Broderick A.

McQuarters

10/3/2022

Intro to Grad Studies

Dr. Hieb

Source Journal

Diaz, Roque. Decentering and Dismantling White Prominence in Music Education: Portraits of

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives, PhD Dissertation. University of

Minnesota, Ann Arbor, 2021.

In Diaz’s dissertation, they present details with context from a well-known situation, in

the world of music, that deals with degrading comments made about BIPOC (at a NAfME

(National Association for Music Education) meeting in 2016. This introduction led to the

discussion about the importance of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives with the

field of music particularly alluding to those efforts in higher music education and professional

symphony orchestras. They then proceed to present data to support their thesis of how to either

adjust the systems already in place to increase the response for the progression of DEI in the two

institutions or what can be done to establish new systems in place that will increase the success

of implementing DEI efforts so that they are not falling short as many organizations that produce

professional symphony orchestras have done so in the past. They also utilize different sources

and bodies of evidence to support their claims on how to better navigate DEI “in this arena of

cultural change” as well as to acknowledge the potential counterarguments that discuss efforts

made by outside institutions that may not be relevant to his field of research. His central way of

looking at these organizations is through a technique called portraiture. Defined as a combination

of art and scientific theory that is presented in a way that allows for it to be intentionally

inclusive of multiple and diverse audiences inside and outside of academia ultimately capturing

what we can see as the human experience. He uses this to consider how DEI efforts should look

when put into practice.

I believe this source will be extremely useful for the research of my topic because it

presents a very compelling argument, written by a POC, that references materials, that many in

our field of music that study DEI and its impact on the culture of ASO’s, have not looked at or

understood from the perspective of someone who is directly affected by the generalized policies

ASO’s attempt to create within their mission statement. Often stopping at the statement itself and

not following up with action, Diaz, in this source, provides detailed accounts of how that action

might look as well as ways to look at said actions to determine their effectiveness.