Teaching Music Culturally

Presenters: Loneka Battiste, Will Coppola, John-Carlos Perea, Patricia Shehan Campbell, and Juliana Cantarelli Vita

We will address the present convergence of music, education and culture in K-12 and undergraduate curriculum and instruction. From our various perspectives, and with particular musical selections in mind, we will feature teaching-learning strategies for giving accent to intercultural understanding through the experience and study of global and American cultures. Attending to the oral-aural process of “learning by listening”, we will suggest that learners launch this understanding from initial listening to participatory musicking and full-fledged performance, which can then lead to creative experiences in the style of targeted works. The meaning of “teaching music culturally” will be clarified through illustrations in the integration of “back-stories” of music and musicians that reach beyond the sonic features to the music’s cultural meaning, uses and functions. We will make the point of teaching music and teaching culture, in tandem, and will suggest resources and pathways for supporting students to grow more widely and deeply musical as well as more cultural compassionate.

Watch the video of the webinar below.