If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music... I get most joy in life out of music.--Albert Einstein In the spirit of recent legislation, educational leaders are in search of ways to ensure a quality education for all students in America, vowing to leave no child behind. Unfortunately, most of the rhetoric surrounding quality in education fails to acknowledge the impact of the arts in standards-based reform initiatives. In fact, some school districts have discussed cutting the arts entirely from the curriculum. The purpose of this study is threefold: (1) to examine the impact of music education on high school students' achievement in mathematics, and (2) to examine the relationship between schools with music programs and their graduation rates, (3) to explore the personal impact of music participation through auto-ethnographic study. The results of this study revealed that participation in a music program can have a positive impact on mathematics retention of high school students. This study revealed information about the need for student participation in order to make a clear determination. However, the auto-ethnography shows a clear example of the impact music can have on student academic success.

Numerous studies emphasise the importance of music-making as an integral human experience, but only a handful focus on the perceived benefits of participating in a university choir as experienced by the singers themselves. An extensive literature search revealed that no research has been conducted that specifically focuses on this topic within a multicultural South African university choir. There is an increasing interest in the attributed values associated with membership in a collective music activity, especially with regard to choirs. The aim of this ethnographic case study was to explore the perceived benefits of choir participation for choristers who are members of a multicultural university choir in South Africa and to examine to what extent if at all social capital is generated as a by-product of their choir participation. A qualitative research approach was most suitable in order to gain an in-depth perspective of choristers' personal perceptions. Data collection included interviews, focus groups and observations of rehearsals and performances, involving 76 members of the University of Pretoria Camerata. The findings of this research highlight the personal, social and musical values attributed to membership within the choir as perceived by its members. The main findings revealed that the experience of singing in a choir is polygonal, and that such experiences are rewarding, plentiful, and even challenging at times. Choristers perceive their participation to be beneficial to their health and see the choir environment as safe and conducive to forming important relationships. Cultural integration takes place as an extension of being associated within a diverse group of people and a wealth of trust is generated amongst the singers, regardless of their cultural, religious or language differences. Findings indicated some negative perceptions as experienced by the singers, as cultural barriers still exist between members which were exacerbated by political tensions on campus at the time of data collection. Another stressful element of choir participation is the extensive time and commitment required due to the demanding and eventful choir calendar, as well as full academic programmes for which they are registered. The study provides empirical evidence of how two types of social capital, namely bridging- and bonding social capital, are generated within the choir. Bridging social capital exists amongst students from different ethnic backgrounds; while bonding social capital is evident between specific language-, racial- and cultural groups within the choir. As a result of choir participation, social norms and values are shared amongst the singers and networks and connections are established across all types of boundaries, creating an environment of reciprocity between singers. Results from this study highlight that the Camerata establishes a wealth of trust between its members, on a personal, professional and musical level. / Thesis (DMus)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Music / DMus / Unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in growth on the reading and mathematics FCAT 2.0 across varying levels of instrumental music participation by both low- and high-socioeconomic status (SES) middle school students, and to determine whether or not there is a relationship between instrumental music participation and socioeconomic status. The differences between instrumental music participation groups were not found to be statistically significant for both the reading and mathematics FCAT 2.0 growth by high-SES status students, and for reading FCAT 2.0 growth by low-SES status students. The differences between groups were found to be significant for mathematics FCAT 2.0 growth by low-SES students, but a Tukey HSD post-hoc test found no significant differences between the individual groups. The study also found that high-SES students had a higher rate of instrumental music participation in sixth grade, and a lower attrition rate between sixth and seventh grade than the low-SES students.

The purpose of this study was to identify and assess Texas community orchestras and create a demographic and musical profile of participants. This was accomplished through use of two online questionnaires. A director survey questionnaire determined the organizational status of each orchestra. The directors surveyed were leaders in these organizations who provided information about their orchestras’ founding, budget, and membership numbers. The participant survey questionnaire was adapted from Bowen’s 1995 study of community band participants in the southeastern United States. Participant data included educational and musical training, musical activities, and demographics. Bowen’s study guided this venture in expanding a profile of community musicians to include those in community orchestras. Eleven of the 18 community orchestras identified in Texas responded to the questionnaires distributed, with 361 participant questionnaires returned. Although many music making opportunities for adults are available in Texas, the existence of only 18 community orchestras in the state indicates a tremendous gap between school music making and adult music making in these types of ensembles, given 44,000 Texas school orchestras reported competing in 2010–2011. Research has shown that making music increases the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual wellbeing of those who take part. As serious leisure, community music making experiences enable those involved an opportunity to engage in a challenging, satisfying, and meaningful activity. All members of a community should have access to such opportunities because these activities may improve their quality of life. According to the profiles in the participant survey questionnaires, the following activities may encourage more participation in adult music making: Offering diverse music making opportunities, intergenerational music activities, encouraging community music experiences, and the modeling adult music making by teachers.

There is a wealth of literature on people who participate in community instrumental ensembles. Studies exist regarding demographics, educational level, socio-economic status, music education experience, and musical self-identities of community music participants. Far less study focuses on young adults who were successful in high school programs but chose not to continue playing in a community instrumental ensemble group after the end of formal schooling. Traditional assumptions about their reasons—job and family for example—need to be examined. Attribution Theory, which provides a means of analyzing motivation for choices as well as perceived attributions for success or failure, was the theoretical framework of this research, with focus group interviews as the main procedural methodology. The geographic area of the study was limited to the greater Los Angeles area of southern California. Music education literature is replete with references to building skills and values for lifelong participation in music, whether in performance, in listening, or in engaging with music in other ways. This study will offer insight into why many young adults who were once in high school music choose not to continue in instrumental music performance beyond their high school years. I anticipate that this research may lead to better understanding of issues in young adult stages of life as they relate to choices about non-participation in community instrumental ensembles. This research suggests ways in which school music education can facilitate lifelong engagement with music, and will suggest how community ensembles might make changes that will broaden participation by a greater number of young adults after they leave school.

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