One of the easiest ways to help our elementary music students see themselves as musicians is to show them examples of musicians of all different types that they can identify with. Over the years I have collected a growing list of musicians with an ever-expanding breadth of intersectional identities and areas of music, including kid-friendly videos showcasing their musicianship, that I have shared with my students in my elementary music classes. This post is a collection of those lists.
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I don't do any sort of music history unit or anything like that, but I find these short videos are the perfect thing to have on hand to insert in my lessons as examples of a concept we're studying, a quick reward for a behavior incentive, or to connect to a heritage month. I hope you find some new musicians to share with your students to improve the representation of different identities in your classroom!
I was actually pleasantly surprised to realize how many awesome musicians I've found over the years. I've honestly expanded my own personal music listening through the process of looking for musicians to share with my students. Even so, I know I have barely begun to scratch the surface- there are so many more fantastic musicians representing so many more identities that I haven't covered in this list! I would love for you to help me expand the list for all of us by sharing your favorites in the comments below.
