How They Decide

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the decision-making process for keeping or cutting the music program in one selected public school district. Lekbery School District, in the Detroit suburb of Lekbery, Michigan, had not made extreme cuts to the music program in over 10 years, nor had it specifically targeted the music program when budgets cuts did occur. Qualitative data collected through interviews and documents indicated that Lekbery Schools District’s administrators had committed to offering a well-rounded education to all of their students and that music education played a large part in that education. For decision making regarding funding and support for music education, decision makers considered (a) their personal values and philosophies of music education, (b) the values and demands of the community, (c) the quality of teaching that Lekbery could afford and provide, (d) the aesthetic and utilitarian purposes of keeping music education in the curriculum, (e) the economic value that music added, and (f) how the program contributed to the overall image of the school district.