Creating an Inclusive Music Classroom

Abstract

In this column, I shared my experiences of inviting students to bring in their “funds of knowledge” into the classroom. Acknowledging the diverse cultures in the classroom, I am interested in how students’ funds of knowledge can be celebrated, sustained, and potentially transformed into collective knowledge. Specifically, I am curious how different music traditions and styles interact and generate new conversations. Through this experience, I came to realize the importance of addressing the historical burden many minoritized carry and wonder, “can I be more than the race you see on me?” I share my own experiences to encourage fellow teachers to continue reflecting and attending to the students in front of us. Creating an inclusive classroom requires us to go beyond the present and create space for the changing, the emerging, and the unknown, through which our students may be more than what we know and build a better world.