Supporting Diverse Secondary
Music Learners Using Music Technology as a First Step
Abstract American high schools have been using the same model as a
basis for music curriculum for about a century (Williams, 2011). However, as our student population is becoming more diverse, it is time that music educators seriously consider other educational options including music technology courses that are more relevant to their current students.
The phrase “the other 80%” refers to the 80% of students
who do not take part in high school music programs throughout the United States (Williams, 2007). These students are more commonly being referred to as “non-traditional music students” (p. 2). Music technology can be a great way to begin adjusting program curriculum in order to successfully reach these non-traditional music students. However, music educators need to begin to recognize the needs and cultures of their entire school population and be willing to branch out and learn new pedagogical skills. School administrators also need to begin to recognize the importance of music technology to the school curriculum and be willing to bear a part of the fiscal responsibility.
Introduction and Background There are many students in the United States who grew up
performing in a large ensemble in high school. However, secondary music programs are now serving only 20-30% of the high school student population in the United States (Dammers, 2012). Traditional large ensembles can be aesthetically pleasing and help create strong ties to the community through performances, but what about the “other 80%” (Williams & Dammers, n.d.) of students?
Students not involved with large performing ensembles are
often referred to as “non-traditional music students (NTM)” (Williams, 2007, p. 2). Music education scholars are responding to the increasing interest in meeting the needs of the non-traditional students within the school music curriculum through studies and websites such as
musiccreativity.org (Williams & Dammers, n.d.).
Unfortunately, non-traditional music students’ perception of
ensembles can lead them to have negative feelings toward school music programs. Bledsoe (2015) discussed the effects of school music programs on the non-traditional music student and said that students are “becoming musicians with and without the help of music educators” (p. 21). Shuler stated (2011), “[m]usic ensemble programs are widely perceived as existing for the elite few, the musically talented, rather than as a core subject area for all students” (p. 9). This is a worrisome statement for music educators as we try to bring music
ala breve Brittny Kempfer
education into the twenty-first century. What can we, as music educators do?
Recently I attended two different state Music Educators
Association conferences. One state is actively striving to offer workshops and sessions on diverse musical options to give in-service teachers more tools to utilize in their programs. However, in the other state, there was very little mention of diversity and limited options for workshops and sessions. Is one state behind the other? Can both states be sufficiently serving their music student population as it stands currently? I do not believe it is my place to say, nor do I believe the answer is a simple one.
As educators, our primary purpose is, and will always be
student success. Considering this, I ask that music educators think about the following questions when making curriculum decisions for their programs:
Are the current course options offering relevant music opportunities for my school population?
Do I have adequate training in areas outside of traditional ensemble music?
How can I gain support for potential curriculum changes? It is important to note that meeting the needs of diverse
music students does not suggest dropping the large performing ensemble (Kelly-McHale, 2016). Rather, it is important to sustain the students already active in the music program, and “provide additional paths that attract and sustain musical involvement for ‘the other 80 percent’” (Shuler, 2011, p. 11). Although there are many ways to begin including the non-traditional music student, I will focus upon teaching through music technology in this paper.
Issues of Relevancy Students today are finding less enjoyment in the music
performed by traditional ensembles. “Little of this music has relevance to the lives of students outside of school” (Williams, 2011, p. 55) as the population of students is becoming increasingly diverse. According to Elpus and Abril (2011) in a study of demographics from 2004, 65.7% of high school music students are white. However, the overall enrollment of minorities in the public-school system has been increasing. Minorities (50.3%) outnumbered whites (49.7%) in public schools for the first time in our history in 2014 (Hussar & Bailey, 2014). These numbers show that minorities are still under-represented in music courses which suggest the need to offer diverse music
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