Culturally Responsive Teaching for Native Music Curriculum

Speak/Sing Native™ is a free K-12 music curriculum featuring contemporary Native artists and musicians. Developed in partnership with the Jim Pepper Native Arts Council, the Oregon Department of Education, and the Southern Oregon Education Service District, this curriculum offers educators a unique opportunity to integrate Native and Indigenous perspectives into music and arts education.

Led by Native and Indigenous educators, this session will explore culturally responsive teaching practices that honor the arts, traditions, and storytelling of Tribes and Indigenous peoples. You’ll:

• Discover the legacy of Native jazz legend Jim Pepper and the work of the Jim Pepper Native Arts Council in Portland, Oregon.
• Sample ready-to-use curriculum resources that bring Native music and contemporary artists into the classroom.
• Ask questions and gain insights into implementing this powerful curriculum in your teaching practice.

Sean Aaron Cruz is the founder and executive director of the Jim Pepper Native Arts Council. When he bought his Portland home in 2002, he had no idea that it had been the Pepper family home for 50 years or that this fact would have such a profound impact on his life. He met the distinguished Native educator and family matriarch Floy Pepper that year and began work on Senator Avel Gordly’s legislative staff, which led to a commitment to raise awareness of the Pepper legacy and his concepts for Speak/Sing Native™, which began as an anti-suicide strategy.

Teresa Cisneros worked in the social justice field for more than 20 years before focusing her skills on education. She is currently one of the Indian Education Facilitators at Southern Oregon Education Service District, where she has participated in building a strong foundation for American Indian/Alaskan Native students and families to thrive in the education system. In addition to providing cultural programming, she also designs and facilitates equity-related professional development training for educators and school districts in Southern Oregon.

Shannon Johnson is an arts administrator and art educator, serving as the Arts Education Specialist for the Oregon Department of Education. Currently, they are working with various statewide partners in Oregon through the Well-Rounded Access Program to increase access to arts and STEAM programming for Oregon students. Through this program, Shannon has worked closely with federally recognized Tribes and Indigenous educators to develop projects supporting the culturally responsive teaching of Native arts and culture practices in Oregon schools.

NAfME presents this live virtual event at no charge to all as a service to the music education profession. To register, you must enter your NAfME member information or create a nonmember account. After registering, check your email for instructions. A recording of this program will be available to all registrants for one week following the live event. Members can also view archived NAfME webinars in the NAfME Academy.

The views expressed are those of the presenter; they do not necessarily reflect the views of NAfME.