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November 1, 2008 FOCUS ON STUDENTS: Research Study Indicates Teenagers’
Strong Commitment to Music & Music Making A research study, recently published in the Fall 2007
issue of the Journal for Research in Music Education, reveals the meaning and
importance of music participation in the lives of middle and high school
adolescents, including those enrolled and not enrolled in school music
programs. The study was conducted by Patricia Shehan Campbell,
Ph.D., of the Background and Methodology: Teens Speak Out to Prevent
In-School Music Program Cuts The study, entitled “Adolescents’ Expressed Meanings of
Music in and out of School,” was based on responses by 1,155 teens who
submitted student essays to Teen People magazine. The online contest invited
teens to speak out to help prevent the further elimination of music programs in
schools across the country. After organizing the essays by age and gender, the
written material was reviewed for themes and a coding frame was developed that
included: • Music-specific benefits, encompassing musical
knowledge/skill • Emotional benefits that span enjoyment,
expression, emotional release and control, and coping • Music’s benefits to life-at-large, including the
building of character and life skills • Social benefits encompassing camaraderie, the
acceptance of differences, and high morale at school and home • Distraction from vices such as drugs, alcohol,
smoking, gangs, sex and suicidal behaviors and • Music in schools, including positive and negative
impressions of the program, particular courses and course content, and teachers Insight into the values and reasoned functions of music
and music education led to a data-based discourse on the relevance of music in
the lives of American adolescents enrolled in secondary schools. Findings Show Teens View Music Making as Key Component
of Their Lives Throughout their essays, students expressed their
thoughts toward learning and playing music and revealed that they value music
making as a central aspect of their identities. Teenagers see music as their “social glue,” as a bridge
for building acceptance and tolerance for people of different ages and cultural
circumstances. Music provides teens’ opportunities in school for engagement as
performers, composers and intelligent listeners, activities and qualities that
appear to be deeply meaningful to them. And, for teens desperately seeking relevance, music
education may give them the balanced experience they require. Additional findings of the research study include that
teens: • Spoke with the experience of eight to 12
years of schooling in their young lives concerning music’s place in school
curriculum, the relationship of music to other subjects, the quality of
instruction and their perceived need for change to develop more relevant
courses and repertoires. • Believe music helps adolescents release or
control emotions and helps coping with difficult situations such as peer
pressure, substance abuse, pressures of study and family, the dynamics of
friendships and social life, and the pain of loss or abuse. • Feel that playing music teaches self-discipline.
• Believe that playing music diminishes
boundaries between people of different ethnic backgrounds, age groups and
social interests. • Indicate making music provides the freedom
for teens to just be themselves; to be different; to be something they thought
they could never be; to be comfortable and relaxed in school and elsewhere in
their lives. • Long for more variety and options for making
music in school, including the expansion to instruments and technology used in
popular music. • Are committed to their instruments and their
school ensembles because they love to be involved in these musical and social
groups; 20% of the respondents specified instruments as part of their musical
identities, whether or not they were engaged in school music education. • Believe that music is an integral part of
American life, and that music reflects American culture and society; there were
333 mentions of the skills that music education can provide access to,
including the historical and cultural significance of music in civilizations
and societies. • Described their music teachers as
encouraging, motivating and acting as both role models and friends that can be
trusted for listening and giving advice. Share This Research Alongside Words of Students &
Parents As school districts across the country encounter
increasingly tight budgets and difficult priority setting as a result of the
economic downturn, public school music education advocates will need to be
especially vigilant and pro-active during this school year. TIP: Share the study’s findings with quotes from
parents and students in your advocacy efforts to build the case for your music
program. Visit the following CounterPoint articles for more information: * “Students Express Why Music is Important to Their
Complete Education,” www.supportmusic.com/drjohn/archive/2008-07-01.mhtml
contains excerpts from student submissions to the annual School Band &
Orchestra Magazine essay contest. In their own words, students write their
thoughts about how: • Music education helps build bridges, eases
communication • Music education helps them do better in school • Music education helps build self-esteem,
confidence • “How To Create School Board Support for
Music Program,” www.supportmusic.com/drjohn/archive/2007-01-17.mhtml
by Angel LaMarca offers advice and successful tactics. This study was funded by the NAMM Foundation as part of
its Sounds of Learning initiative, a program devoted to studying the associated
learning benefits of making music. For more information on this research, visit
www.nammfoundation.org |
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Organizations:
Artists:
Scott Brady |
