Name
Maintaining Peace of Mind: Black Music Teachers and Coping Strategies Working in P-12 Schools
Date & Time
Thursday, July 30, 2026, 2:20 PM - 2:50 PM
Description
Black music teachers often find themselves isolated as (a) one of the very few or sole music teachers in the building and (b) easily identifiable people based on skin color. This narrative study aimed to explore three Black music teachers' experiences of racial microaggressions in predominantly white P-12 schools. Three research questions guided this study: (1) How do the three Black music teacher participants describe their experiences with racial microaggressions in the workplace?, (2) How do the three Black music teacher participants consider their responses to racial microaggressions in the workplace?, and (3) What coping strategies do the three Black music teacher participants utilize to care for their well-being when experiencing racial microaggressions? Data collected was viewed through the conceptual lenses of racial microaggressions (Pierce, 1995; Sue et al., 2007) and microinterventions (Sue et al., 2019). Participants included three Black music teachers who worked in predominantly white P-12 schools, representing the apprentice, expert, and distinguished phases of their teaching careers (Steffy et al., 2000). Data collection included three semi-structured interviews, participant journals, a focus group, and a participant-selected song of connection. Analysis of participant narratives included a three-dimensional space approach (Ollerenshaw & Creswell, 2002) to presenting each participant’s story, followed by a presentation of threaded findings. Findings suggest that the three Black music teacher participants experienced various microassaults, microinsults, and microinvalidations from colleagues, administrators, students, and parents. Racially microaggressive occurrences include othering, being tasked to become a disciplinarian or othermother for students, tokenism, and the questioning of their intelligence. Participants discussed their responses to racial microaggressions, including their approach towards offenders, their work assisting students of color with their own responses toward racially charged acts, and including more Black music in the music curriculum. The three Black music teacher participants limited their racial battle fatigue by using coping strategies such as counterspaces, prayer and meditation, therapy, family, isolation, and relationships with allies. Suggestions for Black music teachers are provided, including suggestions to consider their safety and emotional energy when responding to racial microaggressions, support of students of color, if able, and development of coping strategies that help care for their well-being.
Location Name
513A
Full Address
Palais des Congres - Montréal Convention Centre
1001, Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle
Montreal QC H2Z 1H2
Canada
Session Type
Paper Presentation
Presenting Author(s)
Tiffanie Waldron