Theoretical Background, Aims, MethodsIn spite of the diversity of peoples, histories, cultures, and contemporary musical practices, Canadian school music has remained relatively unchanged since its introduction in the 19th century (Beatty, 2007; Shand, 1982). This presentation reports on research exploring the potential of a local music pedagogy for decolonizing and Indigenizing music education in a specific Canadian city.The objectives for this study are to:1. Co-construct a framework for a localized decolonizing music education in collaboration with local music educators and community partners;2. Better understand barriers to decolonizing music education experienced by music educators in a specific context.Design-Based Experimental Research (Cobb, 2000; McKenney & Reeves, 2019; Plomp & Nieveen, 2013; van den Akker et al. 2006) was chosen as a methodological approach because our aim is to produce useable knowledge to transform practice in real-world contexts (Kelly, 2004; Molina et al. 2007). In a DBER study, pedagogical design is intertwined with research, making it possible to simultaneously address issues of practice and theory, positioning teachers as knowledge producers rather than consumers (Cobb, 2000; Loughran, 2012). The research team for this ongoing inquiry consists of the P.I., three music educators, a divisional arts consultant, a local arts administrator, three research assistants, and several critical friends including local Indigenous and non-Indigenous musicians. In year 1 we are working to create a local music pedagogy framework, and in year 2 we will be piloting the framework in schools.Results, Conclusions, ImplicationsThree preliminary themes have emerged in our work together: 1. strategies for broadening teachers’ horizons; 2. the learning potential of co-creating a body of repertoire; and 3. addressing equity issues in our local context. We have also discovered the need to engage in a deeper theorization of the local in order to avoid doing what we always/already do. In seeking a more robust theoretical base, we have put Western conceptions of place in conversation with Indigenous understandings of Land, thereby seeking to create an ethical space (Ermine, 2007) where we can attend to the "happenstance juxtapositions” that give rise to unique social qualities that have come to be associated with our local (Massey, 1993, p. 148). As we share our findings related to how place/Land impacts social life in this specific place (Soja, 2010), we also discuss historical and contemporary interactions and “directionality of power” between our local and the wider world (Massey, 1993; Mohanty, 2003, p. 242).