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Update: Humber Music Solidarity One Year On

In June 2020, Humber Music faculty pledged to address systemic racism and gender discrimination in the music programs by working with students, alumni, administrators, and industry experts to develop a long-term plan that supports the work of Humber’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Taskforce and the commitments of the Faculty of Media, Creative Arts, and Design. As a result, a five-year plan is being developed.

We would like to update you on the planning process thus far and highlight some of the changes made over the last year.

  • Summer 2020
    • Community consultations about EDI objectives began
    • External consultants commissioned to complete an environmental scan
  • September 2020
    • Faculty reviewed and discussed environmental scan and agreed to a training plan and curriculum review through an EDI lens
  • October 2020
    • Staff and faculty EDI training begins, including the following training modules:
      • 4 Seasons of Reconciliation (nine-module course addressing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action)
      • Human Rights Pathways
      • Combating Sexual Violence
      • Anti-Black Racism
  • December 2020
    • Appointment of Bachelor of Music industry liaisons from equity-deserving groups to better reflect the diversity of the music industry
  • January 2021
    • Administrative changes to increase EDI-planning capacity
  • February 2021
    • Artist- and Producer-in-Residence programs relaunched using EDI as a guiding programming framework which resulted in strong representation from equity-deserving groups:
      • 91% of guests were from equity-deserving communities
      • 52% female or non-binary
      • 65% Indigenous or racialized individuals
    • Audition Preparation Weekend entrance grants for Indigenous and equity-deserving students introduced. One grant awarded in February 2021.
  • March 2021
    • Panel adjudication for admissions auditions introduced with the objective of reducing the influence of unconscious biases
    • Scholarship and awards criteria was audited and selection processes updated to reduce individual bias
  • May 2021
    • Music & Fine Arts cluster launched weekly EDI sessions for curriculum integration
    • Results of EDI audit presented to Humber Music Program Advisory Committee
    • Review of curriculum and admission requirements begins
  • June 2021
    • Faculty EDI Planning Town Hall

These changes are the beginning of a process and we need to continue to hear from faculty, staff and students about their experiences. Students have the opportunity to provide feedback on the broader Faculty of Media, Creative Arts, and Design EDI plan during student town halls on Monday, September 27 and Friday, October 1. Town hall registration information will be emailed to students later this week. We expect to launch the resulting plan in November 2021

Additional faculty training modules—Advanced Anti-Racism Education and Application and Deepening Equity and Inclusion Capacity—will be launched in the fall and winter 2022 semesters.

While we have made a number of changes in this last year, there is still significant work to be done. Our goal is to ensure Humber Music is a space of equity, inclusion and belonging—a place where all musicians feel welcome and can reach their fullest potential. We are making transformative changes and we thank you for your continued engagement through this multi-year process. We will provide a more fulsome update later in the fall 2021 term following community consultations.

If you have any questions, please contact me directly at guillermo.acosta@humber.ca.

Sincerely,

Guillermo Acosta
Senior Dean
Faculty of Media and Creative Arts

Guillermo Acosta

Guillermo Acosta
Senior Dean, Faculty of Media, Creative Arts, and Design