There has been a lot of talk lately about songs that are no longer appropriate to use in the music classroom. The reasons for the each song being inappropriate to use can vary, from the song having racist roots, to the song not being culturally appropriate, and more.
I have been working in my own practice to become more aware and am going through my teaching repetoire for songs that are no longer being appropriate, and around why I should potentially take it out of the repertoire.
Replacing “Dinah” With “Diddle Diddle Dumpling”
Several months ago, I discovered that the song “Dinah” was a minstrel song (for more information on this, see this article.) I’ve used the song “Dinah” for years, as a song to prepare and practice tika-tika, or sixteenth notes. I’ve decided to replace “Dinah” with “Diddle Diddle Dumpling.” Although there is a tika-ti, the tika-tika in the first measure and fourth measure are both extractable.
Making songs “inclusive”
I have always used “Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow” as a staple in the classroom to talk about farming, harvesting and land use in our nation. In the past few years, I have found that I can change the sections regarding to “First the farmer sows the seed, then – they stand and take their ease” as a better way to honor all farmers and the work that they do. I’m in a continuous growth practice with figuring out songs, what our students get from them and if they are worthy of keeping, modifying or replacing with others that are not culturally appropriate. Stay tuned as my journey continues!