Critical and Culturally Sustaining Music Pedagogy

Whether by mandate or by personal aspiration, teachers across the United States are compelled to teach in a manner that is culturally relevant to their students. Culturally relevant pedagogy, and its recent iteration, culturally sustaining pedagogy, call for high levels of student achievement, the development of multiple cultural competencies, and the raising of sociopolitical consciousness. Culturally sustaining ped- agogy and critical pedagogy share a focus on connecting to students’ lived experience, empowering students in the classroom and in the world, and developing students’ critical consciousness. As asset-based peda- gogies, both approaches focus on what students know first. This essay defines culturally sustaining pedagogy and presents a comprehensive example of the pedagogy in action. Then, through narrative exploration, the author reflects on his own journey from teaching as monologue, to teaching as dialogue, and finally, to teaching as cultural sustainment