As a culturally responsive, relevant, and ABAR (Anti-Biased Anti-Racist) teacher, my praxis is always evolving. One of my goals is to guide my students through the discovery of their cultural identity. This guided process is aligned with the two SEL Standards of Self-Awareness and Social Awareness, as well as our 2014 Musical Standard of Connecting specifically. I find that some of my students mistakenly suggest that they “do not have a culture." This misconception is due to their limited view of what culture entails. To them, culture is colorful dresses, beautiful songs, energetic dances, yummy foods, and interesting celebrations. However, this is what we consider to be Surface Culture. As I consider implementing culturally responsive strategies in my teaching, one of the challenges that I typically encounter is how limiting the musical curriculums available to us can be. To address this, I am always asking questions and consulting cultural bearers, community stakeholders, and s...