An Examination of the Ideas and Practices Regarding Multicultural Education of Elementary General Music Teachers in Champaign County, Illinois

Abstract

This study concerns the ideas and practices of general music teachers regarding multiculturalism in elementary music education, specifically, general music educators in the public schools of Champaign County, Illinois. Data was collected by mailed, open-ended questionnaires completed by the general music teachers from 11 of the existing 37 schools. Responses were analyzed by frequency and according to a theoretical framework of multicultural education rendered by James Banks (1997). Major findings included that teachers were very positive about the concept of multicultural education, but that they failed to recognize multicultural education to its fullest extent conceptually or in or practice. Teachers thought of and practiced multicultural education mainly in terms of content integration and somewhat in terms of reducing prejudices and providing an empowering school and social structure, neglected the aspect of an equitable pedagogy, and failed to realize the import of reflecting on the knowledge construction process in music education. This incomplete realization may be due to the practical constraints of teaching, such as administrative concerns or lack of resources, or a school setting that is seemingly culturally homogenous, but is most probably due to music educators' failure to realize the necessity for understanding musics as cultural phenomena and not as a universal constant. Overall, findings indicated that teachers lacked the necessary preparation in terms of pre-service and in-service training and education to approach multicultural education in a comprehensive manner.