Applying the Social Justice Standards to Your General Music Classroom

Wednesday, October 16, 2024, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Presenters: Kay Piña, Victor Lozada

Our classrooms are becoming sites of divisive topics where students thirst to understand how social justice and music intersect. Social change can (and should) be developed through music education (Turino, 2016). Come explore the Social Justice Standards—identity, diversity, justice, and action—through a variety of music activities for the general music classroom (Learning for Justice, 2023). The purpose of implementing social justice standards in the music classroom is to support teachers, caregivers, students, and the communities in the areas of culture and climate, curriculum and instruction, leadership, and family and community engagement. Participants will be able to

• understand what the social justice standards and anti-bias domains are,
• apply the social justice standards to their context through music, and
• create advocacy tools for their classroom, especially in states with divisive concepts laws.

Discussion will include critical practices in the music classroom, the importance of including and implementing social justice standards in general music, and how culturally responsive and sustaining teaching can be supported in this process.

Kay Piña is Lecturer in Music Education at Texas State University. She is currently ABD in a PhD in Music Education at Penn State University. You can find her work in the Journal of General Music Education and the Voice and Speech Review. She presents frequently in national venues such as the American Eurhythmics Society and the American Educational Research Association conferences. Kay taught general music and choir for 11 years in culturally and linguistically diverse schools in Central Texas. She is a past-president of the American Eurhythmics Society, where she continues to serve as a Master Teaching Artist.

Victor Lozada is Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas in Dallas, where his research includes the intersections among music education, bilingual education, and literacy. His research can be found in the Journal of General Music Education and the Bilingual Research Journal, as well as in his co-edited book Engage and Empower! Expanding the Curriculum for Justice and Activism. Victor taught K-5 general music in multilingual environments for 14 years in Texas. Currently, he serves the American Orff-Schulwerk Association as the VP-Elect of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access. He frequently presents for the American Orff Schulwerk Association and the National Association for Music Education. 

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.