Jenny Jordan

MUS-149

November 15, 2020

Final Presentation

Question: How can we conceptualize curriculum and school knowledge to better address
important questions of social change, contingency of knowledge, life in mediated worlds, and
inequalities?

Thesis: To address important issues of equality in our world through teaching, we can create
curriculum that includes minority cultures, encourages action for social change, and treats all
students with respect as equals.

For my project, I decided to write a song from the perspective of a student who feels alienated
and frustrated with their current music class.

This Book is Anti-Racist: The student singing the song is a person of color who often feels out
of place due to their skin color and the lack of representation in their class repertoire. They are
frustrated with how the teacher and many other “allies” will simply state that they are an ally
without actually acting to incite change against racism in the world. As Tiffany Jewell put it in
This Book is Anti-Racist, allyship is not a “performance.” As teachers, we need to work towards
inclusion for all minorities in our classrooms and speak out against injustice in the world.
Nothing will change if we don’t take action, and by the end of the song, the teacher has begun to
do so.
Teaching as a Subversive Activity: The student explains that the world has changed and yet the
educational system has remained the same. In Teaching as a Subversive Activity, the authors
point out the increase in technological advancements with a lack of meaningful change in the
ways our schools teach students. The student also feels as though much of the information isn’t
relevant to them, partially because of a lack of diverse repertoire from people who “look like
them.” As teachers, we need to more carefully adapt our curriculum to the age we are in, as the
internet and technology have drastically changed the way we access information. We also need
to present our students with music that is relevant to them, as representation greatly matters and
can be a powerful tool in engaging students and being anti-racist.
Compassionate Music Teaching: The student is feeling alienated due to the heavy emphasis on
competition used to rank students in the classroom. Since the student doesn’t take private
lessons, they feel as though they are worth less as a musician than their peers. In Compassionate
Music Teaching, Karin Hendricks talks about fostering a positive classroom environment and
knowing the dangers of using competition as a primary motivator in class. Unhealthy use of
competition can often widen the disconnect between students, especially between those who
have more experience and those who have less experience. As teachers, we need to use
competition to build community rather than to rank our students.
Pedagogy of the Oppressed: The student is frustrated with the “banking” concept often
employed in their class, mentioned in Pedagogy of the Oppressed. They feel as though they are
not truly learning anything and instead simply memorizing facts. The “banking” concept of
teaching dehumanizes students and creates this image of teachers simply “depositing”
information into the students’ brains. If we as teachers are to treat our students as equals with
respect, the banking concept must be discontinued in our current education system.
To Teach: The teachers have labeled the student as a “problem child”, and the student has taken
this to heart, believing that this defines how they’ll do in the class. This part of the students’
character is modeled from the story of Quinn in To Teach, who was diagnosed with an attention
disorder. Labeling students is another form of dehumanizing them. As teachers, we need to
understand that students are more than a handful of words and are three-dimensional people.
Every student will be different, and if we are to treat them with respect, we must move past
labeling them. By the end of the song, the teacher and the student have started to accept the
students’ hyperactivity, no allowing it to define who the student is.

Song Key (Colors pertain to each book):

This Book is Anti-Racist
Teaching as a Subversive Activity
Compassionate Music Teaching
Pedagogy of the Oppressed
To Teach
“The Student You Don’t See”
Verse 1:
C Em Am
I’m the kid in the back of the Verse 2:
F C Em Am F
classroom I’m the kid who can’t afford lessons
C Em Am C Em Am
I sit and stare but I can’t focus on So far behind I don’t even ask
F F
you questions
C Em C Em
You say that I’m problematic Can’t compete with all my peers
Am F Am F
But I’m just doin’ my best to manage Sometimes I wonder why I’m here
C G7 C C G7 C
In a class where I don’t belong Nothing pertains to me

Chorus 1: Chorus 3:
F G7 E7 Am F G7
None of our composers look like me I’ve memorized the keys
F G7 E7 Am A E7 Am
Is this the way it has to be? But I don’t know what they mean
Dm G7 F G7
You say you are an ally Our world is changing so fast
E7 Am E7 Am A
And yet you only stand by But we’re stuck in our routine
F G7 C Dm G7
And watch the unjust world You say you are an ally
E7 Am
And yet you only stand by
F G7 C
And watch the unjust world
Bridge:
C Em Am F
We need to change our world
C Em Am G7
We need to change our point of view
C Em Am F
We need to learn something new
C Em Am G7
A teacher should be a student too

Chorus 4:
F G7
We played a song by someone who
E7 Am
looks like me
F G7 E7 Am A
Now you understand my creativity
Dm G7
You’ve learned to use your privilege
E7 Am
Be respectful and encourage
F G7 C
And change the unjust world
 References

Ayers, W., & Alexander-Tanner, R. (2010). To teach: The journey, in comics. New York,

NY: Teachers College Press.

Freire, P. (2018). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Academic.

Hendricks, K. S. (2018). Compassionate music teaching: A framework for motivation and

engagement in the 21st century. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.

Jewell, T., & Durand, A. (2020). This book is anti-racist: 20 lessons on how to wake up,

take action, and do the work. London: Frances Lincoln Children's Books.

Postman, N., & Weingartner, C. (1969). Teaching as a subversive activity. New York, NY:

Dell Publishing.

Honor Code:

I affirm that I have upheld the highest principles of honesty and integrity in my academic work

and have not witnessed a violation of the Honor Code. -Jenny Jordan