Presenter:
Kate Fitzpatrick-Harnish, PhD, CEW+ 2020 Carol Hollenshead Inspire Award for Excellence in Promoting Equity & Social Change Award Winner

As a scholar focused on addressing equity within arts education, Dr. Fitzpatrick draws upon her formative experiences as a white teacher of students of color to examine systemic injustice within educational spaces. Within this workshop, she will encourage attendees to first connect with their own artistic selves, considering the ways that the arts are woven within their own life’s story. Following a journey to reconsider their positionality with regard to the arts, attendees will examine the ways that human beings use the arts to address injustice, particularly at moments of crisis such as those we are experiencing today. Equity in arts education will be examined from this broader perspective, with each participant reflecting on their own journey within educational spaces as it relates to identity and marginalization.

An integral part of the Inspire initiative is pairing advocacy, social change, and activism with skills that enhance a sense of wellbeing and focus. A short guided Mindfulness Meditation practice will be incorporated into the program.

Kate Fitzpatrick-Harnish, PhD is Associate Professor of Music Education for the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at the University of Michigan. Before coming to U-M in the fall of 2008, Fitzpatrick served as Assistant Professor of Music Education and Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Louisville. Fitzpatrick is an active and prolific researcher, focusing on the experiences of those who have been historically marginalized in music education. Her research has been published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, Research Studies in Music Education, the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Contributions to Music Education, Southwestern Musician, the Music Educators Journal, and the Journal of Mixed Methods Research, in addition to numerous book chapters. Her book, Urban Music Education: A Practical Guide for Teachers, was published in 2015 by Oxford University Press. Fitzpatrick has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Research in Music Education and Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, and is a member of the Music Education Advisory Board for the Save the Music Foundation. She is the past national elected chair of the Social Sciences Special Research Interest Group for the National Association of Music Education, and also serves as a frequent clinician and guest conductor with bands across the United States. An avid supporter of public school music programs, she is the former director of instrumental music at Northland High School in Columbus, Ohio, where she directed the district’s largest band and orchestra program and was awarded the Brass Band of Columbus’ 2003 God and Country Award, recognizing her “outstanding, sensitive leadership of young people.”