Harnessing Dialectics

What does it mean to teach for openings in the music classroom?

The word dialectical has several meanings, all of which seem relevant to the topic at hand, but most certainly the following:

(Merriam-Webster, n.d.)

In “Teaching for Openings: Pedagogy as Dialect,” Dr. Maxine Greene wrestles with the temptation to remain where it is comfortable, to not have to confront the contradictory ideas that arise when we “look through the perspectives of more and more persons” (Greene, p. 9) But that is most certainly the charge of educators; that is, we must first be sure that we are truly seeing “clearly through our own eyes, [speaking] clearly… in our own voices,” (p. 2) so that we can then “find ways of enabling the young to find their voices, to open their spaces, to reclaim their histories in all their variety and discontinuity. Attention has to be paid to those on the borders, on the margins, the too frequently smothered voices… it is a matter of releasing them, if we can, to make their claims, to break with their silences, to thematize and articulate their words.” (p. 10) She is also careful to often remind the reader that it is impossible to do this any other way than “against our own lived stories,” (p. 10) that we cannot ignore the context in which any of this occurs.

The music room is specially equipped to allow our students to “find their voices, to open their spaces, [and] to reclaim their histories” (p. 10) if we create the circumstances. This essay may as well have been the introduction to a book on culturally responsive pedagogy. We have to truly see and hear what is going on around us and empower our students to bring their lived experiences to the table, celebrate their music, give them a hand in choosing what is studied, and give them the musical tools to articulate themselves in a way that is truly meaningful to them. We also have to create a safe space where the tensions of differences can be both felt, appreciated, and explored. We cannot ignore the context, but we can use it to spark conversations that allow for deeper understanding.

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Greene, M. (1994). Teaching for Openings: Pedagogy as Dialectic. In P. A. Sullivan & D. J. Qualley

(Eds.), Pedagogy in the Age of Politics Writing and Reading (in) the Academy (pp. 1-12). Urbana, IL:

National Council of Teachers of English.

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Dialectic. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved from

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialectic