HMEA Position Statement on Diversity, Equity and Access in Music Education Adapted from the National Association for Music Education
The study of music includes the study of the people, places, and cultures involved in its creation and performance. With the incredible diversity of our community in Hawaiʻi, it is important for students in every school setting to study a wide variety of musical styles, cultures, and genres. The 2014 National Music Standards embrace this holistic approach to the study of music, encouraging teachers and students to explore a variety of musical styles and music-making traditions from around the world. This goal will be better served when we recruit a more diverse teacher workforce that more closely resembles the diversity of the United States and our school populations.
The Hawaiʻi Music Educators Association supports the position of the National Association for Music Education with regards for diversity, equity, and inclusion in music education:
A well-rounded and comprehensive music education program, as envisioned in the 2014 National Music Standards, should exist in every American school; should be built on a curricular framework that promotes awareness of, respect for, and responsiveness to the variety and diversity of cultures; and should be delivered by teachers whose culturally responsive pedagogy enables them to successfully design and implement such an inclusive curricular framework.
Including all forms and types of music within the classroom, from folk to classical, and from popular to non-Western, allows students to explore and expand their communication, collaboration, and music literacy skills in a variety of formats, structures, and ensembles. Embracing a variety of music-making in a school’s music program helps connect the music educator to the school’s community, providing opportunities for parental and community support and participation. Creating a more diverse music educator workforce supports the connection between community and school as the teaching workforce evolves over time to better match the students that we teach. Expanding the types and styles of music studied and performed invites more students into the music classroom, helping music educators realize the mission of promoting the understanding and making of music by all.
