Book Description

The United States’ classical music field’s present-day operations are deeply influenced by its history with institutional racism. The past decade has brought the field a rude awakening for the neglect of the growing diversity in its communities and its institutions’ need for a change amongst its people, music, and programming. Accepting these statements then points to questions of how do organizations and individuals alike work to amend these issues? And how can diversity be integrated into a system that is rooted in racism and exclusion of people of color, non-Western cultures, and lower income groups and individuals? This study will focus on accessibility as one of the main barriers to participation within the United States’ classical music field. More specifically, it looks at the effects of systemic racism in creating financial, cultural, and psychological accessibility barriers to Western, European classical music. Looking at early exposure to the art form, music education, and classical music institutions, this thesis will unpack how these three aspects influence the future of diversity within the classical music field. Through program profiles and interviews with music administrators, this thesis will look at who is creating access and who access is being made for as to explore how the field is addressing the issues that have resulted from the racist underpinning of the classical music field in the United States. In this study, current music administrators are interviewed and existing programs that aim to address the absence of music education and diversity in Western, European classical music spaces are examined.