“All of us in the academy and in the culture as a whole are called to renew our minds if we are to transform educational institutions – and society – so that the way we live, teach, and work can reflect our joy in cultural diversity, our passion for justice, and our love of freedom.”

– bell hooks

Modern Marimba is committed to developing strong relationships with our local schools. Students, educators, and teaching artists of all ages in Southwest Florida have access to music resources to learn listening skills, interdependence, imagination, empathy, and confidence.

We value knowledge and lived experiences that challenge the historical dominance of white Western European and American music, narratives, and practices. Modern Marimba seeks a humble approach in education that supports the decolonization of music.

Modern Marimba uses education and discourse to help music educators develop critical practices to center the voices of people who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), BBIA (Black, brown, Indigenous, and Asian), LGBT2QIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, two-spirit, intersex, asexual, femme and all the awesome evolving identities of being Queer and Genderqueer), women (trans, nonbinary and cisgender) and Disabled.

Where to start?

Start by challenging your biases and privileges (we all have them). This allows you the perspective to learn new ways of teaching:

• Take the Harvard Implicit Bias Tests every six months or at least once a year.
• Use this list: Anti-Racism Resources for Music Educators as a starting point.
• Are you on Facebook? Join the Social Justice Music Educators group!
• Learn more: Abolitionist Teaching Network Presents A Guide for Racial Justice & Abolitionist Social and Emotional Learning
• Familiarize yourself with resources from Black Lives Matter at School
• How to repair relationships when harm occurs through restorative justice: Amplify RJ

Ask us to send your school (or you!) a care package.

• We can send an assortment of mallets, sheet music, and resources, as well as send some awesome merch! 🙂

Contact us to schedule a clinic virtually or safely in-person.

• We have outstanding clinicians ready to teach in schools and virtually through Zoom.
• Virtual students also benefit from live feedback from instructors.

Schedule a complimentary consultation or discussion.

• We all benefit from learning skills specific to teaching mallet keyboard instruments that are based on diversity and inclusion. This allows our students to see themselves as well as their community represented in the music they study. From here there are infinite possibilities to make deeper connections, imagine new possibilities, and build empowering confidence through music.
• Cost shouldn’t a prohibitive factor in providing resources. Please contact us to start to build an equitable and mutually beneficial collaboration.

Send us a message at education@modernmarimba.org