Your Own Multicultural Choir
By Stacy Winn, R&S Chair for Multicultural Music

In so many ways, I feel unqualified for this title of Multicultural R & S Chair. However, one strength I do have is that I see the multicultural in each of my students. Culture can be described in many ways. Culture can be found in the foods we eat, the language we speak, the holidays we celebrate and the activities we enjoy. As a study, I asked my students to write about their own family culture.

When describing culture in this way, my students showed me what each of their families represent. Some families rally around sports and outdoor activities, some fill their lives with religious traditions and some identify with a particular nationality. I discovered that multicultural is about more than just countries of the world.

Growing up, I often felt like I had “no culture,” since my family came from a mix of European countries and we didn’t really practice any of those traditions anyway. However, we did value family and music. When I started to learn about other countries and cultures, I was able to relate those activities to my own family.

There are many cultures of the world in which a celebration requires specific foods and music. For example, my family always gathers (from near and far) for weddings and funerals, eats certain foods, and makes music together. The more we can learn about our students’ family traditions, the more we can help them relate to the music and cultures we study in choir.

One way to create a truly multicultural education for you and your students is to tap into the resources you have among your choir. Ask them to write about their culture. You will be amazed at what you discover! Once you know where your students are coming from, it is easier to help them relate to each other, as well as to other peoples around the world.

For example, I discovered that some of my students grew up in a Japanese home. When studying music from Japan, these students could share personal stories about the foods, language, and tradition within their own family. This brings on a new kind of learning environment, where students begin to value learning from each other. Furthermore, each student feels he or she has something valuable to share with the class. I’m sure you know what this kind of shining moment can do for a student’s confidence and achievement.

When students share about their own culture, you also discover what valuable resources their parents are. I have found some parents who would love to come into my class to discuss the meaning of a particular folk song or text. (I have yet to actually get a parent in the classroom, however! I have talked to several over the phone about certain pieces, though.) Especially if they have lived in the country being studied, parents can bring so much more to the lesson than I could, based on some last-minute internet research! Parents can also be wonderful pronunciation guides. There are so many languages and dialects out there that we didn’t study in my college diction course!

(Side note: Although it requires some extra communication and organization, getting families involved is a great way to enhance the multicultural education in your choir room. When family members contribute to the choir program, it improves student confidence in participation and heightens focus in class. When parents and families are involved in the music program, their students feel empowered to accomplish great goals. Students tend to work harder when they know their parent is also working hard for them. It may seem like a lot of work up front, but parent involvement has made my life as a teacher much easier!)

Learning about the cultures present among your own students is also a great way to choose literature. If you are anything like me, you have this pile of great pieces you’ve gotten from reading sessions and are looking for ways to narrow it down to a more manageable-sized pile! Polling your students helps you choose countries and parts of the world to study.

In middle school, many students are just starting to become interested in their own cultural heritage and get pretty excited when a piece we study in choir comes from their family’s heritage. At the end of my multicultural study, I put on a “world tour” concert with my choirs. Involving the students and their parents in the multicultural education truly showed in their enthusiastic performance. Of course, this is a great way to impress administrators as well!

Many of you may already be doing these kinds of things in your choirs, and more. I am always looking for new ideas and ways to include authentic multicultural experiences for my students and would love to hear what you are doing!

If you are someone who is not sure where to start, I encourage you to start with your own students. If nothing else, it will strengthen the sense of community within your choir… Sing on!