Secondary choral directors’ multicultural teaching practices, attitudes and experiences in international schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether secondary choral directors employed at international schools implemented a multicultural education in their programs. Participants ( N = 126) were secondary choral directors working at international schools in 59 different countries. A researcher-designed questionnaire was used to collect information on director backgrounds, opinions, methods, and experiences relating to multicultural music in international school secondary choral programs. Results showed that 62% of directors who teach in international schools reported current use of multicultural teaching practices. Most choral directors who implemented multicultural teaching practices were confident in teaching music from many cultures, considered their students’ backgrounds when selecting repertoire and included nonwestern music selections in their concerts. The resources and repertoire that directors used for multicultural music lessons were numerous and varied. Additionally, 88% of directors noted that working at an international school had positively influenced their multicultural teaching practices.