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In Her Voice: (Re)Visioning Race and Gender in the Music Classroom Through the Lens of Black Feminist Pedagogy

image of In Her Voice: (Re)Visioning Race and Gender in the Music Classroom Through the Lens of Black Feminist Pedagogy

Spelman College's mission to educate women of color and prepare them as community change agents is reflected in the music department's focus on the contributions of African American women to music. In the Women in Music course I facilitate, I apply feminist and Black feminist pedagogy to explore the intersections of race and gender as social and cultural constructs in music. The course emphasizes intellectual stimulation, social engagement, and cultural awareness, particularly regarding African American women composers as creators and cultural storytellers. By using storytelling as a pedagogical tool, students learn how marginalized voices can preserve cultural heritage through personal experiences. Through creative presentations and their own voices, students develop an understanding of power and oppression in music, while questioning equality and justice for women of color in a White, male-dominated society, ultimately empowering them to impact their communities.

Keywords: Black feminist pedagogy ; Black women ; class ; feminist pedagogy ; gender ; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) ; marginalized voices ; race ; sexuality ; Spelman College ; storytelling

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References

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References

  1. Banks, J. A. (2021). An introduction to multicultural education (6th ed.). Pearson.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Bradley, D. (2007). The sounds of silence: Talking race in music education. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education, 6(4), 132–162.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Coeyman, B. (1996). Applications of feminist pedagogy to the college music major curriculum: An introduction to the issues. College Music Symposium, 36, 73–90.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Crabtree, R. D., Sapp, D. A., & Licona, A. (2009). Feminist pedagogy: Looking back to move forward. Johns Hopkins University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Grissom-Broughton, Paula A. (2019, November 1). A matter of race and gender: An examination of an undergraduate music program through the lens of feminist pedagogy and Black feminist pedagogy. Research Studies in Music Education, 42(2), 160–176. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1321103x19863250
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Henry, A. (2005). Black feminist pedagogy: Critiques and contribution. In W. Watkins (Ed.), Black protest thought and education (pp. 89–105). Peter Lang Publishing.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Hess, J. (2019). Music education for social change. Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Hill-Collins, P. (2000). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. hooks, b. (2000). Feminist theory: From margin to center (2nd ed.). South End Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Jones, R. (2015, February 12). Personal communication.
  11. Light, T. P., Nicholas, J., & Bondy, R. (Eds.). (2014). Feminist pedagogy in higher education: Critical theory and practice. Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Perlow, O., Wheeler, D., Bethea, S., & Scott, B. (2018). Black women's liberatory pedagogies: Resistance, transformation, and healing within and beyond the academy. Springer.
     [Google Scholar]

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