Inclusivity and the “Perfect Teaching Piece” in the Undergraduate Post-Tonal Classroom

In this chapter, I briefly explore how the ideal of the “perfect teaching piece” can unnecessarily limit classroom teaching and further narratives of White supremacy. I include discussion of how works such as Julius Eastman’s Piano 2 (1986), Dorothy Rudd Moore’s song cycle From the Dark Tower (1972), Zenobia Powell Perry’s Sonatine for Clarinet (1963), and Tania Léon’s “Oh Yemanja” from Scourge of Hyacinths (1994) fit into the post-tonal curriculum for undergraduates. Sample assignments featuring these pieces are available in this book’s Supplemental Materials website. Finally, I discuss strategies for addressing students’ (and instructors’!) discomfort with music beyond the “perfect teaching piece.”