Date

3-21-2023

Department

School of Music

Degree

Doctor of Music Education (DME)

Chair

Jerry Newman

Keywords

music, educational assessment, music education

Disciplines

Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Music

Abstract

Music education has been an essential part of American education and society. Since the earliest beginning of our nation's founding, many proponents of music education successfully advocated for musicians to teach music as a curricular discipline within the core of academics. Still, changes continue to occur with governmental reform and educational policies. Coupled with the demographic changes within our society, successful and influential music education has become a difficult challenge for many educators who teach within communities with limited resources. Many teacher-educator preparation programs across the nation modify curriculums to meet the concerns of an ever-changing society, including socioeconomic status, funding deficiency, and cultural diversity. This study utilizes a qualitative research study with the topic “Success vs. Survival” to identify teacher perspectives exploring and documenting music programs specific to schools in south metro Atlanta. The researcher examines root causes, suggestions from study participants, and suggestions for improvement. Although many publications address this topic, there are few location-specific essays. This study utilizes a qualitative research study to identify teacher perspectives exploring and documenting music programs specific to schools in south metro Atlanta. The thesis includes survey and ethnographic research in the form of surveys and interviews from the perspective of the subjects, who are music teachers of all grade levels. Finally, the dissertation examines the challenges of teaching music education in urban and low-income communities. It offers the professional experiences and perspectives of music educators who serve Title I and low-income school districts in south metro Atlanta. Using the testimonies and experiences of experts in the field, the author provides insight into some methods and means to recondition these issues.

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