Public High School Music Education in Maryland: Issues of Equity in Access and Uptake

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate issues of equity in access, uptake, and outcomes of high school music education in the context of an individual state, Maryland. I explored equity through four angles: (a) representation among music students and teachers, (b) factors associated with access to music courses, (c) student and school characteristics associated with music enrollment, and (d) postsecondary enrollment outcomes of students who did and did not enroll in music. Sample members included all students enrolled in a public high school in Maryland belonging to the 2015 to 2016 ninth-grade cohort ( N = 55,500) and public high school teachers ( N = 17,250) during the 2015 to 2016 school year. Approximately 22% of all students were enrolled in a music course their ninth-grade year, and there were substantive differences in demographic representation in band, chorus, orchestra, piano, and guitar classes compared to the student body. Logistic regression results showed that school size was the most salient predictor of access to a music course. Multilevel modeling revealed student-, school-, and teacher-level characteristics were all associated with student enrollment in an ensemble music course. Finally, students who enrolled in music courses did not suffer an opportunity cost regarding college enrollment.

Cultivation of Positive Emotion in Music Education: Motivation and Effect of Music Learning

“…When students have a strong interest and love for music, they will be more active in music learning and constantly pursue progress. This inner driving force will encourage them to overcome the difficulties in learning and persistently pursue the improvement of their musical skills [3] . For example, some students in the process of learning Musical Instruments, because of their love and interest in music, even in the face of difficulties and challenges, they will persevere in practice and eventually achieve excellent results.…”