Challenging the Canon: A Thematic Exploration of Underrepresented Composers in Music Theory Pedagogy

Open Access
- Author:
- Neely, Emma
- Area of Honors:
- Music Education
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Music Education
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Eric John Mckee, Thesis Supervisor
Linda Carol Porter Thornton, Thesis Honors Advisor
Taylor Aitken Greer, Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- music
music education
music theory
theory pedagogy
women composers
women in music
diversity
inclusion - Abstract:
- My goal is to create an inclusive database and information hub for music teachers of all backgrounds to allow them to introduce new and underrepresented composers and music to their students. I am focusing specifically on female composers who identify as Jewish, disabled, indigenous, and/or queer. I have identified these voices as missing from current databases, which provides me with the scope of my research. My mission with this database is to make the music and these composers' names more accessible to everyone, to provide educational material about these composers, to offer a theoretical application of their works, and to advance the new canon. My thesis overall will be split into two halves: first, a database that includes composers who are underrepresented in the typical canon, which can be accessed here; and second, a written thesis that explores the backgrounds of these composers and applies them to curriculum data points that would be taught in a standard classroom. The second part, the written thesis, will center us by establishing where we stand currently, and will contain a critique of 15 databases that are currently active, in which I examine their strengths and critique their shortcomings. The second section will be an in-depth exploration of each composer that I have selected and will include links to learn more about each of them. Finally, I attempt to give readers a sense of hope as we look toward the future, and call educators to action to take control of their own learning to educate their students more effectively. Education has been created for certain people, and that foundation is still there. When asked about why inclusion is so important to students who may not see themselves represented in the traditional curriculum, Hollie Kulago, Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Penn State, says “To be inclusive means to include and value” (Kulago). When we think about why diversity and inclusivity is important, everyone who is not of that group (white men) has been excluded. As students cannot see themselves in these roles and represented in this field, they automatically (most times subconsciously) feel that their ideas, opinions, and they themselves do not belong or are not valued in the learning environment they are a part of. This is strictly qualitative research, and it is something that the music world needs direly.