As social issues continue to be at the forefront of our national culture, a reevaluation of how youth interact musically with current events is worth considering. Using music from Denver alt-hip-hop band FLOBOTS most recent album, NOENEMIES, we will explore ways that choral directors can thoughtfully and carefully consider sharing these important song cultures and lyrical perspectives with their ensembles.

USEFUL LINKS:

• Justice Choir Songbook

• Flobots NOENEMIES Songbook

• Earthsongs

• MusicSpoke

RESOURCES:

Patricia O’Toole: Music Matters: “Why I Don’t Feel Included in These Musics or Matters” Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Spring 2000, No. 144

Abstract: A criticism of the influential music education textbook Music Matters by David Elliott, Dr. O’Toole uses feminist criticism to unpack why our music education system is not inclusive. She specifically tackles issues of gender, sexuality, and race and gives basic examples of how the current system is unintentionally under-serving these populations.

Why read this? Inclusion. It points out real problems with the status quo of music education, which includes repertoire choices. By excluding songs that illuminate the social issues our students face, we promote systemic racism, gender inequality, and class inequality.

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Stephanie Horsley: “Facing the Music, pursuing social justice through music education in a neoliberal world” The Oxford Handbook of Social Justice in Music Education, Chapter 4, 2015, pp.62-77

Abstract: Horsley defines neoliberalism as “individuals acting in their own best interests and showing concern for their neighbors, rather than relying on government social programs or policy to ensure a particular quality of life for the citizenry.” She then uses a framework of negative and positive justice to dissect why a neoliberal philosophy is highly problematic in education and how music education can be a tool for positive justice in our world.

Why read this? Empowerment. It articulates philosophy behind tackling social justice issues and using democracy in your music classroom and makes a case for why it is not only relevant, but crucial for positive change. It also criticizes the neoliberal philosophy and dispels mistaken virtues of applying capitalist ideals to a democratic education system.

Levy and Byrd: “Why can’t we be friends? Using music to teach social justice” Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Vol. 11, No. 2, April 2011, pp. 64-75

Abstract: This article provides a literature review of 25 other articles, a collective discussion about integrating social justice music into social studies, English, and other curriculums. It gives specific ideas across cultures and then examples of how to integrate them into a classroom. Finally, it includes an appendix with song examples and potential classroom discussion questions.

Why read this? Worldview widening. It flips the argument of this session. We suggest including social justice songs in the music classroom, this article presents the widely researched idea to use music in other disciplines to teach justice-related issues.

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Benedict, Schmidt, Spruce, Woodford: The Oxford Handbook for Social Justice in Music Education, 2015, Oxford University Press

“This handbook seeks to present a wide-ranging and comprehensive survey of social justice in music education. Contributors from around the world interrogate the complex, multidimensional, and often contested nature of social justice and music education from a variety of philosophical, political, social, and cultural perspectives. Although many chapters take as their starting point an analysis of how dominant political, educational, and musical ideologies serve to construct and sustain inequities and undemocratic practices, authors also identify practices that seek to promote socially just pedagogy and approaches to music education.”