Shades of noir
Shades of Noir offers a wealth of resources and inspiration for how I might apply its principles to my music production course. Firstly, curriculum design can greatly benefit from SoN by fostering inclusivity and cultural appreciation in course content. For instance, music production often focuses heavily on Western techniques and histories. I can aim to diversify this by including production styles, instruments, and histories from a variety of cultures. Not only will this expose students to a more comprehensive understanding of music production, but it will also validate and represent the experiences of students from diverse backgrounds.
Another key aspect of Shades of Noir is promoting social justice through representation. As an educator, I can incorporate the works of marginalised groups into my curriculum, showcasing their contributions to the music production industry. Consciously creating a platform for these voices in my classroom can help dismantle the systemic barriers they often face in the field.
Lastly, the idea of creating safe spaces aligns perfectly with fostering an open and supportive classroom environment. Open dialogue, respect for different perspectives, and active encouragement for students to articulate their views can be the cornerstone of this space. By implementing these, I hope to create a learning environment that facilitates self-determination and freedom from oppressive limitations.
Students research and work on this subject are invaluable sources of knowledge and can significantly impact my teaching practice. With a really diverse body of students, their work can reveal new artists, techniques, cultures, and perspectives that I may not have been aware of. As such, we are constantly promoting in-class discussions and showcases of their work within the classroom. These could also help when updating course content to reflect their diverse experiences and interests better.
Finally and in the future, I do want to try and guide third-year students to engage critically with the themes of social justice, representation, and inclusivity in their FMP. In doing so, they research and learn about music production and become active participants in shaping a more equitable future for the industry.
‘A pedagogy of social justice education: social identity, theory and intersectionality’,
Social Identity Theory and Intergroup Encounters
Contact Hypothesis: This was a particularly enlightening concept. The Contact Hypothesis suggests that conflicts between different groups can potentially be resolved through positive interaction in a well-structured environment. This can lead to the deconstruction or even elimination of negative stereotypes, fostering a sense of cooperation or even reconciliation among conflicting groups, as seen in the Robbers Cave experiment.
Social Identity Theory (SIT): The text also provides a critical introduction to Social Identity Theory. It explores how individuals’ social identities can impact intergroup dynamics and can result in power imbalances. According to the critics of the Contact Hypothesis, the latter often overlooks the impact of social identities and power relations, thus leading to superficial or harmful intergroup encounters. Instead, these critics advocate for the use of Social Identity Theory, which considers these critical aspects in shaping intergroup relations.
An interesting question that arises from the text is about how we can completely remove the impact of society’s inequalities on interactions between groups during controlled experiments. Even when we take steps to promote equality within these controlled settings, can we really balance out or eliminate the deep-rooted societal inequalities that exist? It seems like these societal power imbalances are always present in real-world situations, and they undoubtedly affect the results of these group interactions. So, is there a way or method that can fully consider these outside influences and still allow for positive interactions between different groups?
Witness: unconscious bias
The video unveils some truly thought-provoking insights into the nature of unconscious bias within higher education, a phenomenon that tends to go unnoticed yet profoundly influences the experiences of many students and faculty. Featured speaker, Josephine Kwhali, expertly highlights the depth of these biases and the sometimes surprising unawareness of their existence, even among well-educated individuals.
In her engaging discourse, Kwhali questions whether the unconscious nature of these biases could serve as a reason, perhaps unintentionally, to mask or downplay the genuine issue of institutional racism. The question invites us to ponder the extent to which unconscious bias may become a scapegoat, detracting attention from the systematic prejudice that may be deeply embedded within educational institutions. It’s a critical consideration that compels us to evaluate how we address these complex social issues.
What strikes me as particularly fascinating in Kwhali’s argument is her commentary on the lecturers’ role in this dynamic. She brings into question how it is possible for these individuals, who are highly educated and create ground-breaking research, to not have a high degree of consciousness on these matters. As educated adults tasked with shaping the minds of future generations, one would expect lecturers would have the ability to have a keen understanding of such issues.
Retention and attainment in the disciplines: Art and Design
I’ve learned two important aspects from the text. First, the report emphasizes the need for more in-depth examination and understanding of student experiences in Art and Design subjects, particularly those from ethnic minorities, there is still not much done about it. This insight underscores the critical necessity of diversity and inclusion within educational research. Second, the text discusses the importance of promoting a more inclusive approach to curriculum design, highlighting the need for diverse reading lists, visual references, and teaching methodologies, I think this could also be achieved by diversifying more the faculty and whoever is in charge of curriculum design.
One question that comes to mind from this text revolves around the potential impact of the interventions and research on these specific groups of students. Even though the research acknowledges the need for action, what concrete steps, and not only recommendations, are to be taken to ensure that the changes will tangibly improve retention and attainment for marginalized groups in Art and Design?
White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
The text explores the concept of “whiteness” as a structural advantage and a cultural standpoint in the context of the United States. The author identifies their perspective as a white person who has studied the nuanced implications of race, observing how prevailing social systems, including education and media, perpetuate racial illiteracy among white people. The text emphasizes that racism is a systemic issue embedded in institutions, beneficial to white people irrespective of individual prejudices. It addresses the concept of “white fragility,” which denotes white people’s low endurance for discomfort in conversations about race, and attributes this to an ingrained sense of superiority and entitlement. The author presents several factors that contribute to white fragility and racial illiteracy, such as racial segregation, individualism, entitlement to racial comfort, racial arrogance, racial belonging, psychic freedom, and constant messages of white superiority. The author concludes by proposing that the antidote to white fragility involves acknowledging racial privilege, actively understanding the racial realities of people of colour, and taking action against individual and systemic racism. The author shares their personal journey of understanding and challenging their own racism, urging other white individuals to undertake a similar journey toward racial humility.
As a music production teacher, I can integrate the resource about ‘Whiteness’ and its implications on racial dynamics in several ways. Understanding these dynamics could help to foster a more inclusive and empathetic learning environment. For instance, I can include discussions about how the music industry has historically privileged certain racial groups over others and how that affects the type of music that is valued and produced. I could incorporate lessons about influential musicians of colour and their contribution to the field despite systemic racism. This resource also reminds me to be aware of the diversity of my students and to ensure that I’m fostering an inclusive environment where all students feel heard and valued.
This summer, the BAMP team will be developing the Music Culture unit. We have been thinking that students could be assigned research projects or presentations that delve into the intersections of race and music. They could explore how certain genres have originated from specific racial and ethnic groups and how they have been co-opted or appropriated over time. This will be supported by seminars about the topic, plus some special lecturers that are experts on more specific issues.
