Creative Music Making through Multicultural Materials – A Spring Workshop Reflection

It was a joy to gather on April 26th with the vibrant and dedicated members of both the Evergreen Orff Chapter and the Northwest Kodály Educators for a combined spring workshop in Snohomish, Washington. It felt especially meaningful to reconnect with familiar faces and see the strong sense of community that continues to thrive among music educators in the Pacific Northwest.

The workshop focused on embracing the richness of cultural diversity in today’s classrooms through music. As an immigrant educator who previously taught in California, I had the privilege of working in a school where students spoke over 25 different languages at home. Moreover, I had a long experience at international schools with diverse cultural backgrounds. These experiences significantly shaped my perspective on the need for music education that is both inclusive and culturally responsive.

In this post-pandemic educational landscape—where students’ attention spans are stretched thin and the influence of technology is ever-present—we must think deeply about how we engage learners. Music-making needs to be more than a passive experience; it should be interactive, relevant, joyful, and grounded in the lived experiences of our students.

Throughout the day, participants engaged in hands-on, creative activities using multicultural music materials I’ve gathered during fieldwork and research. These activities encouraged educators to reflect on their own teaching practices and explore how they can more effectively represent and honor the musical traditions of their students.

Let’s continue to create spaces where every child’s musical heritage is recognized, celebrated, and woven into the fabric of our classrooms.