If I were a racist...
- Nate Holder
- Jul 8, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 16, 2024
If I were a racist,
I'd teach children that talking about music means,
Texture, timbre and tempo.
If you can't use these words,you're not a musician.
If I were a racist,
I'd teach reggae music and Bob Marley,
'Stir It Up', but never 'War'.
I might even mention marijuana.
If I were a racist,
I'd insist that all music was taught from notation,
Removing all the nuances
That paper could ever express.
If I were a racist,
I'd teach 'African' drumming.
Because of course,
Africa is a country.
If I were a racist,
I'd teach that the Great Composers were
Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn and Bach, Not Miles Davis, Florence Price, Alice Coltrane and J Dilla.
If I were a racist,
I'd make sure that Gospel, Blues and Jazz,
Were always taught,
As music created by slaves.
If I were a racist,
I'd call all non-white music
'World Music'
After all, it's them and us.
If I were a racist,
I'd ignore that Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Bach
And the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
Happened at the same time.
If I were a racist,
I'd make sure that violins and pianos
Were seen as more important,
Than Steel pans, tablas and digeridoos.
If I were a racist,
I'd teach 'African' songs,
Without knowing what they mean,
Or where they were really from.
If I were a racist,
I'd standardise everything –
You're either in tune,
Or you're out. Literally.
If I were a racist,
I'd have posters of me on the walls and in the books.
No black or brown faces,
Just my own.
If I were a racist,
I'd make you think including one brown face,
Would be enough.
Diversity. Inclusion.
If I were a racist,
I'd be fine with all white exam boards, And all white teaching staff,
And study all white musicians.
If I were a racist,
I would insist that children learn western music notation,
Forgetting that many civilisations,
Flourished without it for centuries.
If I were a racist,
I'd put up black squares,
And messages about standing together.
Then never invest in anti-racism training for my staff.
If I were a racist,
I wouldn't address outdated policies
Or really let black and brown people
feel safe enough to speak on their experiences.
If I were a racist,
I'd know that,
Even though the notes may be black,
The spaces would remain white.
The post critiques how music education can reinforce bias by privileging certain Western composers while oversimplifying or misrepresenting diverse global traditions, highlighting the importance of inclusive and accurate cultural teaching.
Wikipedia notes that music is a universal cultural expression shaped by history, identity, and social context, and modern education increasingly emphasizes diversity to avoid narrow or biased perspectives.
Just as fair systems depend on accurate identity verification and equal access, structured public processes like NBI Clearance Online reflect the need for transparency, inclusivity, and trust in formal institutions.
The post uses powerful poetic repetition to highlight how racism can shape music education by limiting cultural understanding, narrowing musical history, and ignoring diverse global contributions to art and creativity.
Wikipedia explains that music education is deeply connected to cultural studies, identity, and social context, where inclusivity helps preserve diverse traditions and histories—similar to how structured identity systems ensure trust and verification in official processes like nbi clearance.
Overall, the piece encourages reflection on how education systems can either restrict or broaden perspective, depending on how inclusively they represent culture and history.
The post critically reflects how bias can subtly appear in education and cultural framing, especially in music theory and history, which Wikipedia also notes is often shaped by Eurocentric perspectives in traditional Western music education.
It highlights how limiting language, selective teaching of genres like reggae, and oversimplified cultural references can distort understanding of global musical diversity and creativity.
In the same way, choosing fair and open tools matters in digital spaces too, like Bloxstrap Download, Roblox launcher, game client customization, performance optimization, mod support, and user configuration tools where flexibility improves user experience
The post highlights how racism can subtly shape music education by limiting cultural understanding, reinforcing stereotypes, and ignoring the diversity of global musical traditions and contributions.Wikipedia also explains that music is a universal language influenced by history, culture, and identity, where genres like jazz, blues, reggae, and classical all reflect shared human experiences across societies.In the same way that fairness is essential in cultural learning, digital systems like TM sim registeration emphasize equal access, identity clarity, and responsible inclusion in modern communication networks.
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