Creating Multicultural Communities through Art and Music

This handbook provides educators with resources and strategies to create multicultural communities through art and music. The authors propose theoretical and practical classroom methods to develop strands of a multicultural curriculum using visual and performing arts. Dr. Hwa Young Caruso examines the role of arts in forming cultural identity and self identity as the United States experiences a demographic revolution. Dr. O.C. Bobby Daniels exposes the sub-textual denial of major contributions by African-Americans in visual and performing arts especially music by exposing the mythology that American culture is solely Anglo-centric. Dr. Lisa Hochtritt warns teachers about the limitations of a classroom that superficially embraces diversity as an activity more than an attitude by using pre-packaged multicultural art materials. Dr. Christine Staikidis describes an inclusive studio art and art education curriculum which incorporates a holistic approach to art making that is alien to the Anglo-centric protocol. Dr. Pamela Harris Lawton describes the unique capacity of art to communicate ideas and advocate social change across the spectrum of diversity.