Access to String Instruction in American Public Schools

Abstract

This study is an examination of string access in American public schools; the researcher sought to determine the actual number of school districts in each state that offered string instruction and at which grade levels. Specific questions posed were (a) What is the current relationship between access to string instruction and school-district location, size, and socioeconomic level? (b) How does access vary by school type—elementary, middle, high school? (c) How does access vary in different regions of the country? Data were obtained for each of the 14,183 school districts listed in the 1994-1995 Market Data Retrieval School Directories. A total of 2,268 districts (15.99%) were identified that offered string instruction. Of these, it was found that 71.42% (N = 1,620) offered string instruction at the elementary school level, 78.52% (N = 1,781) at the middle school level, and 80.15%) (N = 1,818) at the high school level. The findings also indicated that string instruction was offered most often in average-socioeconomic-level, medium-sized, urban districts in the Eastern, North Central, and Northwest Music Educators National Conference divisions, and in average-socioeconomic-level, large, metropolitan districts in the Southern, Southwestern, and Western divisions. String instruction was offered least often in low-socioeconomic-level school districts (N = 100) regardless of location or size.

The Influence of Beginning Instructional Grade on String Student Enrollment, Retention, and Music Performance

“…Ohio, the state selected for administration of the survey, reflects similar percentages for string program enrollment nationally (approximately 16-18% of schools provide string instruction) and also mirrors national data on starting grade level trends and rural, urban, and suburban distributions (Horvath, 1993;Smith, 1997a). Teacher names, schools, and addresses were obtained from MTD Marketing, Inc. in 2006.…”

Structure and agency in university-level recreational music making

“…On the surface, broadening of musical tastes associated with music education appears positive. As Graham points out, however, economically advantaged schools typically support greater access to 'quality' music education offerings (see also Abril and Gault 2006;Smith 1997). 'If this is indeed the case', writes Graham, 'we may witness a structural irony: the most economically advantaged groups in society will use the value of cultural openness to construct symbolic boundaries between themselves and those whose culture they consume to create this value' (298).…”

Policy and the K–12 Music Teacher: A Literature Review

“…Research examining access to K-12 music education is typically descriptive in nature; it is usually conducted to identify potential deficiencies in access either for a particular population (e.g., Johnson, 2004), or to some sort of musical opportunity (e.g., Smith, 1997). As with studies of institutions and actors, some of this research looks at policy effects (e.g., Elpus, 2014), but most is disciplinary research that illustrates a problem that could be addressed through policy.…”

“…A number of factors can affect access to music programs. Concerned that too few students are able to participate in school-based string programs, Smith (1997) compared access to string instruction by region, type of school, and district size, location, and wealth. There was less access to string instruction for lower and upper socioeconomic populations; string programs were more common in either urban or metropolitan areas, depending on the region.…”