0136 - An Equity-Centered Trauma Lens for the Music Educator

Course Description

With the increasing prevalence of trauma rhetoric in society overall, it can be difficult to know how to navigate and adjust our approaches in music learning spaces. Additionally, when trauma-informed approaches do not center equity, implementation can cause further harm to students who have already experienced marginalization. In this session, participants will learn to see music teaching and learning through a trauma lens. This framework challenges educators to move beyond stigmatizing notions of parsing out “the traumatized” to applying universal, justice-oriented approaches for all. Participants will gain an understanding of trauma, trauma response, and the presentation of trauma in the music classroom. Through understanding the roots of maladaptive behavior, participants will be challenged to examine their classroom management and relational strategies. Participants will be invited to evaluate biases regarding trauma, their own student-teacher interactions, and will be tasked with self-reflection in their teaching context.

Learner Outcomes

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

• Describe and identify trauma responses at various developmental stages;
• Describe and identify the intersections of trauma and inequity; and
• Compare and contrast strategies for implementing a trauma lens in their music learning spaces.