Page 35 - AC-2-1

Arts & Communication

PERSPECTIVE ARTICLE
To hope all things: A relational response to

racism in music education

Susan Quindag*
School of Education, Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, United States of America

Abstract
Throughout the United States, critical race theory (CRT) has been integrated and
implemented in various school districts and higher education institutions to address
and combat racism. As a variant theory of Marxism and critical theory, CRT, however,
has many problems. One such problem is that it claims that racism is systemic in
society and that society must be fundamentally changed or overthrown through
activism. However, a systemic change alone will not combat racism because it is
fundamentally a relational/spiritual problem and, therefore, should be addressed by
a relational response. This paper explores the research question: What is a relational
response to racism? To do so, I describe critical theory’s historical and theoretical roots
and why it is inadequate to address racism. Then, I define the relational mindset as
“the beliefs that orient us to understand the world through profound connectedness
for growth beyond knowledge and action beyond technique” and expound on the
words “connectedness,” “growth,” and “action.” To demonstrate a practical application
of the relational mindset in music education, I present three indicators to align the
objectives of a lesson plan – communication, empathy, and regard. I then discuss
*Corresponding author: the application of the relational mindset to a music lesson on a spiritual sung by the
Susan Quindag Gullahs, “The Welcome Table.” I conclude the paper with questions to evaluate the
(srquindag@liberty.edu)
veracity of other theories with the relational mindset and a final encouragement for
Citation: Quindag S. To hope all educators when thinking about racism.
things: A relational response to
racism in music education.
Arts & Communication.
2024;2(1):1234 Keywords: Music; Education; Racism; Critical Theory; Relational Mindset; Spirituality
https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.1234
Received: July 4, 2023
Accepted: November 10, 2023 1. Introduction
Published Online: January 12, I’m gonna sit at the welcome table,
2024
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). I’m gonna sit at the welcome table one of these days,
This is an Open-Access article Alleluia
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution I’m gonna sit at the welcome table,
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, gonna sit at the welcome table one of these days. 1
provided the original work is
properly cited. The opening text is from an African–American spiritual sung by the Gullahs –
Publisher’s Note: AccScience descendants of the enslaved West Africans who were brought to the United States in
Publishing remains neutral with the 1600s and settled along the East Coast. Although it is a song that emerged from
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional the global human atrocity of slavery, it is a spiritual of encouragement, relationship,
affiliations. and hopefulness to one day be at the “welcome table.” For this paper, I would like us

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2024) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.1234