What Can I Do?

AS A LISTENER

Broaden your tastes. The world is full of awesome music from all peoples, cultures, and nations.

Don’t listen to new music with closed ears. Instead, be open to elements of music that are new to you.

Support artists from marginalized backgrounds online or by attending concerts. You can also help by donating to relevant organizations, campaigns, and initiatives.

Challenge your perception of Western classical music. The Western art music tradition is well-established, but it isn’t necessarily any “better” or less accessible than the music of marginalized groups.

Share. The more people that see and hear about these topics, the more change can be made. Additionally, sharing music by musicians from marginalized backgrounds can help make a difference.

AS AN EDUCATOR

Promote diversity in the classroom. Does your classroom reflect the diversity of your school? The demographics of academic music tend to be more white than those of the world around it. What can you do to increase diversity?

Promote equity in the classroom. Do the opportunities in your classroom represent its diversity? Ensure that students in your classroom are provided the same opportunities despite race, socioeconomic status, gender, or other differences.

Promote cultural inclusion in the classroom. Music is a lot more than just Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. Unless your course is specifically dedicated to a genre of Western art music, try to reflect the world rather than promoting a single style.

Understand the implications of what you teach. Everything you teach has a meaning and a background.

Diversify your repertoire. There are many resources to help find diverse programming. Remember: people aren’t just data points or checkboxes. It’s important to program diversity, but it’s just as important to avoid tokenism by teaching your students about these composers and, if possible, commissioning and developing a relationship with composers from marginalized backgrounds.

AS A STUDENT

Understand the implications of what you learn. Everything you study has a meaning and a background, which you often won’t learn in class.

Learn outside the classroom. There’s a lot you won’t learn in the classroom, and it’s what you don’t know that can lead to instances of bias.

AS AN ADMINISTRATOR

Promote diversity in your institution. See what you can do to promote more diverse student and faculty populations, as well as diversity within classrooms. You can conduct an evaluation on your own or with organizations like the Center for Urban Education.

Promote equity in your institution. In addition to diversity, which is measured by numbers, it is important to ensure that the opportunities provided to students are truly equitable. What can you do to break down racial barriers for students and faculty of color?

Promote cultural inclusion in your institution. Promote the authentic teaching, learning, and performing of non-Western traditions.

Challenge course requirements. Many music course requirements include Western music theory and Western music history. What would look different if students could opt to study the theory and history of a different tradition?

AS A PERFORMER

Diversify your repertoire. There are many resources to help find diverse programming. Remember: people aren’t just data points or checkboxes. It’s important to program diversity, but it’s just as important to avoid tokenism by learning about these composers and, if possible, commissioning and developing a relationship with composers from marginalized backgrounds.

Support performers and composers from marginalized backgrounds. If you are white, male, or otherwise privileged, you can use your privilege by challenging opportunities that aren’t diverse and/or equitable. You can also use your voice to speak out and promote the music of composers and performers from marginalized backgrounds.

Understand the implications of the pieces you play. While it is easy to separate a piece from its past or from its composer, it is important to keep in mind that some pieces and composers can carry negative associations to certain audiences.

AS A MUSIC DIRECTOR / IN CHARGE OF PROGRAMMING

Support composers from marginalized backgrounds. Program, promote, and, if possible, commission composers from marginalized backgrounds.

Diversify your programming. There are many resources to help find diverse programming. Remember: people aren’t just data points or checkboxes. It’s important to program diversity, but it’s just as important to avoid tokenism by learning about these composers and, if possible, commissioning and developing a relationship with composers from marginalized backgrounds.

Understand the implications of the pieces you program. While it is easy to separate a piece from its past or from its composer, it is important to keep in mind that some pieces and composers can carry negative associations to certain audiences.

Consider ways to bring music outside the traditional concert setting. The concert hall performance can sometimes come across as an elitist and gatekept system to people who aren’t already a part of the classical world. What would look different in a less traditional performance setting?

AS A COMPOSER

Support composers and performers from marginalized backgrounds. If you are white, male, or otherwise privileged, you can use your privilege by challenging opportunities that aren’t diverse and/or equitable. You can also use your voice to speak out and promote the music of composers and performers from marginalized backgrounds.

Expand your influences. There’s lots of wonderful music out there—familiarize yourself with the music of musicians from underrepresented backgrounds as well as music from non-Western traditions.