The Status of Music Education Programs in Texas

The content, scope, and quality of music programs vary greatly among different regions of the country. School size, ethnic composition, and socioeconomic levels of school populations are all in some ways related to the music instruction available to children. In many regions of the US, for example, large schools are more likely to provide music instruction than are small schools; schools in low SES neighborhoods are less likely to offer comprehensive music instruction than are schools in high SES neighborhoods; in schools with large proportions of minority students enrolled, the ethnic makeup of the music program often does not reflect the ethnic proportions of the student population. More worrisome is the fact that teachers often feel unprepared or unwilling to teach in urban settings, in which the proportions of students from low SES backgrounds and students from minority populations are higher than in suburban settings. Given the lack of available data for the music programs in public schools of Texas, it is unknown whether these national trends are true for Texas.

The purpose of this project is to document the extent to which music education is afforded children from the many ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic populations in Texas. The project comprises surveys of administrators and music teachers in all counties of the state to assess the types of music programs offered in Texas public schools and the rates of student participation in these programs.

Participating Research Group

Eugenia Costa-Giomi, Project Director, Associate Professor of Music and Human Learning

Douglas Dempster, Senior Associate Dean, College of Fine Arts

Robert A. Duke, Director, The Center for Music Learning

Elizabeth Chappell, PhD student in Music and Human Learning

Project Sponsor

The project is funded by The Texas Music Project (TMP). TMP is a non-profit initiative of the Social Marketing Resource Center in conjunction with the Texas music industry and the State of Texas, the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education. The Texas Music Project is committed to “strengthening and restoring rigorous music education to Texas schools and raise awareness of the positive impact music education has on students, and promote Texas music.”