Multicultural Music Education

Multicultural music education is becoming increasingly necessary in American school systems. As the United States becomes more and more culturally diverse, or pluralistic, it is essential for students to recognize music from other countries and ethnic groups as valid and valuable forms of expression.

Abeles, Hoffer, & Klotman (1995) emphasize the necessity for students to “develop respect for the achievements of cultures other than their own” through musical means (p. 285). The authors warn against two common misconceptions: one, that music is a universal language, and two, that the United States is a melting pot. Both views are ethnocentric in that they suggest all music can be understood through a Western filter and that all immigrants assimilate to U.S. culture. Although music is a universal form of human expression, there are drastic differences between musics of different cultures, and immigrants to the United States bring this rich heritage with them. It is the role of music educators to help students better understand and appreciate these differences.

When implementing a multicultural curriculum, educators must be aware of practical problems and considerations. First, music educators are often not trained in multicultural music. Second, music educators must be careful to not automatically compare all works of other cultures to their own culture. Third, it is difficult to choose which multicultural music to include in a curriculum when there are such a vast number of choices. And finally, educators and their students must not assume music of their own culture is superior to that of other cultures, curbing cultural biases and attitudes (Abeles et al., 1995).

The authors cite Joyce Jordan’s 1992 writing on “Curricular Development” in addressing the concerns of multicultural music education. She offers three solutions: first, educators need access to an electronic instrument capable of producing scales and pitches that aren’t available through a conventional keyboard or classroom instrument. Although it doesn’t seem that music educators have readily available access to such a device even in 2009, modern media has at least enabled music teachers to have easy access to recorded performances in authentic settings through such Internet sites as YouTube. Second, Jordan recommends multicultural music sourcebooks designed for elementary teachers, since student bias is minimal at a young age. A quick perusal of a music catalog such as West Music will reveal an abundance of such materials. Finally, Jordan suggests the need for a database of all multicultural music materials for the sake of cross-referencing. Although one all-encompassing database might not exist, the Internet has once again proven an invaluable resource in connecting students and teachers to other parts of the world.

Abeles et al. (1995) further recommend that music educators: 1) choose a representative sample of different world musics for use in the classroom, 2) present multicultural music authentically through recordings or guest performers, and 3) overcome ethnocentrism by making “every effort to instill in students an attitude of respect and acceptance toward all types of music” (p. 287). However, educators must bear in mind that it is still their job to teach basic music skills and that multicultural music (or music of the dominant culture) should be chosen based upon what concepts and skills students can learn through it. In doing so, students will “develop those analytical skills that will assist them in understanding the development of music as an art form, especially as it is utilized throughout the world” (p. 287).


Abeles, H. F., Hoffer, C. R., & Klotman, R. H. (1995). Foundations of music education (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomas Higher Education.