families and their students. I should also note that there was an extremely high rate of agreement among those I interviewed and the administrators who provided informa- tion about the following information.
When I asked how things are different from approximately ten years ago, the most notable difference is that far fewer families are migrating or moving long distances for work. Migrant workers now find a place to settle, a town in west- ern Michigan for example, and then move around that area to work different crops as the seasons change rather than moving from Texas to Michigan and back again. Melissa Anders corroborates this information in a 2013 mlive article noting, “Tere has been a shiſt to more seasonal workers since 2006 . . . some workers may have decided to settle in Michigan because they want a more stable environment.”13 Te Michigan Migrant Resources website indicates, “Tere are also significant populations of former migrant work- ers who have ‘settled out’ in communities.”14
As a result,
educators are not seeing as many students from migrant families leave their classrooms in October and return in April, so there is less need to be creative in recruiting and serving Hispanic migrant students in music classes because their attendance and experience more closely approximates the norm for the general population. It is also interesting to note that as migrant families settle into a community, they are acquiring traditional housing more and more oſten and not solely living in housing provided by farmers. Migrant families are even purchasing houses that have shrunk significantly in price as a result of the recent recession. Te families of migrant workers actually oſten find buying a house more affordable than rent in some places but they almost always pay in cash, avoiding formal home loans.
I also asked for a working definition of “migrant.” Tere was a consensus that, while “migrant” once meant “tempo- rary worker” or “farm workers who travel great distances, following the crop cycles,” it is now more reflective of either single people who do not have a family and are able to move virtually any distance for a job or, less oſten now, one parent or family member, usually the father, who moves around for work and sends money to the family. Respondents also indicated that, as time has passed and many migrant work- ers have moved with or started families, they have tried to find a place to settle. Migrant workers want stability for their families, just like everyone else. Finding stability was noted as important regardless of region—California, Texas, or Michigan. However, the thing most commonly shared was that migrant workers don’t want to get into trouble. Tey want to do their job and not get noticed. In addition, respondents noted that in the past migrant workers were nearly always Mexican but now there is a growing number of people coming from Central America through Mexico to find work in the United States. It is a long, difficult, and of-
11
ten dangerous journey. Tat is why many of them will cross the border illegally, if they get that far and are not allowed to cross legally, rather than return to their home country where they face political and social instability.
Whether they are traditional migrants or “settled” migrants, family and religion are still primary aspects of life for Mex- icans and Hispanics in general. While this is not new, there has been greater acknowledgement of the importance of these factors along with some attempts to work with them. Family comes first in Hispanic households and students will miss school and school events if there is a conflicting family event or need. Family need can include watching younger siblings, doing housework, etc. Aſter school rehearsals may not be considered important. Families may not understand why such things are needed or they may not see enough value in it to make it a priority. Tis may be because their personal experiences or knowledge of what goes on in schools did not include these opportunities.
Family is what brings meaning to their lives. Taking care of each other’s needs and celebrating holidays are important aspects of their family life. My California contacts indicated that they now have year-round school in many districts to allow for longer breaks when their Mexican students will travel with their families to Mexico for holidays such as Christmas and Easter, among others. At Christmas they are off from the end of the first week of December to the second week of January and a week or more at spring break, which is attached to the week before Easter and Easter Monday. Tis adjustment, based on previously observed attendance patterns, means that the teachers will see all of the students when school is in session, an outcome that is particularly important to music educators who are preparing perfor- mances.
Te level of participation in music classes appears to have improved among migrant students. However, where this is happening, districts and music educators have made notable efforts on behalf of their students, especially in the areas of instrument availability and technology. Hispanic students, migrant or not, deserve the same music making opportunities afforded other students regardless of their socio-economic situation. In instances where students and their families simply cannot afford the instruments, supplies, sheet music, metronomes, tuners, etc. that many take for granted in our musical world, music teachers can help by applying for grants and seeking assistance from instrument manufacturers and others to supply the requisite equipment. Assistance from Federal and Foundation-based grants is another way to provide additional funding for such expenditures. Music teachers may also want to encourage community-based booster organizations as a way to support music education regardless of the community’s socio-eco-
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