Creating Multicultural Communities Through Art and Music: Diverse Perspectives

This handbook provides educators with resources andstrategies to create multicultural communitiesthrough art and music. The authors proposetheoretical and practical classroom methods todevelop strands of a multicultural curriculum usingvisual and performing arts. Dr. Hwa Young Carusoexamines the role of arts in forming culturalidentity and self identity as the United Statesexperiences a demographic revolution. Dr. O.C. BobbyDaniels exposes the sub-textual denial of majorcontributions by African-Americans in visual andperforming arts especially music by exposing themythology that American culture is solelyAnglo-centric. Dr. Lisa Hochtritt warns teachersabout the limitations of a classroom thatsuperficially embraces diversity as an activity morethan an attitude by using pre-packaged multiculturalart materials. Dr. Christine Staikidis describes aninclusive studio art and art education curriculumwhich incorporates a holistic approach to art makingthat is alien to the Anglo-centric protocol. Dr.Pamela Harris Lawton describes the unique capacity ofart tocommunicate ideas and advocate social change acrossthe spectrum of diversity.

John Caruso Jr., Ph.D. has degrees in History, InternationalEducation, Instructional Technology, Psychology and Sociology. Helectured at the University of Southern California, University ofMaryland, Yale, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea (FulbrightScholar), and is a full professor of Education at WesternConnecticut State University.