Singing in Harmony: Reflections on Forty Years of Teaching Art in New Zealand Schools

This paper presents experiences and personal reflections on teaching art in multicultural secondary schools in New Zealand for over forty years. An educational construct that puts students’ lived realities and cultural experiences at the forefront of their education—primarily through a process of respecting them and their communities—is presented by an art teacher whose career and practice have moved from a monocultural, Eurocentric system to a more equitable, diverse, student-based culture