Bringing Diverse Music to Your Classroom: How to Create an Inclusive Music Curriculum

A two-part, online workshop for class and subject teachers working with all ages

Learning rich, appropriate songs from multiple cultures is important to a student’s well-rounded education. But how do we bring diverse music to our classrooms in an authentic way? What are the steps for finding such songs? And how should a teacher respond if their musical selection turns out to be problematic?

In part one (Friday-Saturday, January 10-11) of this interactive workshop, we will be:

• Learning an assortment of songs from a variety of cultures for grades 1-8
• Discussing how to research if a song is appropriate and authentic
• Sharing resources for finding and vetting songs
• Discussing what to do when harm is done, or you discover a song wasn’t appropriate to use

For the final session (Saturday, February 22), participants will be encouraged to:

• Find appropriate songs, using what you learned in the January session, and bring them to share and discuss with the group

Facilitator

Jayanthi Bunyan is the general music and chorus director at the Brooklyn Waldorf School, where she teaches students of all ages, organizes student performances, and leads communities in song. Jayanthi’s curriculum strives for an embodied approach to music-making through movement, play, and active listening. With over fifteen years of teaching experience, she has worked in public schools in Colorado, New York, and Kolkata, India. As a classically trained Western vocalist, Jayanthi has performed at numerous venues, including the Boettcher Concert Hall at the Denver Performing Arts Center and the Kolkata Jazz Festival. She has a BA from SUNY Fredonia and an MA from CU Boulder, both in Music Education, and holds a certificate from Sunbridge’s Elementary Music Teacher Education program.