The Application of bell hooks’s Pedagogical Framework to Violin Group Class and Applied Lesson Scenarios

Yamaguchi, Joy

Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation

The Application of bell hooks’s Pedagogical Framework to Violin Group Class and Applied Lesson Scenarios Public Deposited

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Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/zp38wf22z

Abstract

Engagement of students from all backgrounds, the creation of a classroom community, and the development of relevant curricula are important facets of an emerging focus on equitable teaching practices in music education (Lewis, 2022). However, often neglected from this important conversation are the voices who have long served and embraced feminist, anti-racist, and transgressive pedagogical frameworks in the classroom and beyond. Gloria Jean Watkins (1952-2021), known by her pen name bell hooks, was an American author and activist known for her foundational writings about race, class, and feminism. As a lifelong teacher and researcher, her pedagogy embodies radical love and openness, claiming education as a means of liberating others and oneself from systems of oppression within society. In this paper, I outline three foundational aspects of her pedagogical framework: 1) her philosophy and purpose: education as a practice of freedom; 2) her vision: the democratic classroom; and 3) the instructional methods she utilizes in pursuit of this vision: engaged pedagogy. In the spirit of hooks's devotion to praxis or the relationship between theory and practice, this paper presents an overview of pre-existing models of music teaching and learning that are aligned with hooks’s vision of engaged pedagogy and outlines its various applications to the violin group class and applied lesson scenarios. Ultimately, hooks believes that the creation of a democratic classroom that values transgression, community, and individual voice leads to a transformed society.

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