RMA Council virtual privilege walk

Were you assigned an instrument because it corresponded to particular ideas about your gender?

Do you have a hearing impairment?

Have you ever been a victim of sexual harassment or sexual violence?

Can you show affection for your romantic partner in public without fear of undue attention, ridicule or violence?

Did you always presume you would go to university?

Have you ever been passed over for employment or promotion based on a protected characteristic?

Did you finish school living in the same village, town, or city in which you started school?

Does your place of work have holidays that are designed to coordinate with the religious festivals you celebrate?

Were you ever taught “music theory” as a separate concept before university?

Have you ever been made fun of or bullied for something you could not change or that was beyond your control?

Did you have private music lessons before you were 18?

Have you been the victim of physical violence on account of a protected characteristic?

Did your high school have a band or an orchestra?

Did you attend a private school?

Could you name 10 classical canonical pieces and their composers before you were 18?

Could your family afford to pay for you to participate in school band/choir/orchestra trips?

Have there been times in your life when you had to skip a meal or were hungry because there wasn't money to buy food?

Were you ever bullied or made fun of (by peers, family, anyone) for playing music?

Did your religion or culture prevent or discourage you from singing/playing (certain instruments or all)?

Were your parents/guardians able to pay for your instrument?

Did you ever attend summer music programs?

Were you born in the UK?

Have you ever been told you were in the wrong public toilet?

Did you live with both your biological parents throughout your childhood?

How is the music that is your passion primarily communicated?

Are/were either of your parents a professional musician?

When walking alone at night, have you ever taken steps to mitigate the risk of sexual assault?

Did you have access to a professional quality instrument before age 18?

Was your childhood home financially stable?

Did you participate in an extra-curricular ensemble, like a county youth orchestra?

Did you have a disability that made it difficult to carry your instrument around?

Did you attend live concerts of any kind of music performed by professional musicians before you were age 18?

Does your gender identity match the one assigned to you at birth?

Did you have a reliably safe space to store your instrument when not playing it?

Have you ever been spoken over because you couldn’t articulate your thoughts quickly enough?

Have you ever lived in a household where there has been substance abuse?

Did you attend a school whose intake was selected on the basis of academic achievement (e.g. an 11+ exam)?

Did you own a tux/black concert wear or have to borrow it because you couldn’t afford it?

Did you own a metronome, tuner, music stand, cleaning supplies, and method books (in your language) while at school?

Could you read more than one clef before entering university?

Did your parents/guardians reliably attend your concerts?

Is English your first language?

Do you feel good about how your identities are portrayed by the media?

Did you have a reliably quiet place to practice?

Are you able to find band-aids at a corner store that are designed to blend in with or match your skin tone?

Could you afford to buy new music (not copy it from library, etc.)?

Was the language spoken in your music lessons or school music rehearsals your first language?

Did you attend an elite (Ivy League/equivalent) university?

Did you have a piano or keyboard in your house growing up?

Do you have a disability, whether visible or invisible?

Did one of your family members play an instrument while you were growing up?

Have you ever been asked to speak on behalf of a group of people who share an identity with you?

Could you afford to travel more than 4 hours for post-secondary school auditions?