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Guide to BIPOC musicians and related literature

This guide supports research on the musical traditions and scholarship of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) individuals and groups.

Websites and Other Resources

Founded in 2020, the Canada Black Music Archives (CBMA) is a digital archive that provides important evidence of past and continuing contributions of Black Canadian musicians. A key objective of the CBMA is to increase the sense of identity and belonging in a place where Black Canadians have lived and contributed to furthering Canada’s development for over 400 years.

Building community and increasing representation for Canadian Asian artists through an online networking and promotional space designed by artists, for artists and industry and benefitting all Canadians. 

  • Castle of Our Skins

    Castle of Our Skins seeks to make the representation of Black creative artists in concerts and in history more equitable. Castle of Our skins organizes concerts and various educational opportunities such as lectures, workshops, and masterclasses.

  • CBC: How to Support Black Canadian Musicians Right Now

    To help counter the music industry's profiting off of undercompensated Black artists, CBC posted a list of organizations supporting Black musicians that you can support too: How to Support Black Canadian Musicians Right Now.

  • The Center for Black Music Research

    The Center for Black Music Research "holds collections highlighting the role of Black music in world culture with materials originating or representing Black music in the United States, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean in a variety of formats: personal papers, scores, sheet music, audio-visual materials, photographs, books, periodicals, and commercial recordings."

  • Inclusive Early Music

    Inclusive Early Music is a place to find and share resources for teaching early music in an inclusive way. The website contains a growing bibliography and collection of pedagogical assignments.

 

 

 

  • Indigenous Canadian Composers

    The Canadian Art Song Project has recently published blog posts to highlight Indigenous and Métis Canadian Composers, as well as Black Canadian Composers of Art Song.

  • The Indigenous Music & Dance Research Guide

    The Indigenous Music & Dance Research Guide by The University of British Columbia "provides strategies and information for researchers searching for Indigenous artists, dance and music performances."

  • Kanata: Contemporary Indigenous Artists and Their Music

    A learning resource MusiCounts that will support teachers in bringing Indigenous voices, perspectives, and music into classrooms.

  • Music By Black Composers

    With our ever-expanding resources, MBC aims to spread awareness of and access to music by Black composers to children and adults alike. Resources include both a LLiving and historical composers director, a Bibliography full of diverse print resources about Black composers throughout history, and a discography of single-composer collections and multiple-composer compilations

  • Music Resources for Diversity, Equity, and Antiracism

    Music Resources for Diversity, Equity, and Antiracism by the libraries of Tufts University is intended "to amplify the repertoire, music, and scholarship about and by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)" and includes links to podcasts and music performances, repertoire resources, books, bibliographies, and more!

  • Music Theory Examples by BIPOC composers

    Created as a quick and manageable first step towards diverse and inclusive music theory pedagogy, many of the scores on this site are readily adaptable to the classroom environment. Simply swap out some of the examples by white men that you fall back on when teaching, e.g., the IV chord, and you’ll introduce the representation of voices of color and non-canonic composers overnight.

  • MyPeople Tell Stories

    My People Tell Stories was founded by Danielle Brown, Ph.D. in 2014, with the vision to "promote and validate the knowledge produced by people of color and subsequently create an education system that is more diverse, equitable, and inclusive." My People Tell Stories offers services such as pedagogical materials, programs, and workshops aimed at dismantling "the effects of systemic racism in the arts, and particularly in the field of music."

  • New Muses Project

    This resource is organized as an interconnected web of composers, creating links between them based on stylistic parameters. It generates specially curated recommendations of these composers to explore, based on the user's current composer interests. Each underrepresented composer also has a "profile" which contains snapshot biographies, notable works with recordings and descriptions, external links for further informal study, and a reference list of supplemental scholarly sources. There are several other resources on the website, including an interactive timeline and playlist. If you see something for purchase, inquire with us first!
  • Orchestras Canada: Helpful Resources to Learn About Racial Inequity in the Arts and Non-Profit Sector

    Orchestras Canada has posted Helpful Resources to Learn About Racial Inequity in the Arts and Non-Profit Sector by Orchestras Canada.