Scheduling Accommodations Among Students Who Persist in High School Music Ensembles

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate scheduling patterns of high school students who earn multiple credits in music ensembles and to investigate why high school students elect to enroll in ensembles. Participants ( N = 443) were freshman music majors enrolled in 10 Texas universities. They completed questionnaires about enrollment in ensembles, classes taken outside of the traditional school day, and types of high school schedules. In a free-response format, participants listed any scheduling obstacles and reasons for taking ensemble classes in high school. Results indicated that the primary obstacles involved schedule conflicts. Respondents ( n = 55) who took summer school and correspondence courses had the highest average number of music ensemble classes (7.9) for Grades 9 through 12. The primary motivating factors for ensemble membership were the pleasures associated with performing music and social networking. Implications of research include the potential improvement of retention rates.