PUC’s Education Department Hosts Workshop During Music Festival

Pacific Union College hosted a music festival for several academies throughout California in March. During the event, PUC’s Department of Education partnered with the music department to provide a workshop for visiting teachers led by Jennifer Peñaflorida, associate professor of education, and Nicole Nunes-Smith, assistant professor and education director of field experience.

Attended by six academy sponsors, the workshop focused on the professional development of culturally responsible music teaching. Specifically for music teachers, Peñaflorida researched what topics would be relevant to them. With culturally pertinent and responsive music teaching in her literature review, she considered the multicultural classroom course that Nunes-Smith teaches and how that would be an interesting frame for thinking.

“We thought this topic would be relevant because while music teachers cover so many genres of music, the traditional music taught is Western European music,” said Peñaflorida. “With our K-12 students mirroring the diversity of ethnicities and cultures, we thought this topic would bridge teachers’ knowledge of music education to culturally relevant music education.”

This workshop brought many perspectives, reminding Peñaflorida and Nunes-Smith how beneficial these seminars are with educators outside campus. “Sometimes we work in silos here at PUC, and collaboration with other curious educators allows for co-construction of knowledge,” said Peñaflorida.

It was a fun experience for her and Nunes-Smith to create a space tailored to music teachers and meet those from the Union who share the same devotion to teaching. Peñaflorida shared that the group was filled with talented musicians, compassionate Christians, and curious thinkers.

With different conversations and ideas from PUC faculty, academy teachers can return to their classrooms and apply what they learned. While the students were in rehearsal, their teachers were attending this workshop, and the festival provided an educational experience for both parties.

The research conducted for this event exemplifies the kind of department they are in, one with a passion for teaching, mentoring, and preparing their students for the real world. “Like Jesus, the Master Teacher, we are invested in the development of the whole teacher: mind, soul, body, spirit,” said Peñaflorida. “We are consistently researching and learning about the pedagogy of teaching so we can share that knowledge with our students.”