IDEA Resources in Music
List of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Resources in Music compiled by
Dr. Michael L. Austin, Senior Lecturer in Music and Sound, Edge Hill University
Last Updated: October 2023
List of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Resources in Music compiled by
Dr. Michael L. Austin, Senior Lecturer in Music and Sound, Edge Hill University
Last Updated: October 2023
If you have any additional resources to add, or if you notice any of the links are dead, please let me know: michael@mlaustin.com
Black, Amanda M., and Andrea F. Bohlman. ‘Resounding the Campus: Pedagogy, Race, and the Environment | Journal of Music History Pedagogy’. Journal of Music History Pedagogy 8, no. 1 (2017). https://www.ams-net.org/ojs/index.php/jmhp/article/view/217.
Bull, Anna, Diljeet Bhachu, Amy Blier-Carruthers, Alexander Bradley, and Seferin James, 2022. Slow Train Coming? Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in UK Music Higher Education. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Music Studies Network: https://edims.network/report/slowtraincoming/.
Brown, Danielle. June 12, 2020. “An Open Letter on Racism in Music Studies: Especially Music Education and Ethnomusicology.” My People Tell Stories. https://www.mypeopletellstories.com/blog/open-letter
Caizley, Scott. 20 July 2020. "Levelling the playing field in UK music onservatoires: Diversifying through decolonising. Higher Education Policy Institute Blog. https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2020/07/20/levelling-the-playing-field-in-uk-music-conservatoires-diversifying-through-decolonising/
Ermolaeva, Katya. "Dinah, Put Down Your Horn: Blackface Minstrel Songs Don't Belong in Music Class." Medium. https://gen.medium.com/dinah-put-down-your-horn-154b8d8db12a
Fitzpatrick, Kate R., Jacqueline C. Henninger, & Don M. Taylor. 2014. “Access and retention of marginalized populations within undergraduate music education degree programs.” Journal of Research in Music Education, 62: 105-127.
Johnson, Julian. 2002. Who needs classical music? Cultural choice and musical value (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Johnson-Williams, Erin (2021) ‘Online EDI Resources: Towards a Reflexive Archive‘, Royal Musical Association Research Chronicle, 1–4.
Madrid, Alejandro L. 2017. “Diversity, tokenism, non-canonical musics, and the crisis of the humanities in U.S. academia.” Journal of Music History Pedagogy, 7(2): 124–129.
Molk, Dave. December 11, 2019. “Teaching Inequality: Consequences of Traditional Music Theory Pedagogy.” New Music Box. Available online: https://nmbx.newmusicusa.org/teaching-inequality-consequences-of-traditional-music-theory-pedagogy/
Moke, Dave and Michelle Ohnona. January 29, 2020. “Promoting Equity: Developing an Antiracist Music Theory Classroom.” New Music Box. Available online: https://nmbx.newmusicusa.org/promoting-equity-developing-an-antiracist-music-theory-classroom/
National Association for Music Education. N.D. “Inclusivity and Diversity in Music Education: A Position Statement of the National Association for Music Education." Available online: https://nafme.org/about/position-statements/inclusivity-diversity/
Orejuela, Fernando, and Stephanie Shonekan. Black Lives Matter and Music: Protest, Intervention, Reflection. Indiana University Press, 2018.
Society for Ethnomusicology, May 5, 2017. “Disciplinary intervention for a practice of ethnomusicology.” Sound Matters Blog. Available online: https://soundmattersthesemblog.com/2017/05/05/disciplinary-intervention-for-a-practice-of-ethnomusicology/
Stanton, Burke. 2018. "Musicking in the borders: Toward decolonizing methodologies." Philosophy of Music Education Review, 26(1): 4-23.
Vaugeois, Lise. 2007. “Social Justice and Music Education: Claiming the Space of Music Education as a Site of Postcolonial Contestation” Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 6(4):163–200.
Vendil, Sugar. June 10, 2020. “PoC Perspectives on Diversity Initiatives, Part 1,” I Care If You Listen, Available online: https://www.icareifyoulisten.com/2020/06/poc-perspectives-diversity-initiatives-part-1/
Vendil, Sugar. June 11, 2020. “PoC Perspectives on Diversity Initiatives, Part 2,” I Care If You Listen, Available online: https://www.icareifyoulisten.com/2020/06/poc-perspectives-diversity-initiatives-part-2/
Advance is a community leading the change in developing an infrastructure for the betterment, upliftment, and retention of Black people in the music business in Canada..
AWFC is a community of composers and colleagues who strive to support and celebrate the work of women composers through advocacy and education. This visibility is important to herald in equality amongst our industry and bring diverse voices to film, television, video games and multimedia projects. They are proud to host the first ever directory of women film composers allowing filmmakers and decision makers the opportunity to discover new talent.
Leading disability organisation, Attitude is Everything, has continued to activate campaigns, fight for the disability pay gap, call for changes to Access To Work, and deliver initiatives to advocate for disabled people in the music industry.
Beats By Girlz is the promise of a future - one where traditionally marginalized gender identities are able to visualize and realize their full potential. We do this important work by giving them access to the tools, resources, education, and community necessary to foster growth. Music is the skeleton key we use to open the door to technology parity and justice, not only in the music industry but in all tech-related fields where women and gender minorities are underrepresented.
Article: "Dear Music Industry: Don't Let DEI Die," by Gail Mitchell (1 June 2023)
Database of BIPOC Artists and Administrators working in opera; website also features job board
The BMC is dedicated to eradicating racial inequality and establishing equality and equity for Black executives, artists and their communities within the UK Music Industry. The organisation currently consists of an executive committee formed of Black professionals either working in or affiliated to the UK music industry, as well as a wider committee also formed of Black music industry professionals.
The Creative Mentor Network works with young people and creative professionals to make the creative industries more socio-economically diverse, offering mentorship, recruitment opportunities, and consultancy.
ESEA Music is a community for East Asian and South East Asian music artists and music industry professionals based in the UK.
List of women working in professional audio (engineering/production, live sound, broadcast, etc.)
Future of Music Coalition (FMC) is a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit organization supporting a musical ecosystem where artists flourish and are compensated fairly and transparently for their work.
GMB is a nonprofit organization that empowers girls by expanding the female presence of music producers, DJs, and audio engineers. GMB works with girls ages 5-17 and hosts educational seminars, summer camps, industry panels, and networking events. GMB helps girls further their careers as music producers, DJs, and audio engineers by providing courses on industry-leading hardware and software. GMB also serves as an outlet for girls to unite and collaborate within the music industry.
A hub for innovation, education, and action turning up the volume on social change through music.
Neko is a charity with a vision for a more sustainable live music industry underpinned by a workforce representative of the UK population. Its mission is to help the next generation of talent reach their potential, no matter who they are or where they come from.
Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA) is a nationwide organisation raising awareness of the unique challenges facing parents and carers in the performing arts.
SITM is a nonprofit organization increasing the number of women working in music – songwriters, engineers, producers, artists and industry professionals. They are an independent, global network that operates as a unifying organization for women from across the industry, creating strength and impact on a global scale. As an umbrella nonprofit, they also provide resources and support for female-focused initiatives that are working to create meaningful change – both through their own programs, as well as external efforts around the world. Programs include an all-female songwriting series, industry database of women creators and mentorship program, with more to come. Their initiatives serve women in the industry today while fostering the development of future generations. A first-of-its-kind collaboration spanning the music industry, SITM is powered by creators, publishers, record labels, talent agencies, industry groups, media companies, streaming services, and more. They also profile women professionals on their website to promote visibility and provide networking and professional opportunities.
The USA-based SoundGirls was formed in 2013 by Karrie Keyes and Michelle Sabolchick Pettinato. Their focus has expanded from women in live sound to women in all aspects of audio, and they have many chapters worldwide. They also launched the EQL Directory which "seeks to bring the industry towards gender parity by uplifting and promoting the work of women and gender nonconforming people."
OUTVOICE! is a review of the top 40 "out" albums and tracks charts since 1996.
POWER UP is an ambitious, long-term initiative which supports Black music creators and industry professionals and executives, as well as addressing anti-Black racism and racial disparities in the music sector.
The Trans+ Creative Collective (TCC) is a community set up by, and for Trans+ creators and allies to connect with one another in a safe and inclusive environment.
Equality and Diversity information, reports, and resources
We Are Moving The Needle is a nonprofit organization supporting all women recording industry professionals, audio engineers and producers. We are an inclusive organization working to create measurable change by empowering women in the recording and professional audio industry with the education, equipment and the mentorship needed to succeed at the highest levels.
Women in CTRL is a non-profit music development organisation that was established with the goal of advancing gender equality in the music industry.
Women’s Audio Mission is a San Francisco/Oakland-based nonprofit organization that uses music and media and an incredible “carrot” of a training environment – the only professional recording studio in the world built and run by women/GNC individuals – to attract over 2,000 underserved women/girls/GNC individuals every year to STEM and creative technology studies that inspire them to amplify their voices and become the innovators of tomorrow. WAM’s award-winning curriculum weaves art and music with science, technology and computer programming and works to close the critical gender gap in creative technology careers.
WMBA is an exclusive professional organization dedicated to fostering opportunities for women within the music business through education, networking, industry involvement, community service, and organizational fellowship. Every month, the WMBA hosts membership meetings featuring guest speakers and panelists from all areas of the music business as well as networking events, philanthropic opportunities, and social outings for current and prospective members alike.
Based in the England, the Yorkshire Sound Women Network was founded to introduce women and girls to sound and music technology.
Provides a list of 10 approaches to questioning and examining possible implicit and explicit racial and cultural biases related to the selection and use of various types of music in K-12 educational settings.
Born out of the desire to foster cultural curiosity, Castle of our Skins is a concert and educational series dedicated to celebrating Black artistry through music. From classrooms to concert halls, Castle of our Skins invites exploration into Black heritage and culture, spotlighting both unsung and celebrated figures of past and present.
Decolonizing the Music Room is a nonprofit organization using research, training, and discourse to help music educators develop critical practices and center BBIA (Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian) voices, knowledge, and experiences in order to challenge the historical dominance of white Western European and American music, narratives, and practices. DTMR aims to disrupt the minimization and erasure of non-dominant cultures and identities in the field of music education to build a more equitable future through their work. Their website includes an extensive list of resources.
Founded in 2015, this site aims to serve as a clearinghouse for musicians, educators, and scholars interested in Hip-Hop and music education. We hope to share content and resources with all who are interested.
Resources for making sure that you integrate equality, diversity and inclusion in your music teaching.
Curriculum and downloadable concert videos, audio files, and student activities featuring diverse musical genres and cultural traditions.
Growing (Google Docs) list of songs traditionally/widely taught in K-12 with racist or derogatory terms or themes; those associated with Black minstrelsy; those with questionable origins, meaning, or authenticity; those with adult themes; and additional resources related to these works. Note: the Louisiana Tech University School of Music does not advocate for the ban of music appearing on this list, per se, but urges those who choose to perform it do so within a historically-informed, contextualized setting and to take advantage of the anti-discriminatory teaching opportunity that such a performance has the potential to afford.
This project is an attempt to trace how certain songs that we have come to consider to be a part of the United States folk and children's music canon have roots within the tradition of blackface minstrelsy.
Bibliography of research related to diversity, equity, and inclusion pedagogy in colleges and universities in North America.
Practical Steps for Creating an Intersectional, Interventionist Syllabus
Provides opportunity for diverse composers to have their wind band and orchestral literature performed and recorded; also provides databases of repertoire of diverse composers for wind and orchestral ensembles.
Promoting inclusion in piano repertoire. A resource for pianists, pedagogues, and curious music appreciators to explore.
Historic and contemporary African American singers & composers of classical vocal music
A list of non-idiomatic choral music of black composers; as it relates to black composers, non-ideomatic refers to the original concert music that is not part of the traditional idiomatic canon associated with black musicians. That canon includes spirituals, gospel, jazz, hip-hop, and rap among others. This list does not include arrangement of existing material, such as hymns of other folk songs; arranged by chorus personnel (SATB, SSA, TTB, Accompanied, etc.) and includes list of other resources.
Information and links to resources about Black classical music composers
A Pledge of Anti-Racism in Choral Practice
The Center for Black Music Research (CBMR) holds collections highlighting the role of black music in world culture with materials originating or representing black music in the United States, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean in a variety of formats: personal papers, scores, sheet music, audio-visual materials, photographs, books, periodicals, and commercial recordings.
A list of composers who identify as women and gender non-conforming.
Provides scores by composers of color, analytical notes and annotated scores, lesson materials, and anti-racist examples in music literature.
Google Docs list of resources on Black composers of electronic and electro-acoustic music.
Provides databases of diverse composers, works by diverse composers, research resources, and an annual statistical analysis of professional orchestral seasons and their performance of music by diverse composers (or lack thereof).
A resource geared toward aiding singers, instructors of voice, pianists, researchers, and music lovers to discover and celebrate art song by women composers. The database includes songs from the Baroque period through the 21st century, and have been categorized by level, voice type, language, composer, and composer dates. Related information includes range, tessitura, piano accompaniment, vocal line, and links to available scores. The analysis is intended for singers from beginning high school through the collegiate level and professional career. The database leads you to find the unique voices and expansive styles of each individual composer, with the hopes to increase performance and advocation of each woman's often overlooked works.
Seeks to provide a single, complete, and comprehensive online catalog that contains orchestral music from Latin America and the Caribbean, and to make it accessible to conductors, music directors, music administrators, librarians, students, teachers, researchers, and music lovers in general. This online catalog contains over 9,000 original orchestral works by over 1,600 composers from 24 countries and territories of Latin America and the Caribbean, and serves as a bridge between the music and the composers or publishers.
An index of over 1,000 composers, improvisers, and sonic artists
A working draft of resources in the ACA catalog by BIPOC composers
Music by Black Composers was founded in 2001 to help rectify historic and ongoing racial injustices in the classical music sphere by inspiring Black students to begin and continue instrumental training, by making the music of Black composers available to everyone, and by helping to change the face of classical music through greater diversity. Their website provides access to sheet music and other resources.
The Music of Asian America Research Center (MAARC) strives to empower our communities through collecting, promoting, and teaching music created by Asian Americans. They seek to advance knowledge about and social justice for Asian Americans through music. Their website provides resources, information Asian American community music ensembles, podcasts, biographical essays, and a calendar of related events.
A list of resources compiled by members and friends of EMA and the EMA Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Taskforce.
From January 2000 until March 2015 "Queer Music Heritage" was both a radio show and a website, and the goal of both was to preserve and share the music of our culture. It has become the resource on the net for the history of LGBT music. Each month's page gives the playlist and additional pages of info, and you can stream or download every show; there's over 580 hours of programming available. This is a deep site, covering over 2000 pages.
We Rise: A Movement Songbook draws on a rich history of social movement music, both old and new. From Spirituals to Labor songs, from Freedom Songs of the Civil Rights Movement to the music rising up from our struggles today, this compilation of movement music is meant to give people ways to join. To remember. To affirm. To honor. To rage. To celebrate. To practice new ways of being in relationship with one another and the earth. To envision and create a world that is just and habitable for future generations.
Listing of Study Groups within the AMS, many of which focus on diverse music-makers and modes of music-making.
Beyond Tokenism is dedicated to helping music history instructors develop equitable and relevant pedagogies.
This digital library was born out of a need to make resources about Black music history as comprehensive and accessible as possible. It contains well over one thousand entries (and counting) in the form of books, articles, documentaries, series, radio segments, and podcasts about the Black origins of popular and traditional music, dating from the 18th century to the present day. These materials range from informal to scholarly, meaning there is something in the library for everyone.
A collection of resources related to diverse composers and music from the early modern period.
plainsightSOUND is a music research project, aimed at rediscovering colonial and postcolonial voices in British classical music.Focusing on the stories of classical musicians in Britain of African and Caribbean descent, including those from former British colonies, the project will explore their lives as well as their musical activity in Britain before 1970.
Listings of Sections and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) within the SEM, many of which focus on diverse music-makers and modes of music-making.
Extensive list of articles and other resources and materials for racial and ethnic diversity in music theory classrooms.
Inspired by Naomi André’s vision of an “engaged musicology” (2018), the members of the Engaged Music Theory Working Group collectively assembled the following bibliography to encourage music scholars to engage directly with issues of cultural politics—race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, intersectionality, decolonization, and disability—in their research and teaching. We especially highlight scholarly work that confronts the centralized, historically Eurocentric and heteropatriarchal framing of North American music theory.
Bibliography of inclusive music theory pedagogy resources/articles.
Collaborative spreadsheet from music theorists from around the world.
A database of excerpts and complete musical compositions by women composers, categorized by theoretical concept for use in music education.
Collection of blog posts by Phil Ewell on his landmark plenary talk at the Society for Music Theory's Annual Meeting in November 2019 and his article , "Music Theory and the White Racial Frame," which appeared in the Summer 2020 issue of Music Theory Online.
Listing of Interest Groups within the SMT, many of which focus on the analysis of music by diverse music-makers and diverse modes of music-making.
McKay, George. ‘Jazz and Disability’. In The Routledge Companion to Jazz Studies, edited by Nicholas Gebhardt, Nichole Rustin-Paschal, and Tony Whyton, 1st ed., 173–84. Routledge, 2018. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315315805-17.
Music instruction in an all-audio format.
Tips for accommodating neurodiversity of your students
Black Music Research Journal (ceased publication)
Report: "Creating a More Inclusive Classical Music" (2021)
Black Classical Music Educators is an online space that makes it easy for both parents of young aspiring musicians, and adult students interested in sharpening their music skills, to easily secure private lessons with a Black classical music educator. It is also a community for Black classical music educators to find and professionally engage with each other. They offer private lessons in every instrument of the orchestra, as well as voice, piano, composition, music theory, and conducting.
Talent is distributed evenly, opportunities are not! Black Lives in Music addresses the current inequality of opportunity for Black, Asian and Ethnically Diverse people aspiring to be artists or professionals in the Jazz and Classical music industry. Black Lives in Music believes in real equality for Black, Asian and Ethnically Diverse people to learn musical instruments at grassroots level and to allow them to pursue and realise their musical ambitions.
The Chineke! Foundation was created in 2015 to provide outstanding career opportunities to established and up-and-coming Black and ethnically diverse classical musicians in the UK and Europe.
ClassicalQueer provides a space for queer+ people working in the classical arts to tell their stories in their own words. It is an archive of instrumentalists, performers, administrators, composers, writers, and conductors from around the world who have a diverse and complex set of experiences working in the classical arts.
An organization of music creators who are achieving a workplace environment in the entertainment industry as diverse as our society.
EDIMS is a cross-organisational network which aims to promote, support, and share good Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) practice in Music Higher Education in the UK.
GALA Choruses, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization serving the GLBT choral movement. The mission of GALA Choruses is to support GLBT choruses as we change our world through song. GALA Choruses is open to all GLBT and GLBT-allied choruses. Through workshops, festivals and ongoing networking and administrative support services, GALA Choruses fosters the continued artistic and organizational growth of its member choruses.
Hearing in Color is dedicated to exposing its community to underrepresented and diminished music, stories and composers. Hearing in Color concerts highlight the work of emerging artists who are often overlooked in the traditional canon, and gives artistic license to people of marginalized cultures to curate and produce that work. Hearing in Color believes in the power of music to build community, and to comfort, embolden and inspire in the face of subjugation and oppression
The International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM) is an international membership organization of women and men dedicated to fostering and encouraging the activities of women in music, particularly in the areas of musical activity such as composing, performing, and research in which gender discrimination is an historic and ongoing concern. IAWM members engage in efforts to increase the programming of music by female composers, to combat discrimination against female musicians, including as symphony orchestra members, and to include accounts of the contributions of women musicians in university music curricula and textbooks.
IWBC’s mission is to educate, develop, support, and promote women brass musicians while inspiring continued excellence and opportunities in the broader musical world. Membership is open to all women and men who would like to support this effort.
LEGATO serves as the umbrella organization for lesbian and gay choirs and ensembles in Europe.
Live Music Now fosters musical lives. Our world class musicians connect with people experiencing social exclusion or disadvantage, working together to create engaging, interactive, evidence-based live music sessions that meaningfully enhance health and well-being, improve communication, strengthen relationships and deliver positive effects long after the last note has been played.
We believe that children deserve to reach their creative potential, whatever their background. But the chance to learn music, and the benefits learning music brings to all subjects, such as improved confidence and resilience, is slipping further out of reach for most children in the UK, especially for those who need it most.
For almost a century, the National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. has been a champion for African and African-American music and musicians. This organization is concerned with the performance and preservation of uniquely African-American music, while acknowledging and providing opportunity to the Black composer and performer. Their membership ranges the full spectrum of interest in music: performers, educators, students, administrators, and enthusiasts.
Pride Bands Alliance is a musical organization comprised of concert and marching bands from cities across the United States and the world (formerly named the "Lesbian and Gay Band Association").
Project Spectrum is a graduate student-led coalition committed to increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in music theory, musicology, and ethnomusicology.
Sound Connections exists to create change. We work across the music community to achieve inclusion, equity and social justice. We do this through supporting young people, the music education workforce, and the wider music education sector. In addition to delivering charitable programmes, we offer a comprehensive consultancy service for music, arts, cultural and heritage organisations.
The Sphinx Organization is the social justice organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. Sphinx’s four program areas – Education & Access, Artist Development, Performing Artists, and Arts Leadership – form a pipeline that develops and supports diversity and inclusion in classical music at every level: music education, artists performing on stage, the repertoire and programing being performed, the communities represented in audiences, and the artistic and administrative leadership within the field.
Women In Jazz Organization is a collective of over 500 professional performing Jazz Musicians who identify as Women or gender Non-Binary. Largely a New York City-based organization, with connections to other individuals and groups nationally and internationally. Their website provides a calendar of events and resources for support and mentorship.