Twenty-first International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

This paper describes a critical cultural study, suggesting engaging imagination, intellect, creativity, and performance are arts education goals. Designing experiences fostering artistic citizenship and giving voice to the human spirit are constrained by hegemonic practices that are routine challenges to arts educators. Additionally, interest in culturally responsive teaching, social/emotional learning, and social justice are high on the educational agenda in the United States. All teachers are encouraged to add these topics to their syllabi. The purpose of this session is to describe a study where the researchers applied the tenets of critical pedagogy and the scaffolds of reciprocal teaching as appropriate pedagogy to ensure the arts remain a part of the human experience and not a subject to master in school. Working at their respective schools, they applied these precepts to teaching musical repertoire in the choir and band. Critical pedagogy enables the acquisition of critical consciousness, conscientization, and the ability to read and write the world in meaningful ways. This fosters a transformation of perception within the student as they see themselves as individuals and citizens in the world. Reciprocal teaching, which includes predicting, summarizing, clarifying, questioning, and connecting, facilitates understanding. The researchers found that this theoretical framework fosters a transformation of perception within the student as they see themselves as individuals and citizens in the world. Reciprocal teaching, which includes predicting, summarizing, clarifying, questioning, and connecting, facilitates understanding. This view of arts education gives voice to the voiceless, liberates the spirit, and unlocks human potential.

Presenters

Daniel Abrahams
Associate Professor of Music Education, Music, University of Arkansas, Arkansas, United States

Frank Abrahams
Assoicate Dean (retired) Professor of Music Education (emeritus), Music Education, Westminster Choir College , New Jersey, United States