Make a positive call home • Some kind of music “good slip” (drums)

28. Think/Pair/Share • Write down an example of a cultural behavior you experience in your classroom and determine a way to go responsive. (validate, affirm, build and bridge) • Share your thoughts with the partner next to you.

29. CPR in regards to your Physical Classroom Environment

30. What does a culturally relevant music classroom look like? • Learn, use, and display some words in students’ heritage languages. • Ensure bulletin boards, displays, instructional materials, and other visuals in the classroom reflect the racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds represented by students, as well as current pop culture. • Use body language, gestures, and expressions to convey a message that all students’ questions and opinions are important. • Post Cultural Proverbs/Affirmations and symbols, etc. (Peter C. Murrell)

31. Family Involvement • MIOSM Open Music Classes • Videos and Picture Slideshow during conferences • Open House • Music class blog • Invitations to share music with class or school • Phone calls and letters home

32. Hip Hop Project Created by Elizabeth Soules • See separate handout

33. Silent Appointment: Think of… • One lesson that you do in your classroom which is culturally relevant. • One new culturally relevant lesson idea that you are interested in trying out in your classroom.

34. How Can I Learn More??? • Websites • Colleagues • Books • Articles • Set up a site visit/observation • Professional Development/Courses • Advice from professionals in this work Elizabeth Soules - ecsoules@madison.k12.wi.us

35. Closing: Affirmation I believe in you! You believe in me! Until we meet again, I’ll be the best I can be!

36. Works Cited • Bireda, M. R. (2010). Cultures in Conflict: Eliminating Racial Profiling. Lanham, Maryland: Roman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc. • Elizabeth Bondy and Dorene Ross. (2008). The Teacher as Warm Demander. Educational Leadership/The Positive Classroom , 54-58. • Kunjufu, J. Black Students. Middle Class Teachers. • Kunjufu, J. (2001). State of Emergency: We Must Save African American Males. Chicago, Illinois: African American Images. • Madison Metropolitan School District. (Winter, 2009). MMSD Guidelines to Address Culturally Responsive Practices: Early Intervention Through Assessment. Madison, Wisconsin. • Murrell, Peter C. (2002). African-centered pedagogy: developing schools of achievement for African American children. SUNY Press • Picower, B. (n.d.). Teaching Outside One's Race. Radical Teacher Number 70 , 11-18.