Name
544 - Real Native: A Content Analysis of Music Education Repertoire that Indicates Native American Music
Date & Time
Monday, July 27, 2026, 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Description
The purpose of this study was to identify and categorize instrumental music education resources based on Native American culture. Inclusion of Native American culture and music may present an evolving area of concentration to achieve culturally responsive pedagogy ideals. The research questions of this study were: (a) What music resources are available in the United States to support music educators in teaching Native American music and culture within traditional concert band settings for upper elementary through secondary students, and (b) how do these resources differ in musical content, cultural representation, and composer identity? I analyzed published music compositions for grades 5-12 concert bands on three website databases that market wind band music. I coded the music to indicate potential Native American content with the two codes of tribal affiliation represented and broad Native American connection. Codes are based on a combination of signifiers collected from publishers’ summaries, piece titles, program notes when available, and musical content. The tribal affiliation code indicates that the piece specifies a direct tribe, grouping of tribal communities, or geographic region. The broad Native American connection code indicates that the piece uses generalized terms like Native American or tribal, references cultural or historical events including specific tribal members without listing tribal affiliation, or implies connection through the title and musical content. From the sample of (N=43) pieces, 63% (n= 27) represented tribal affiliation and 37% (n=16) had broad Native American connection. Sixteen different tribal affiliations were represented in the sample. Additionally, the number of pieces explicitly referencing each tribal affiliation were recorded and categorized. The most frequently represented were the Cherokee with six pieces, followed by the Squamish and Huron, each with five, the Arikara and Pueblo with two pieces, and all others with one piece each. The results of this study indicate that pieces aligning with the tribal affiliation code may be more widely available and appear more frequently across different tribal affiliations and in website databases than pieces that align with the broad Native American connection code. Tribal affiliation pieces were also found to be more available for grades 1-3. Broad Native American connection pieces were more evenly distributed amongst grade levels, with most falling in the 2-3.5 range. Further research on evaluating culturally diverse music education resources for cultural authenticity and educational merit may be beneficial to the field of culturally responsive pedagogy in music education in the United States.
Location Name
210A - Poster Gallery
Session Type
Poster Presentation
Presenter(s)
Noah Brant
Poster Board
17