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The Impact of Technology-Based Music Classes on Music Department Enrollment in Secondary Public High Schools in the Northeastern United States (open access)

The Impact of Technology-Based Music Classes on Music Department Enrollment in Secondary Public High Schools in the Northeastern United States

The purpose of this study was to examine if the implementation of a technology-based music class in public high schools in the northeastern United States had any significant impact on the overall music department enrollment and on enrollment in traditional performance ensemble courses, such as band and chorus, as they are the courses most offered in high schools in the United States. The two phases of the study included identifying eligible schools and collecting data from schools. A six-year history of music department and school enrollment data was collected from participating schools (n = 12). Individual music classes in each school were categorized as Band, Chorus, Orchestra, Technology-based, or Other Music Classes. Results found a statistically significant increase in overall Music Department enrollment and no statistically significant change in enrollment in Band or Chorus after the implementation of a technology-based music class. Reductions in enrollment did occur in Other Music classes. No significant change to the number of teachers in music departments was found. This study suggests that implementing a technology-based music classes may help increase overall music department enrollment without negatively impacting enrollment in traditional performance ensembles and may not necessitate funding for additional faculty.
Date: August 2019
Creator: Freedman, Barbara Ann
System: The UNT Digital Library