Recent publications document some of the causes of teacher stress, many of which originate from factors a teacher cannot directly control, such as teacher shortages, increased class sizes, additional student accountability measures, and teacher evaluation documentation requirements. Music teachers experience additional stresses that other teachers…

In this article, the two authors talk about their vastly different trajectories that span international geographies and contrasting circumstances. By chance, their lives intersected in a music education program in an American prison. They trace their lifeworlds and how their musical engagement was a reciprocal learning experience for both of them.…

Nearly all music educators assign grades to students. However, not all methods for grading are equally effective at reporting student achievement. This article describes one approach to grading, standards-based grading, that has the potential to support music educators' efforts to achieve grades that are honest, meaningful, and fair. General…

This article describes music educators' conceptions of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We collaborated with six music teachers to consider ways in which DEI is conceptualized and practiced in their own teaching settings. The teachers were carefully selected to encompass a multitude of identities, including race, ethnicity, gender,…

As we work to connect equity to our curriculum and pedagogy, a rhizomatic approach may provide a valuable lens for reconsidering traditional conventions. Such an approach underlines interconnected multiplicity with a noncentered, nonhierarchical emphasis. Applying a rhizomatic method, I offer music teachers some practical applications to challenge…

One of the most influential factors in student musical development is feedback. Teachers must think deeply about how to shape their communication with students to provide feedback that can promote student growth while minimizing discouragement and disengagement. Special care needs to be taken when providing feedback to historically marginalized…

How can music educators create an engaging and supportive learning environment in ensemble classes? I propose using storytelling as a teaching tool to foster music learning and musical engagement in a relaxed, inviting, and focused atmosphere. Although storytelling cannot replace traditional teaching methods, it can help students understand…

Civil rights advocate and law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term "intersectionality," defining it in 2020 as "a lens, a prism, for seeing the way in which various forms of inequality often operate together and exacerbate each other. We tend to talk about race inequality as separate from inequality based on gender, class,…

In recent years, the national discourse on social justice has inevitably bled into the music classroom. This article suggests ways in which these discussions can be welcomed into music pedagogy in a manner that can support those who have been marginalized by society. The author relates Jacque Derrida's principle of hospitality to our pedagogy and…

With the ever-growing diversity of students in our schools, so too are the cultures and experiences that our students bring with them into the classroom. Yet many teachers feel ill-equipped to teach their students in a culturally responsive way. This article includes strategies for music mentors to successfully mentor beginning teachers toward…

In this article, I provide advice to music educators on how to intervene when they witness acts of overt interpersonal discrimination as well as more subtle forms of discrimination, including microaggressions. Many music educators have identified systemic barriers to inclusion and stressed the importance of choosing and creating culturally…

As music educators embrace the possibilities for a more inclusive education that is culturally connected to the wider world, there are productive avenues for reshaping curricular content and method. In this article, we propose world music pedagogy (WMP) as a means of growing intercultural understanding alongside musical skills and knowledge, and…

When working with beginning instrumentalists, many music educators emphasize executive skills specific to the mechanics of playing an instrument. However, beginning students can also benefit from focused vocal instruction as a complement to their musical growth in the instrumental setting. Because instrumental music educators may feel ill equipped…

In this manuscript, we introduce four philosophical camps and provide bulletin board and classroom decoration examples of how music teachers can visually communicate their teaching philosophies to their students, parents, colleagues, and administrators. The categories emerged from our review of bulletin board examples created by our music teacher…

Music is ever expanding and growing. It feels as if there is a new artist, genre, technology, or something happening in the broad world of music on a daily basis. Our ability to access all sorts of music and musical information has never been easier. Running parallel to this ever-changing landscape of music and music-making is a similar pattern of…