GPOC Anti-Racism Statement
The Great Plains Orff Chapter believes that inclusion and respect should be at the core of all Orff Schulwerk learning environments, and practiced by our membership both inside and outside of their classrooms. We denounce injustices imposed on any communities of color and particularly condemn violence against Black communities in our country. We stand in solidarity with our Black teachers, Black students, and Black families. We believe #BlackLivesMatter.
Anti-racism is an ongoing discussion among GPOC board members, and we will continue to reflect on our own organizational practices as well as systemic racial inequities within our country and local communities. As our awareness of who GPOC is and what we represent evolves, we are dedicated to listening, learning, and acting in ways that support BBIP (Black, Brown, Indigenous People) and all communities of color.
We also acknowledge that personal growth requires reflection, work, and pressing ourselves for change. Confronting truths about ourselves is difficult, but actively taking this journey as a board and chapter is the only way to grow.
Below are resources our board members have found important on their personal journeys, and we encourage you to use them on your own journey.
Websites
Songs With A Questionable Past
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q1jVGqOgKxfiUZ8N3oz0warXefGIJill2Xha-3X5nUY/edit#heading=h.wtm0mjerc7pm
Anti-Racism Resources (by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein)
https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/mobilebasic
Decolonizing the Music Room
https://decolonizingthemusicroom.com/?fbclid=IwAR02fe--zNeUdGe8fv1VlwvmmcGrMpVooslUAxnNXWWi6NHF909A6xCMY8c
GAMEPLAN content concerns by DeLelles & Kriske
https://bit.ly/3hmmIPY
Institute for Composer Diversity
https://www.composerdiversity.com/?fbclid=IwAR3STWhWN9t-_-L3ZXAn9IdskHZSXGiJiTYve1LcFNtl5SdjmmAY113-s8w
The Anti-Racist Starter Pack
https://parade.com/1046031/breabaker/anti-racist-tv-movies-documentaries-ted-talks-books/
Webinars
“Making Good Choices: How Can Teachers Better Research Repertoire for the Classroom?”; Scroll down this linked page until you find the title: https://nafme.org/my-classroom/nafme-online-professional-learning-community/#Webinar%20Recordings;
“Say Her Name: Racial Profiling of Black Women During the Pandemic”
https://facebook.com/events/s/say-her-nameracial-profiling-o/559941954895444/?ti=as;
A Conversation about Race and the Choral Music Classroom
https://bit.ly/2zlZR5I (Access Password: 0U#8X&4*)
Books/Articles
White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo; How To Be An Anti-Racist, by Ibram X. Kendi; For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education, by Christopher Emdin; First Steps in Global Music, by Karen Howard; Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books https://www.teachingforchange.org/selecting-anti-bias-books ; Narratives of Musical Resilience and the Perpetuation of Whiteness in the Music History Classroom, by Travis Stimeling and Kayla Tokar http://ams-net.org/ojs/index.php/jmhp/article/view/312
Podcasts
Brené with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist
https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-ibram-x-kendi-on-how-to-be-an-antiracist
Films/Documentaries
Out of Omaha, 2018; 13th, 2016; Slavery By Another Name (PBS), 2012; When They See Us, 2019; Selma, 2014; Just Mercy, 2019 (FREE streaming https://bit.ly/37qK8Pp); A Time for Burning, 1966 (FREE streaming https://filmstreams.org/films/a-time-for-burning)
The Great Plains Orff Chapter believes that inclusion and respect should be at the core of all Orff Schulwerk learning environments, and practiced by our membership both inside and outside of their classrooms. We denounce injustices imposed on any communities of color and particularly condemn violence against Black communities in our country. We stand in solidarity with our Black teachers, Black students, and Black families. We believe #BlackLivesMatter.
Anti-racism is an ongoing discussion among GPOC board members, and we will continue to reflect on our own organizational practices as well as systemic racial inequities within our country and local communities. As our awareness of who GPOC is and what we represent evolves, we are dedicated to listening, learning, and acting in ways that support BBIP (Black, Brown, Indigenous People) and all communities of color.
We also acknowledge that personal growth requires reflection, work, and pressing ourselves for change. Confronting truths about ourselves is difficult, but actively taking this journey as a board and chapter is the only way to grow.
Below are resources our board members have found important on their personal journeys, and we encourage you to use them on your own journey.
Websites
Songs With A Questionable Past
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q1jVGqOgKxfiUZ8N3oz0warXefGIJill2Xha-3X5nUY/edit#heading=h.wtm0mjerc7pm
Anti-Racism Resources (by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein)
https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/mobilebasic
Decolonizing the Music Room
https://decolonizingthemusicroom.com/?fbclid=IwAR02fe--zNeUdGe8fv1VlwvmmcGrMpVooslUAxnNXWWi6NHF909A6xCMY8c
GAMEPLAN content concerns by DeLelles & Kriske
https://bit.ly/3hmmIPY
Institute for Composer Diversity
https://www.composerdiversity.com/?fbclid=IwAR3STWhWN9t-_-L3ZXAn9IdskHZSXGiJiTYve1LcFNtl5SdjmmAY113-s8w
The Anti-Racist Starter Pack
https://parade.com/1046031/breabaker/anti-racist-tv-movies-documentaries-ted-talks-books/
Webinars
“Making Good Choices: How Can Teachers Better Research Repertoire for the Classroom?”; Scroll down this linked page until you find the title: https://nafme.org/my-classroom/nafme-online-professional-learning-community/#Webinar%20Recordings;
“Say Her Name: Racial Profiling of Black Women During the Pandemic”
https://facebook.com/events/s/say-her-nameracial-profiling-o/559941954895444/?ti=as;
A Conversation about Race and the Choral Music Classroom
https://bit.ly/2zlZR5I (Access Password: 0U#8X&4*)
Books/Articles
White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo; How To Be An Anti-Racist, by Ibram X. Kendi; For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education, by Christopher Emdin; First Steps in Global Music, by Karen Howard; Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books https://www.teachingforchange.org/selecting-anti-bias-books ; Narratives of Musical Resilience and the Perpetuation of Whiteness in the Music History Classroom, by Travis Stimeling and Kayla Tokar http://ams-net.org/ojs/index.php/jmhp/article/view/312
Podcasts
Brené with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist
https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-ibram-x-kendi-on-how-to-be-an-antiracist
Films/Documentaries
Out of Omaha, 2018; 13th, 2016; Slavery By Another Name (PBS), 2012; When They See Us, 2019; Selma, 2014; Just Mercy, 2019 (FREE streaming https://bit.ly/37qK8Pp); A Time for Burning, 1966 (FREE streaming https://filmstreams.org/films/a-time-for-burning)
Join us for our first ever Book Club study! We will be looking at Rhae Lynn Barnes' "Darkology: Blackface and the American Way of Entertainment". This study will be co-led by Kaitlin Beck and Dr. John Spilker-Beed. The Book Club meetings will be held on Zoom as to accommodate as many folks as possible. All meetings will be held from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM.
November 14th, 2026
February 13th, 2027
April 3rd, 2027
June 5th, 2027
Sign up using this link: https://forms.gle/6Ad5uVMgs3XvQXq97
November 14th, 2026
February 13th, 2027
April 3rd, 2027
June 5th, 2027
Sign up using this link: https://forms.gle/6Ad5uVMgs3XvQXq97
