Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the UW School of Music

The School of Music at the University of Washington is committed to creating an environment in which all students, staff, and faculty are treated with respect and can access the programs and resources they need to succeed. We embrace students, faculty, staff, visiting artists, and audiences of diverse racial, ethnic, and gender identities, sexual orientations, religious affiliations, economic backgrounds, veteran statuses, national origins, ages and abilities. We are committed to fostering diversity in the courses that we teach, the repertoires we perform, and the creative work and research that we do.

We recognize that in the past, the School of Music has not always upheld these goals and values, and we are committed to changing the systems that support discrimination and removing barriers to ensure all members of the School of Music community feel welcome and valued.

Selected Campus Resources:

UW Bias Reporting Tool - click here: Report all incidents of bias or suspected bias using the UW's bias reporting tool, which was created in partnership with the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity, the Office of Student Life and the president's Race & Equity Initiative.

The Counseling Center - click here 

D Center (Disability and d/Deaf Cultural center) - click here 

Disability Resources for Students - click here

Diversity Blueprint - click here

Diversity at the UW - click here

Graduate Student Equity & Excellence (GSEE) - click here 

Hall Health - click here

Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity (OMA&D) - click here

Q Center - click here

Religious Accommodations Policy - click here 

SafeCampus - click here 

UW Health and Wellness - click here

Below is the action plan currently being implemented by the committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA), as well as resources for students, staff, faculty, and community members related to these issues. 

Reporting Systems

Our goal:

• to clarify or create clear reporting systems for people who have experienced harassment or abuse on the basis of race, gender identity, sexuality, disability, or class
• to make sure that all members of the School of Music community are aware of these reporting systems

Current status: We have decided to rely on the University of Washington's Bias Reporting Tool. We plan to advertise the existence and function of this tool widely around the School of Music in summer and autumn 2023.

Accessibility for People with Disabilities

Our goal:

• to train faculty on accessible teaching and universal design principles, in part with the help of UW Disability Resources for Students (DRS)
• to inform both faculty and students on an ongoing basis of the systems and best practices with regard to accessible teaching, so that students can get the support they need in class and so faculty are given time and help fostering that support
• to pursue and implement solutions to physical barriers within the School of Music building, such as access to all classrooms

Current status: The DEIA committee has discussed inviting representatives from UW DRS to visit a School of Music faculty meeting to share information on best practices in accessible teaching and universal design principles. We hope to also offer faculty the opportunity to have UW DRS representatives visit School of Music classes to observe and offer further guidance in improving accessibility. We hope to develop this partnership with UW DRS during the 2022-23 academic year.

The DEIA committee is also brainstorming potential solutions to physical barriers in the Music Building, such as the lack of elevator access to our basement classrooms. The School of Music is also participating in a facilities survey organized by the College of Arts and Sciences, in which we will address these issues.

Access to the School of Music:

Our goal:

• to recognize barriers to School of Music programs, such as potential lack of financial and educational resources available to develop musical skills before attending college, and to increase the number of opportunities for students with little to no previous musical experience to participate in our programs. 

Current status: we currently offer a variety of courses and ensembles that do not require previous experience in music, open to non-music majors, non-matriculated students, ACCESS students, and public learners. A list of these offerings can be found here. 

If you feel there are additional areas where the School of Music can improve its DEIA efforts, please contact Professor Giselle Wyers at wyersg "at" uw.edu.