Understanding Systemic Ethnocentrism in Music Education

Although music education is inherently multicultural (Elliott D. J. Praxial music education: reflections and dialogues. Oxford University Press, 1995), from a systemic perspective, it is still structured and carried out in surprisingly ethnocentric ways. I argue one step in what is sure to be a lengthy journey towards higher levels of intercultural sensitivity in music education should involve making music education “systems” more interculturally-sensitive themselves. In this chapter, I unpack four deeply engrained systemic tendencies that have thus far prevented the field of music education from fulfilling its unique potential to function as a powerful form of global education. As the chapter concludes, I consider how these curricular tendencies can be understood as manifestations of unresolved issues related to the DMIS ethnocentric stages (Denial, Defense, and Minimization).