Climates of Artistry and Education
Diversity, equity, and inclusion at U-M SMTD
—By Hannah Nutting
The U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD) is a community of creatives seeking unique educational opportunities and guidance to advance in their artforms. The current 2022-23 SMTD community is comprised of only 1,128 students out of the estimated 51,000 student U-M Ann Arbor campus population; with 151 educators and a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, SMTD provides students with a wide range of well-respected perspectives throughout classroom and performance spaces.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has become a topic of necessary discussion within the world of higher education, and U-M is no exception. With U-M’s move towards DEI 2.0 after the initial 2016 rollout of the DEI 1.0 plan comes new focuses for SMTD. Hopes of further expanding the inclusive arts environment continues to spark important conversations between students, faculty, and staff on the curation of curriculum, repertoire, and performance.
Shifting to 2.0
U-M’s shift to DEI 2.0 places emphasis on three main themes: “1. create an inclusive and equitable campus climate; 2. recruit, retain and develop a diverse community; 3. support innovative and inclusive scholarship and teaching.” SMTD’s most recent five-year plan presents a “commitment to diversity not only with respect to traditional markers such as race, ethnicity, and gender but also to diversity of thought, experience, and outlook upon the world,” which spreads across a variety of initiatives, trainings, conversations, programs, and opportunities for students, faculty, and staff. Dr. Amber Benton, SMTD’s Chief Officer of DEI, brings years of experience in higher education leadership and a passion for understanding equity-based issues. Hired in February of 2022, just as the five years of DEI 1.0 was wrapping up, Benton came in just in time for the planning of the next five-year 2.0 plan set to roll out in the fall of 2023.
When discussing the successes of DEI 1.0 for SMTD, Benton says it’s apparent that her predecessors made strides towards the approach for faculty searches. Though she acknowledges that there are still plenty of spots to fill in coming years to continue the trend, the outcome has been promising so far in diversifying faculty and staff hires. Benton also explains that mandatory DEI training, which has been met with 100% compliance by SMTD faculty, is now required to be completed by staff as well. The DEI training provided to faculty and staff consists of a few different options of learning and professional development courses to allow them to make the most out of the information, and has been built upon over the past few years.
Moving into DEI 2.0, Benton emphasizes the importance of integrating DEI wherever possible, but also wants to open up the process to individual departments within SMTD to explore efforts that work best for them and to really figure out “how to make an impact in their field.” Benton has recently focused more on a broader accessibility initiative as research, though limited, highlights digital access accommodations regarding materials in higher education are essential for students with disabilities and should become a norm of online culture. She mentions the initiative covering the accessibility of digital content, like documents and presentations, and overall mindfulness of how information can be shared in a productive manner.
Inclusive, equitable climate
SMTD’s outlined goals for addressing a more inclusive and equitable climate on campus involves educating the community on “sexual and gender-based misconduct prevention,” increasing awareness of “university resources to academic assistance, mental health and well-being, and conflict resolution,” improving awareness of “issues related to persons with disabilities” and “elevating voices and representation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community.”
Many of the action measures outlined in the strategic plan pertaining to these goals include gathering input from the SMTD community and advisory boards, providing the DEI training programs to both faculty and students, increasing funding, and fostering open conversations with the community and SMTD leadership.
SMTD’s DEI Student Ambassadors Program gives students the opportunity to engage within the community to create and promote programs with DEI themes, as well as receive professional development opportunities in issues of DEI and higher education. Made up of individuals from a wide range of identities and ideas, the program allows students to get involved in the issues they find most meaningful while receiving a stipend. The ambassadors program is under the leadership of SMTD’s DEI Program Manager, Caitlin Taylor, who is responsible for working with students and student organizations, as well as facilitating other DEI programs throughout the term.
As the shift to DEI 2.0 continues, Dr. Benton explains that opportunities for SMTD students to express their concerns or ideas for the next five years are in the works. Student feedback sessions will take place for the DEI office to gather this feedback, and she also mentions the rollout of a Google form where students, faculty, and staff can share anonymous feedback. Benton does emphasize that “students are always welcome to share [opinions] and also welcome to get my support.” Providing support for students via advocacy and proper facilitation regarding any issues that arise is a key part of Benton’s role, and she wants to be available for students to help with any difficult conversations.
Recruit, retain, develop
SMTD’s DEI 2.0 goals pertaining to the recruitment, retention, and development of a diverse community involve having more outreach to underrepresented groups during the application process, increasing the number of undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups who accept admission to U-M, enhancing accommodations for students with disabilities, and increasing the number of underrepresented applicants within faculty and staff positions.
Professor Tiffany Trent is a theater director who found her way into the arts world through participating in youth group activities throughout her entire life, though it wasn’t until college that she realized she truly was a “theater kid.” Her passions for teaching youth and artistry eventually led her to SMTD, where as of fall 2022 she was hired as the chair of the theater and drama department. Though only with SMTD for a short period of time so far, Trent said it was clear to her that she was coming into a department of individuals who did proper DEI training, and who take the time to ask the important questions when teaching to keep their students’ best interests in mind.
When it comes to outreach in the application process, Trent thinks a key step is “doing a better job of demystifying the field.” It can be difficult for high schoolers to realize the opportunities available to them in the arts, and as she explained in her own experience, “I don’t know how you know in high school that you could go to college and major in stage management or study to be a production manager as an undergrad.” Coming from years of experience with youth in theater, Trent thinks focusing on access to the arts and emphasizing the value of the transferable skill set gained in being a part of these communities are the best ways to encourage the next generation of artists to succeed.
Innovative and inclusive scholarship and teaching
SMTD outlines its goals for the promotion of anti-racist curriculum by encouraging a variety of workshops and course evaluations for faculty members. This includes assessing undergraduate courses in context with the DEI 2.0 themes, with priority in anti-bias teaching by both faculty and graduate student instructors in the classroom.
The Michigan Orchestra Repertoire for Equity (MORE) project is just one step in the right direction for diversifying the world of orchestral music repertoire. MORE, established in 2020 by SMTD’s director of university orchestras Kenneth Keisler, is a 10-year initiative set to commision a series of classical works by underrepresented composers. The project’s commissions thus far include works by composers Nkeiru Okoye, as well as SMTD alumni James Lee III and Carlos Simon. As explained by Keisler for The Michigan Daily, “classical music has an accurate reputation at times for being elitist and serving a very narrow audience.” Orchestral repertoire is often reused time after time, and creating an initiative to commission music by these underrepresented artists not only diversifies the available repertoire, but encourages the learning and performance of works by the living composers of our time within SMTD’s ensembles. Keisler explained further that though the initiative has set out to span over the next 10 years, he hopes these opportunities continue on into the future to further the impact of diversifying orchestral repertoire.
Professor Stephen Rush of the performing arts technology department has recently cultivated an Experiential Music Theory course within SMTD, giving students opportunities to analyze the works of underrepresented artists. Standard required music theory education places pure emphasis on Western music. This material is often met with frustration from students, as it ignores the evolution of music and denies students the chance to engage with material they are interested in and often feel connected to. Rush’s view is “to situate our notion of genius towards people who are underrepresented as geniuses,” which is apparent by the range of material covered throughout the course. From Stevie Wonder to Fela Kuti to Lil Wayne, examples of contributions from various racial and gender identities are worked through to allow students to explore what it means to be a musical artist.
As for the theater and drama department, a course allowing students to give input on the materials selected to be a part of the performance season has recently been put in place. Trent explains that this process gives students the opportunity to read through plays and discuss possibilities with each other, bring in opinions from their peers, and have open conversations with faculty about their wants. This isn’t a common occurrence in other departments, where repertoire is generally assigned by faculty without input from students. She also finds that this process gives students the place to ask important questions. “Should we do a period play with accents? How are you going to practice that work? Should the designers get to design some period costumes? What is the spectrum of experiences that we want to make sure we provide when we pick the plays?” As for casting shows within the department, a playwright’s intention for who is to play the roles is always kept in mind. Whether playwrights are explicit or not in these intentions, directors are going through the process with everyone’s best interest in mind, and making sure a story is going to be told properly in the end.
In discussion about the DEI practices within the theater and drama department, Trent brings up the conversations that came about in the world of theater after the release of the We See You, White American Theater document in the summer of 2020. The document, which was signed by hundreds of BIPOC artists and theaters, was a driving force with its pages of calls for change within the theater industry. From hiring practices, fair labor, curation of performances, compensation, unions, and press handling, the document lays out the necessary changes for creating more equitable theater. According to Trent, the conversations sparked by the document continue to be taken very seriously within the department and within the theater community as a whole.
Future of SMTD
From creating an inclusive and equitable campus climate, recruiting, retaining and developing a diverse community, and supporting innovative and inclusive scholarship and teaching, the shift to the next five-years of DEI 2.0 for U-M and SMTD is well underway. The implementation of these initiatives is not merely the responsibility of the Office of DEI, and these essential conversations should be a key component to the way every SMTD department is running.
Whether curriculum, performance, or real-world experience, SMTD will continue to move in the right direction towards fostering an inclusive arts environment for its students, faculty, and staff. Benton and Trent both agree that as we work towards bettering the community, the wellness of artists and their experiences needs to be top priority. Artistry is vulnerable, and as per Trent, “we can always do more to extend support for [emotional expression] and continue to grow in our practices to make it sustainable.”
Feature photo by Marius Masalar via Unsplash