ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses what does culturally responsive teaching look like in a music classroom. The vignettes, reflective prompts, and strategies that follow are all designed to help teachers envision culturally responsive teaching in action and to provide a framework for reflective practice. Many of the students had been placed in the music classroom against their wishes by counselors looking for ways to deal with behavior problems. At Jackson High School, the band and choral programs offer students a variety of ways to engage with music. The band and choral directors both make curricular choices that take into consideration the demographics of their student population, what they know about how their students engage with music outside of the classroom, and how they can effectively develop their students' musicianship in relevant and meaningful ways. Being culturally responsive means that teachers work to make informed curricular and programmatic choices that connect to what they know about their students.
