Delpit Blog

    As a student going into the education field, it is our collective duties to recognize the flaws in our Culture that we have developed in the education system. It is our job to influence the students of tomorrow and by shaping the education system of today by destroying stereotypes, unconscious bias, and the culture of white power in order for the educators of tomorrow to be as successful if not more than we are. As an educators we should provide the most inclusive programs we have to offer. 

    Personally, I am going into the Music Education field for me that would include providing instruments to students who don't have the income to financially take on affording an instrument. It also means that I will provide after school and sectional time for the students who don't have a place at home to practice. I've recognized that for some students they live in strenuous situations where they may not be able to play a loud instrument at home. In the regards of music history teach music history how it should be, many teachers teach music history how they want to and not by how it actually is. Comments like "The Beetles invented rock" is a phrase commonly heard in classrooms but simply isn't true (Also hot take The Beetles are not a very good band that also had racist and sexist backgrounds.) Artists like Chuck Barry an African American rock performer or Trixie Smith an African American Woman performer who preformed a ton of blues that had many roots in Rock, have all greatly influenced and invented the genre of rock, but you have probably never even heard some of these musicians. Their music had such an influence and were the inventor of the genres but the black man wrote the music the white man stole it. This is a common thread in so many other styles, genres, and composers in music but, this also applies to other aspects in human development. 

    The same issues applied to Racism also applies to Sexism as well. Look at how women in media get treated vs. a man. The moment something bad / scandalous happens a woman is more likely to get backlash from it than a man. Look at Marilyn Manson for example, he is a man who has done horrendous things but because he is S.W.A.A.M.P he gets away with the crimes he has committed and still has a musical platform across all medias. Now not so much on the topic of crimes, look at Lizzo for example, she gets a massive amount of hate whether it is her music, style, or how she made a comment fat shaming someone else, but gets the same amount of backlash if not more than Marilyn Manson having multiple a ledged rape trials as well as other physical altercations. Granted, she does have 4 million more listeners than Marilyn Manson does, but even the fact that he has 7.2 MILLION monthly listeners is appalling. 

    As a growing music student, I have even seen racism and discrimination in the music classroom myself. At the High School I went to, to which I will remain the teacher anonymous, made many a rude comments in his career to which ended his career there. Whether he was kidding or not he would make many comments regarding a students race of being Chinese correlating to why he is as good at the piano as he is. Stereotyping Asian students as "good at music or the piano" is not good. Stereotyping an individual based on their race is in fact racist. Having seen how that made the student feel in real time has motivated me to stand up for what the individual wants and protect their right for music at all cost.