The Effect of Three Orchestra/ School Partnerships on Students' Interest in Instrumental Music Instruction

Abstract

This study is an examination of the influence of three orchestra/school partnerships on students' interest in instrumental music. A vocational choice survey was used to assess students' interest in instrumental music. Surveys were administered to second-through fourth-grade students at partnership and nonpartnership schools. Results indicated that there were significant differences in vocational choices between students at partnership schools and students at nonpartnership schools. Partnership students selected musician as a vocation more frequently than did nonpartnership students. In partnerships that were focused exclusively on developing students' interest in instrumental music, students selected music vocations more frequently than did students in other partnerships. Additional surveys and interviews indicated that many students in higher grades who were participating in instrumental music programs attributed their participation to partnership activities.