Page 57 - October.indd

Good-Perkins also presented a detailed portrait of Julia T. Shaw is an associate professor of music at In-

one teacher’s practice that affords a view of what cultur- diana University. Her research on urban educational
ally sustaining vocal pedagogy could look like in prac- contexts and socio-cultural issues in music education has
tice: an approach that actively promotes sustenance of been honored with the Society for Research in Music
the knowledge, literacies, competencies, and modes of Education’s Research Grant and the American Educa-
expression that learners bring to the classroom. Rather tional Research Association’s Outstanding Early Ca-
than positioning the tone and technique associated with reer Paper in Music Education award. Dr. Shaw can be
Western classical music as the only “appropriate” way reached at shawjt@iu.edu
to sing, this teacher welcomed children’s diverse ways
of expressing themselves vocally. One element of this
teacher’s culturally sustaining practice involved explor- NOTES
ing a varied palate of vocal timbres and styles appropri-
ate to the genres being studied. Another key fi nding was 1 Gloria J. Ladson-Billings, “The (R)Evolution Will Not Be
the importance of respecting and building upon the way Standardized: Teacher Education, Hip Hop Pedagogy,
that physical movement was integral to some students’ and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy 2.0,” in Culturally
culturally informed approaches to singing rather than Sustaining Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning for Justice in a
demanding that they sing with still bodies. In response to Changing World, ed. Django Paris and H. Samy Alim (New
this teacher, who honored the diversity of musical epis- York: Teachers College Press, 2017), 143.
temologies that children brought to the classroom, stu- 2 Django Paris and H. Samy Alim, Culturally Sustaining Ped-
dents were eager participants in singing and embraced agogies: Teaching and Learning for Justice in a Changing World
identities as singers. (New York: Teachers College Press, 2017); Frederick
This column has introduced central premises of cul- Erickson, “Culture in Society and in Educational
turally responsive, relevant, and sustaining pedagogies Practices,” in Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives,
drawn from seminal literature and has highlighted ex- ed. James A. Banks and Cherry A. McGee Banks, 5th ed.
amples of studies that explored how these have been (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2005), 31–60.
approached in choral contexts. Interested readers are 3 For discussions of the evolution in these terms, see Django
encouraged to read the cited literature in full, to con- Paris, “Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: A Needed
28
sult reviews of additional related literature, and to Change in Stance, Terminology, and Practice,” Educational

explore pieces offering practical recommendations for Researcher 41, no. 3 (2012): 93–97; Gloria J. Ladson-
how culturally responsive, relevant, and sustaining ped- Billings, “Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant
29
agogies can be pursued. Given that there is no recipe Pedagogy,” American Educational Research Journal 32, no. 3
or prescription that can guarantee culturally responsive, (1995): 465–491.
relevant, or sustaining pedagogy; and considering the 4 Ladson-Billings, “Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant
complexity inherent in the multifaceted and evolving Pedagogy,” 467.
identities of each learner; adopting these approaches 5 Geneva Gay, “Preparing for Culturally Responsive

requires ongoing effort. While these asset-based pedago- Teaching,” Journal of Teacher Education 53, no. 2 (2002):
gies can be challenging to practice, they are also deeply 106.
rewarding as they present opportunities for teachers to 6 Another seminal contribution is Ana María Villegas and
learn from and alongside their students. For educators Tamara Lucas, “Preparing Culturally Responsive
who are willing to invest the ongoing effort to practice Teachers: Rethinking the Curriculum,” Journal of Teacher

culturally responsive, relevant, and sustaining pedago- Education 53, no. 1 (2002): 20–32.
gies well, the potential benefits to students are profound. 7 Examples of recent contributions include Evelyn Kwanza,

“Exploring Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in a Selected
Choral Music Setting: A Naturalistic Inquiry” (PhD diss.,
Oklahoma State University, 2021); Roger Neil Williams,
“Investigating Culturally Responsive Teaching in the

CHORAL JOURNAL October 2022 Volume 63 Number 3 55