Towards cultural responsiveness in music instruction with black detained youth: an analytic autoethnography

Abstract

There is an increased interest in music instruction and research with incarcerated populations. Amid this attention is a need to learn more about how music teachers develop competencies for working with juvenile offenders and navigate this unfamiliar context, how they come to learn more about culturally diverse music, and how they become aware of cultural influences. Although the body of literature on music instruction within correctional settings continues to grow, more examples of a teacher's personal journey towards cultural responsiveness in correctional facilities is warranted. Using a framework for cultural responsiveness attributed to Ladson-Billings, this analytic autoethnographic research highlights the author's personal journey towards becoming culturally responsive to Black youth detained in the criminal court system in Chicago, IL. Qualitative data collected for two years were analysed for emergent themes related to achieving musical success, validating cultural competence, and developing critical consciousness. Findings support previous research about the influence that culture may have on music teaching and learning.

Keywords:

• culturally responsive teaching
• music composition
• juvenile offenders
• hip-hop music

Notes on contributor

Jason D. Thompson is a doctoral fellow in Music Education at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. His research interests explore the intersection of race, culture, and sound, with a special emphasis on developing music teachers' cultural competencies. Before doctoral study, he served on the choral conducting faculty at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.

Notes

1. The term ‘instruction’ is used throughout this paper to mean the action and practice of teaching, and not the teaching profession.

2. Names of students have been changed to maintain confidentiality.