Final answer:
No, Richard Pratt's American Indian boarding schools did not allow the inclusion of traditional Native American music; they aimed to assimilate students into Euro-American culture and erase their indigenous heritage.
Step-by-step explanation:
Richard Pratt, the founder of the Carlisle Indian School and similar American Indian boarding schools, did not allow students to include traditional Native American music in their weekly lessons. Instead, these schools sought to eradicate Native American culture and assimilate the children into Euro-American social and cultural practices.
Assimilation policies at these institutions, such as those led by Pratt, involved strict regimentation and discipline, a focus on vocational training, and forbidding the practice of Native American traditions, including the use of native languages and music. The agenda was clear: the complete acculturation of Native American children to Euro-American ways of living, which deemed any form of indigenous cultural expression, including music, as inferior and not to be taught or practiced.