Cultural Autobiography

Elizabeth Miller
EDMU 205
Cultural Autobiography

Social Context During Development

I believe that every moment in my life has impacted me
culturally, but there are several key things that have shaped my
cultural identity. First is how I was raised: my parents influence, my
extended familys influence, and the demographics of my hometown.
Next is my education in public schools, from elementary to high school.
These two things are fairly common, and would be found in most
students cultural autobiography. I consider the next two items to be
very unique to me, and they are what have had the biggest influence
on me: the impact on travel and the impact of music.
My culture really starts with my parents culture and their
experiences throughout life. Both were born in the early sixties and
raised in small towns. My Mother and her younger brother were raised
by her parents, neither of whom went to college. She attended Butler
University on a full ride scholarship. My father was the youngest of
three boys, raised by their father after their mother left when he was
five. He attended Ball State. Both of them were journalism majors, and
met a few years after college at a newspaper. They got married after
two years of dating, and I was born when my mother was 31. I

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definitely think this made a difference in how I was raised. My parents

were in a more stable financial position than younger parents are when
starting out. They also had more life experience, and they had lived in
three different states together.
I was born August 15, 1993 in Springfield, Ohio. I was a
surprise as my mother puts it, and I am an only child. This has
impacted me culturally in a few different ways. My parents have had
more money since I am an only child, and their attention has always
been focused on me. I dont believe that having lots of children causes
problems, but I do think it can affect a childs mentality. I never had to
worry about being the favorite or trying to compete with other siblings.
I also could never hide behind other siblings.
My parents are both white. They are upper middle class, but
came from a blue-collar background. Both have a college education,
and both have continued their higher education throughout the years.
Neither is religious. I was raised to be completely open-minded about
everything: to question it all. I was never discouraged from going to
church, but my parents were very open about where they stood. It has
always been expected that I would go to college, and I was pressured
to get high grades throughout school. I do believe I experienced the
normalization of whiteness. My parents dont really have any friends of
other races; they certainly arent racist, they just seem to be friends
with white people.

Cultural Autobiography

My parents and I live a fairly normal life. The rest of my family

is a bit different. My mothers family lives in a small town in southern
Indiana, and could certainly be stereotyped as rednecks or whitetrash. I have one cousin, actually in my whole family. She didnt
graduate high school and has held minimum wage jobs since then. My
moms brother is a construction worker and his wife is a waitress. We
dont go see them much. My fathers side of the family is also rather
unconventional. His father died when he was seventeen, and his
mother wasnt in his life until he was about twenty-two. He and his
brothers arent very close. All of these factors have led to me really not
feeling like I have a large family. My parents and I have always been on
our own, and thats really the way we like it.
I was raised in Anderson, Indiana. Its not the greatest place in
the world. When I was little, we lived in a big house in the historic
downtown. Our house was nice, but the neighborhood was certainly
what someone would call the ghetto. We moved when I was five to a
much smaller house in a more residential area. I went from having
mostly non-white neighbors to all white ones. We moved mainly
because they wanted me to go to a better school, which I did. When I
was in eighth grade we moved to one of the nicest neighborhoods in
town, and thats where we still live. Its out by the country, and all the
houses have matching mailboxes. Through hard work my parents s.e.s
has risen greatly, and it has affected me. When I was little my best

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friend was one of the richest girls in school and I never quite
understood why I didnt have quite as nice clothes or could have as
many new movies, etc. as she did. Once I was older and my parents
status had risen, I had stopped caring about that so much because I
found friends that didnt make me feel inadequate.
The impact of how I was raised on my cultural outlook has really
just encouraged me to be open-minded. My parents are two of the
most supportive and non-judgmental people in the world and theyve
raised me to be the same way. My extended family has greatly
widened my gaze on the world, because they honestly remind me of
what I dont want to be, which is close-minded. The three distinct
neighborhoods that I was raised in gave me three views in stark
contrast; I know what its like to live in a low s.e.s. neighborhood and a
high one.
I dont have much to say about my elementary school, except for
that it was the first time I ever experience prejudice. It was against
myself, although one could argue the other way around. When I was in
first grade, we had a female student teacher that was black. One day
we were working on a picture on the wall and I was standing next to
her. I really didnt even notice her there and suddenly she was gone
and Im being called over to my teacher, who was also black.
Apparently the student teacher had asked me to help her and I refused
because she was a Negro... I will go to the grave swearing that I never

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said that, and I have no recollection of any such words coming out of
my mouth. Im almost positive I didnt even know that term. My mother
and my teacher both defended me, but I still had to apologize. That
woman is now teaching in the Anderson schools, which disgusts me. I
have heard from several sources that she is a terrible teacher, but will
never be fired because the school fears being sued for racism.
Most of my cultural experiences in public school actually have to
do with my religion. I could really write a twenty-page paper about
being raised by Atheist parents in a town that is the headquarters of
the Church of God denomination. I have been an outsider in that town
for as long as I can remember and always will be. I went to youth group
with friends sometimes, but I never really fit in. I suppose this really
only has to do with school in the social sense, but that is a very
important part of education. I dont define myself as any religion,
although I am not an atheist. Throughout the years, I always felt
isolated from most of my classmates, because pretty much all of them
were in youth groups together. It really hasnt been until college that I
stopped feeling shamed by my classmates for not being in youth
groups or going on mission trips.
In kindergarten I met the girl who was to be my best friend until
freshman year of high school. She was shy, sweet, funny once you got
to know her, and really smart, all things I think we had in common. We
also shared a greater bond, although neither of us knew it at the time.

Cultural Autobiography

We were both outsiders in this Christian community; my best friend is

Muslim and from Bangladesh. I knew the latter from a young age,
because her family would go visit most Christmases. I didnt know
about her religion until around third grade, when she finally felt
comfortable enough to talk to me about it. It changed nothing about
our friendship, if anything it strengthened our bond because she
trusted me to know her whole identity.
I next want to speak about traveling, and how that has opened
my eyes to the world. I have been incredibly fortunate to travel so
much in the short time Ive been alive. My parents have always taken
me on trips during the summer that were fun, but they also allowed me
to see new parts of the country. I think the most fascinating thing in
the world is seeing how people in different areas live. Really though, its
been through music trips that I have seen the most of the world. When
I was in sixth grade I went to New York City with a choir that I would
end up doing most of my traveling with. I got to see all the different
boroughs and the distinct cultures in each. With that choir I also
traveled to St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Philadelphia, and
Charlotte. The places are all distinct from each other and each exposed
me to new cultural ideas. The most important trip that I took with this
choir however, was during my senior year of high school: We traveled
to Memphis and New Orleans. I was able to see district 9 for myself,
and it was in that moment that I felt as if I had completely left the

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United States. I really dont know if I can put how that impacted me
into words, but I knew then that all I wanted to do in life was help
people, which I believe I will do through teaching.
Finally, I believe music, and my chosen path as a music educator,
has given me one of broadest views on different cultures and
multicultural education. I love music, because there are literally no
boundaries. And no matter how much a certain culture is put down
during a time period, something good always comes out of it: music.
Music is one of the best and most important ways to preserve a
culture. I think one of the greatest tragedies in the world is that we
have so much knowledge about the ancient Greeks, but barely any
information exists on their music. I am a huge music history fanatic, so
that has lead to me studying many different cultures and their music.
One of the most eye opening papers I wrote and topics I studied was
the music of the Jewish people in the concentration camp. The fact that
a people so oppressed could still create things so beautiful astounds
me.
Music has taught me how important the past is, but I do think
that music educators can get backed into a corner when they are
always expected to play traditional music. For example, if I had a
Native American student in my class, I would obviously want to expose
him and his classmates to their music, but I would not want to feel like
I was singling him out or stereotyping his people. In my classroom I aim

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to show students how music already connects cultures, but also how
they can further these connections to create their own new cultures.
Significant Experiences that have shaped my Multicultural
Identity
During this semester, I have been volunteering my time at the
Roy C. Buley Center. This has been an eye-opening experience that has
caused me to think more about multiculturalism than ever before. At
the Buley center I work with students of different race, age, gender,
etc. I work with them on homework, and then get to play alongside
them afterwards. One of the biggest challenges at the Buley center is
the language barrier. There are many times where I have been working
with a student on written homework and they do not understand that
they is is not correct, because its the grammar used in their own
homes. The most rewarding thing for me about the Buley center is
when I can relate a subject to a students own life so they can
understand it. Many time students just need some sort of visual
representation to understand a math problem, so we get out toy blocks
or colored pencils to count with.
One day, most of the students were participating in a dinner at
Cornerstone so the staff took them over early and left about four of the
student volunteers in charge. There were only five kids left, and the
first four had parents come pretty soon after everyone else left, so
there was just one boy. He went to go to the bathroom, and then we

Cultural Autobiography

started to hear crying. Out of the blue, the boy had become hysterical
because he was the last one left and thought his mom was never going
to come get him. Quite honestly we were too stunned to react at first,
but then all of us starting comforting him. I had been in classrooms
before where a child had a meltdown, but it was always the teachers
job to take care of it while I kept the other students occupied. In this
situation I was able to handle the crisis myself, along with the help of
my peers.
Another significant experience Id like talk about is the major
event that led me to becoming a music education major. I always knew
I wanted to major in music, but education had never been on the table.
My goal was to write about music, but that changed my senior year of
high school. My mother teaches students with special needs, and this
was her first year working in a moderate self-contained classroom. She
had two non-verbal students in the room that she always talked about,
but I had never met. One little boy, Allen, was always interested in
music she said. After lunch the class would have naptime and my mom
would put on music. Every day after lunch Allen would go stand by the
boom box and point until my mom put the music on.
One day over Christmas break I came in to help make cookies
with the class. Before we started my mom put on some Christmas
music. Allen was so excited! He was dancing around to the music and
clapping along. Although his first work wasnt music, later in the year

Cultural Autobiography 10
he started to speak some, and it was always when it was time for the
music to come on. His enjoyment of the music and what it did for him
really pushed me in the direction of education. I decided if I really
wanted music to be the focus of my life I wanted to be actively
involved, giving students the enjoyment and enrichment Allen got from
music.

Multicultural Values
The concept of multicultural values is very broad, and when we
first addressed the idea in class I struggled with grasping how the
items on our list could actually be considered values. I think my main
issue with our definition of value is that it is something that is
intangible, yet we live in such a materialistic society that most values
are represented in some tangible way. I want my students to be able to
understand multicultural education and it is my experience that
students learn more thoroughly through tangible means. In the
remainder of this paper I will be discussing the value willingness to
learn the other, in two ways: what it is and what it means to me
(intangible) and how I will put that value into action in my classroom
(tangible).
Willingness to learn the other

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In class we defined the other as anyone who is different, or
does not fit the cultural norms in our society. The other can vary from
location to location, so there is no clearer definition for students. I
believe that it is most important for students to understand that the
other is never to be feared, especially when you know barely anything
about them. Fear rises from ignorance.
In my classroom I would first address our own ignorance of the
other. I believe that ignorance is not an excuse for misjudgment, but
also that children are often ignorant because of factors beyond their
control, and it is my responsibility to educate, not judge or punish
them. Because of outside factors such as parents and the media can
encourage ignorance in students. I would make sure that students
were aware of these influences so they can make conscious decisions
about their multicultural values. In the school my mom works at one of
the teachers has a banner in her room that says Its okay that we dont
know everything, its why were here! A similar motto in all
classrooms would be a great way to foster an open-minded
environment.
After we are aware of our ignorance, we must step back and
analyze what we do know about the other. Do we know nothing, or
do we know some things, like the stereotypes of different cultures. To
have a true understanding of the other we have to be aware of and
willing to look past stereotypes. A common yet terrible practice I have

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witnessed in the classroom, is when teachers make a student a model
example of the other. In my classroom no student will be
stereotyped, and we will actively work towards looking beyond
stereotypes. One problem that arises with this is exposing children to
concepts at the appropriate age. For example, in class the other day
we discussed how some Disney movies encourage stereotypes. While it
is important that children understand the difference between fiction
and reality, I dont really want to send a child home crying because
monkeys dont actually live in the middle east.
Another facet of learning the other is being accepting of other
viewpoints. In class we struggled with defining acceptance; does it
mean we merely tolerate the other view, or do we have actual respect
for it, even though it might be radically different from our own views?
In my classroom the goal would be for acceptance with respect. Asking
students to accept what they do not understand is nearly impossible,
so a deep understanding of the other would be obtained before I
asked them to accept and value another culture.
After all of these concepts have been combined, and we truly
have learned the other we can value diversity. This is possible the
most important facet of this multicultural value: that by valuing one
thing, we snowball into valuing another. I can think of a simple exercise
that shows students why we should value diversity, and not wish for
everyone to be the same. Simply put, as much as children want to

Cultural Autobiography 13
believe they could constantly eat one type of food and be happy, the
reality is they would eventually get sick of the same thing, and maybe
become physically sick. The emotional sickness represents the
boredom and monotony that occur when everyone is the same, and
the physical representation of this sickness is the manifestation of
ignorance to the other.

How I will use Multicultural Education in my Classroom:

Throughout this semester I have learned many strategies for
creating a multicultural classroom. The best way I can create a safe
learning environment for my students is to uphold the multicultural
values we talked about in class. Earlier in this paper I addressed, the
value of a willingness to learn the other. In the lesson below, I believe
that is demonstrated through the students exposure to different
musical cultures and demonstrating how they are united through
something as simple as a steady beat.

Liz Miller
EDMU 205
Multicultural Lesson

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Drums of the World
Course Objectives

Students will keep a steady beat on different types of percussion

instruments.

Students will identify music from four different cultures (Native

American, Latin, African, Japanese) by matching the instrument to the

music.
National Standards
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied
repertoire of music.
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture
Procedures
1.

Good Afternoon students!

2.

Students will sit on carpet-square in front of instrument.

a.

SEATING: Students and instruments will be matched randomly, by

allowing students to seat themselves. The rationale behind this is to

see which instruments seem the most interesting to students. This
could reveal previous knowledge of certain cultures and show which
cultures are more prominent.
b.

Dont touch the instruments yet!

3.

Today we will be working on our steady beat, but you might notice

that you have an instrument in front of you today.

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a.

Each instrument is from a different country or culture, but all of

them can keep a steady beat.

4.

Teachers will begin Powerpoint presentations on each instrument.

a.

When you see your instrument on screen hold it up for the class

to see.
b.

Ask questions to compare instruments- Ask student who has an

instrument that youre comparing.

i.
ii.

What materials are the same?

How is the sound different from this

Native American drum to the Japanese one?

5.
a.

Play 4 selections of music; one from each culture.

Have students listen for: (questions at end of power point)
i.
ii.
iii.

High or low sounds

Pretty or clashing sounds
Can you pick out a steady beat?

b.

Have students keeps steady beat.

c.

Raise your hand if you have an instrument from the culture of the

piece were playing!

6.

Now were going to play a game: Everyone has been keeping the

beat for every song, but thats going to change.

a. Were going to play one of the pieces again.
i.

Only play this time if you think you have an instrument

from THAT culture.

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ii.

(After piece is played) Someone who was playing, can you

tell us which culture we studied this was?

iii.

Repeat for the other three pieces.

Materials: Claves, bongos, congas, guiro, temple blocks, Native

American hand drums, taiko drums, tambourine, field drum or snare
drum, bass drum, etc., powerpoint, recordings of music from four
cultures: Native American, Latin, African, and Japanese, carpet
squares
Evaluation: Students will be evaluated on their ability to keep a
steady beat while the music is playing. The teachers will observe this
while the music is playing. Students will also be evaluated on if they
can match their respective instrument to its culture by playing only
when a piece from the culture of their instrument is playing. The
teachers will also observe this during the game.

Cultural Autobiography 17