KEVIN PSOLKA-GREEN
Kevin Psolka-Green received his bachelor’s degree in music education from Gettysburg College in 2013, with trombone as his primary instrument. His research interests include antiracist education, and avant-garde music. He taught Pre-K through 8th grade general music and choir in several schools in the Chicagoland area for four years. He also sang professionally and served on the board of the Community Renewal Chorus, a Chicago based group. He currently teaches kindergarten through 5th grade general music at Jerabek Elementary in the San Diego Unified School District, and serves as the general music representative on the district’s Visual and Performing Arts advisory council.
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The Work: Anti-Racist Protest Music in Elementary General Music
In recent years, the conversation surrounding multiculturalism in music education has
intensified. Educators such as Hess and Bradley have identified a need for an explicitly antiracist
framework that addresses white supremacy. They call for an approach that identifies, and
dismantles white supremacist power structures. In this provocation, I address the role that music has played in resisting white supremacy in the United States. I draw from my experience to discuss how anti-racist protest music is taught in K-8 curriculum. I propose an approach that foregrounds communities and practices that dismantle white supremacy, rather than a focus on atomistic musical works.
intensified. Educators such as Hess and Bradley have identified a need for an explicitly antiracist
framework that addresses white supremacy. They call for an approach that identifies, and
dismantles white supremacist power structures. In this provocation, I address the role that music has played in resisting white supremacy in the United States. I draw from my experience to discuss how anti-racist protest music is taught in K-8 curriculum. I propose an approach that foregrounds communities and practices that dismantle white supremacy, rather than a focus on atomistic musical works.