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Abstract: Ms. Brandi Waller-Pace along with Ms. Syreeta Neal discuss the importance of understanding historical perspectives and racial inequality. It is vital to appreciate that lived experiences provide a valid and necessary perspective to understanding how many BBIA (Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian) people have been affected in society. As music educators, we have a responsibility to present our students with an authentic understanding of content and celebrate diversity in our learning environments.
Résumé : Mme Brandi Waller-Pace et Mme Syreeta Neal traitent de limportance de comprendre les perspectives historiques et les inégalités raciales. Comprendre les experiences vécues est essentiel pour bien saisir comment ces nombreuses personnes BBIA (Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian) ont été affectées en société. En tant que musiciens éducateurs, nous avons la responsabilité de favoriser le développement de connaissances en contextes authentiques et de créer des environnements dapprentissage qui accueillent la diversité.
On Monday, March 1, 2021, the members of the Newfoundland and Labrador Music Educators Association (NLMEA) were invited to participate in an online professional learning event with the founder of Decolonizing the Music Room. Brandi Waller-Pace (Texas, USA), along with her co-presenter Syreeta Neal (originally from Toronto, Ontario, now living in Los Angeles, USA). The organization seeks to raise awareness and understanding among music educators about anti-racism and decolonizing practices and strives for racial equity within the music education community. The mandate of the nonprofit organization is to help music educators to develop critical practices and center BBIA (Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian) voices, knowledge and experiences in order to challenge the historical dominance of white Western European and American music, narratives and practices. The purpose of their work is to build a future of racial equity in music education.
Ms. Pace and Ms. Neal began their presentation by helping us to recognize and acknowledge the validity of various viewpoints when it comes to race and ethnicity and to allow a place for lived experience, as is it...