Music Teachers’ Experiences with Implementing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Abstract

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, sexuality, location, class, ability, teaching setting, musical background, and teaching experience. Through our conversations, we learned how these teachers locate their identities through their own narratives and how these social constructions converge in their work through pedagogical and curricular strategies. It is our hope that their insights might start a conversation about the current state of DEI work being approached in music education and provide suggestions for more diverse, equitable, and inclusive practices and policies in music classrooms.