Abstract

This paper presents and discusses approaches to the development of a culturally informed pedagogy of arts education, with a particular focus on engaging with cultural diversity in music and the visual arts. Arts education typically privileges a Western European lens through which music and the visual arts are viewed. It also favours Western-style approaches to programme content and pedagogy. This paper suggests approaches to conversing about music and visual arts with children and young people that pay attention to the multiple ways in which people make, participate in and perceive the arts. These approaches also acknowledge and celebrate the increasingly diverse cultural identities and heritages of school populations. The paper considers the benefits of culturally responsive approaches to arts education, suggesting ways that arts educators may need to accept some broader social goals and responsibilities while celebrating the intrinsic benefits of studying the arts. The writers of this paper live in New Zealand, giving their writing an Asian-Pacific flavor and emphasis.