ABSTRACT
A culturally responsive approach to music education means valuing what students already know and finding ways to expand upon that prior knowledge. How music teacher education programs are accredited is also partially responsible for maintaining Western European classical traditions. The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), the accrediting agent for many schools of music, requires that students admitted to undergraduate degrees in music demonstrate the ability to 'relate musical sound to notation' and must have an understanding of music terminology. The College Music Society (CMS) task force recommended the undergraduate curriculum be streamlined to provide room to give students more choices. Students enrolled in courses that reflect a new paradigm at the middle and high school level must have an entrance point into music study at the collegiate level and, once there, must have options that support their continued growth as musicians.
