Dr. Jeff Broome is an Associate Professor and coordinator of teacher certification for the Department of Art Education at Florida State University. His interests include multi-age art education, cultural diversity, classroom management, and humanistic approaches to art education curricula.
Dr. Jeff Broome’s article titled “Using Hip-Hop Music to Enhance Critical Discussions on Postmodern Art” published in September of 2015, appeared in Volume 68 Issue 5 of The Journal of the National Art Education Association. Art Education is the official journal of the National Art Education Association (NAEA), and covers a diverse range of topics of professional interest to art educators and anyone whose interest is quality visual arts education.
In Dr. Broome’s article, he notes that his interest in hip-hop as an adolescent deepened after hearing the song “The Magic Number” by De La Soul. It was the first time that he began to think of hip-hop’s use of sampling, or using parts of existing recordings in new musical compositions, as a potentially creative act. Later, Dr. Broome discovered the connections between postmodernism and qualities of hip-hop music. Dr. Broome began applying these instructional connections when he taught an art appreciation course to collegiate non-art majors.
After years of application, Dr. Broome developed refined approaches for making these connections clearer to students, teachers, and in professional presentations.
The article informs readers of approaches to expand on postmodern possibilities presented by the use of hip-hop in art curricula. The article also demonstrates possibilities for art educators to consider in making curricular connections to the interests of students as a way to increase engagement and make conceptually difficult topics clearer.
The instructional conversations featured in the article are also useful examples in facilitating open-ended debates that require students to think critically, justify opinions, and make connections to outside topics. These discussions may empower students to make future critical judgements and decisions about art, the influence of popular culture, and broader societal issues.
If you are not a member of the NAEA, you may subscribe to Art Education and receive a bi-monthly, full color copy by contacting subscriptions@tandf.co.uk. Each issue features an Instructional Resource article, making Art Education a significant addition to every teacher’s reference library.
To submit an article to Art Education, please follow the Instructions for Authors. Manuscripts on any aspect of art education are welcome at any time.