Teacher Resources

Articles, videos, and resource packages aimed at decolonization and representation for music teachers.

Websites and Resource Packages

MusiCounts- #BlackMusicMatters: Hip-Hop & Social Justice in Canada

A music resource highlighting Black artists and the role of musical genres like hip hop and protest music have in social justice.

MusiCounts- Kanata: Contemporary Indigenous Artists and Their Music

A music resource package that is intended to educate about the music of modern indigenous artists such as Jeremy Dutcher, Silla and Rise, and Snotty Nose Rez Kids

Decolonizing the Music Room

An online blog that provides stories and resources that aims to challenge the historical dominance of White Western European and American music

Institute for Composer Diversity

An ongoing database of composers from underrepresented demographics. Composers can be found through several different search filters including gender, racial/ethnic demographics, sexual/romantic identity, residence, and various large ensemble and chamber ensemble genres

Music by Black Composers

A website aimed at highlighting and representing the achievements of Black composers in the classical realm. Includes a composer directory, podcast, examples of music theory using marginalized composers, and more. 

New York Philharmonic- Challenging Stereotypes in Prokofiev Symphony No. 1 and Beyond

A resource package created by the New York Philharmonic that studies stereotypes in music, how Prokofiev countered said assumption using his first symphony, and how stereotypes are being countered in modern music.

Northside Hip Hop Archive

A digital collection of Canadian hip-hop and culture. The NSHHA is consistently digitizing and cataloguing new and emerging hip hop artists across Canada.

Journal Articles and Blog Posts

#BlackMusicMatters: Dismantling Anti-Black Racism in Music Education- Darren Hamilton

An article that highlights current forms of oppression seen in the pedagogy of the music classroom and how to dismantle said hegemony.

Exploring Decolonization, Music, and Pedagogy- Robin Attas and Margaret E. Walker

An article that aims to point out instances of colonization in university music programs and provides ways to teach music pedagogy through a decolonial lens.

Decolonizing our Music- Gary Ingle

An article that explains the process of colonization historically and through a digital framework. It tells how Indigenous music was usurped by White colonialists and why decolonization is important.

Decolonizing Music Education: Moving Beyond Tokenism- Juliet Hess

Juliet Hess applies Chandra Talpade Mohanty’s approach to women's studies and applies said pedagogy to music education.

Critical Hip-Hop Ill-Literacies: Re-mixing Culture, Language, and the Politics of Boundaries in Education- Awad Ibrahim

Awad Ibrahim uses hip-hop as a medium to promote social justice. Ibrahim highlights three historical uses of hip-hop as protest music around the world and how it can be used as a cross curricular outcome through his “Critical Hiphop Ill-literacies”.

 

Podcasts

Classically Black Podcast

Classically Black Podcast centers Black voices and challenges ideas of what the field of classical music looks like. Additionally, by including humor and references to popular culture, the hosts aim to make classical music more approachable to listeners who are not classically trained. At its core, Classically Black Podcast was created with the purpose of showing Black musicians that even in an industry that so clearly lacks diversity, they are visible and their voices matter. 

The Score

An Urban Music Education Podcast hosted by Eric and Justin. They provide tips and strategies through honest discussions about their experience teaching music in an Urban setting. The goal is to provide a positive and solution-based narrative to create more effective, compassionate and culturally relevant music educators.

Afropop

Afropop Worldwide is a Peabody award-winning radio program and online magazine dedicated to music from Africa and the African diaspora.

 

Social Media Pages

Decolonizing the Music Room

Facebook group of music educators that accompanies “Decolonizing the Music Room”

International Society of Music Education- Decolonising and Indigenising Music Education

Facebook group by the International Society of Music Education focused on decolonization and indigenization.

Protestra

The Instagram account for the non-profit organization Protestra, an organization aimed at advocating for social justice within classical music.

 

Organizations

Listen to Dis

Saskatchewan arts organization focused on enabling people with disabilities to practice their arts. Listen to Dis offers workshops as well as performances.

 

Films and Videos

Rumble: The Indians Who Shook The World

Through artists like Link Wray and Charlie Patton, Rumble emphasizes the origins of modern rock music and how Indigenous artists were influential in shaping the genre.

The Secret Path

The Secret Path, created by The Tragically Hip Singer Gord Downie, follows the story of Chanie Wenjack, a young boy escaping from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School.The ten song album is accompanied by animations and graphics by Jeff Lemire.

Bad Rap

Bad Rap uses the case study of four Asian-American hip-hop artists and examines the relationship between race and artistic community. (Contains explicit content)

Tizitia

Tizita follows three Ethiopian refugee musicians as they rebuild their identities and implement their heritage into their new art.

Napi and the Rock

Napi and the Rock is a traditional Blackfoot story that explains the creation of the Foothills Erratic, located ten minutes south of Okotoks. Here the Calgary Philharmonic performs a composition by Cris Derksen and Sonny-Ray Day Rider that accompanies the tale as well as a theater performance.

Enough is Enough

“Enough is Enough” is a collection of poems by Zoey Roy about the relationship Canadians have with the Indigenous identity. The poems are accompanied by musical compositions by Juliet Palmer and performed by the Regina Symphony Orchestra.

pe-wapan (Coming of Dawn)

pe-wapan (Coming of Dawn) is a song gifted by Elder Gordon Favel, from the Kawacatoose First Nation Reserve to the Regina Symphony Orchestra. The accompanying lesson plan by Marlene Hinz seeks for grades 3-6 students to understand musical concepts using the Cree language.