Making a way out of no way : exploring Black music teacher agency through the lens of critical consciousness
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Agency can be defined as "a person's capacity to engage with cultural schemas and mobilize resources in ways that did not exist before, creating new contexts and practices" (Varelas et al., 2015, p. 1). In predominantly Black, and often urban educational environments, there exist various systemic and cultural factors that elicit the need for Black music teachers to exercise their agency to circumvent the effects of these factors. Critical consciousness (Freire, 1970) can provide a framework for Black music educators who teach in predominantly Black schools to view their teaching contexts and Black students with an understanding of the ways in which socioeconomic systems create and uphold inequality. This collective case study explored the ways in which five Black public school music teachers exercised their agency within their schools and communities leading to positive outcomes for themselves and their students. Analysis found that Black music teacher agency was facilitated by highly developed interpersonal skills and professional fearlessness. The teachers tapped into cultural capital within their networks and the Black community, acknowledged the interdependence of networks and institutions, and possessed a deep sense of shared culture with Black students. Additionally, they were fearless in advocating for themselves, developed teacher values that existed outside of music education norms, and displayed positive insubordination by challenging authority figures in education. The professional outcomes of these teachers challenged deficit narratives of predominantly Black schools and music programs by showing how music teachers can exercise agency to maneuver around or through structures within their teaching environments to empower themselves and their programs.
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Ph. D.