The Status of Public School Orchestras in Kansas

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate string and orchestra programs in Kansas public schools. Website searches were conducted of all 285 Kansas public school districts for evidence of orchestra programs and names and contacts of teachers. A survey was administered to all known string and orchestra teachers in Kansas (N=150). A total of 67 participants fully completed the survey for a response rate of 45%. Data were collected on the prevalence of school districts with orchestra programs, the number of orchestra teachers employed in the state, demographic profiles of orchestra teachers, orchestra program information, and recent changes to programs. Approximately 13% of school districts in Kansas had string or orchestra programs during the 2012-2013 school year. As a whole, the data indicate that Kansas string and orchestra teachers and programs are very similar to those on a national level. This study provides an easily replicable methodological model and survey instrument that could be used by any state, with limited changes, to collect similar data.

The Status of Strings and Orchestra Programs in U.S. Schools

“…Virtually all string teachers reported holding teaching certificates or licensure in the field (Gillespie & Hamann, 1998, 2010Gillespie et al, 2014;Hamann et al, 2002;Horvath, 1993;National String Project Consortium, 2010;Schmidt et al, 2006). Approximately two thirds of respondents reported playing a string instrument as their primary instrument (Gillespie & Hamann, 1998, 2010Gillespie et al, 2014;Hamann et al, 2002;Horvath, 1993;National String Project Consortium, 2010;Tast, 2014) and the majority were active performers (Gillespie & Hamann, 1998;National String Project Consortium, 2010). Bergonzi (1998) found that string students were 3 times more likely to be female than male but their racial apportionment was comparable with that of the general high school population.…”

“…Eight national studies of school orchestra programs were conducted between 1991 and 2010 which focused on one or more of the following areas: program characteristics, support, student/teacher demographics, and curricula (Bergonzi, 1998; Delzell & Doerksen, 2000; Gillespie & Hamann, 1998; Hamann, Gillespie, & Bergonzi, 2002; Leonhard, 1991; National String Project Consortium, 2010; Smith, 1997; Smith, 2000). During this time frame, state-level studies of orchestra programs (Indiana, Kansas, Ohio, and Virginia) were also conducted which examined some of these same topics (Abeel, 1995; Horvath, 1993; Schmidt, Baker, Hayes, & Kwan, 2006; Tast, 2014). Two additional national studies examined the impact of new string programs on communities and their constituents (Gillespie & Hamann, 2010; Gillespie, Russell, & Hamann, 2014).…”

A Mixed Methods Study on the Status of School Orchestra Programs in Oregon: An Explanation of Inhibiting and Promoting Factors

“…At the same time, research on teaching strings in schools and school orchestra programs remained to be limited in quantity (Ebie, 2002) and scope (Kantorski, 1995). An area of research in strings that is in need of more scientific based evidence is the status of school orchestra programs at the national level, and particularly at the individual states level (Tast, 2014). One of these states whose orchestra offerings in schools have not yet been examined in a systematic way is Oregon.…”

“…Moss (2002) investigated string programs in 44 rural school districts in South Georgia and found that only 11% offered strings. Tast (2014) reported that 13% of school districts in Kansas offered string instruction, that 95% of orchestra teachers were White, and that 75% of teachers indicated a string instrument as their primary instrument. Kuehne and Harrison (2016) investigated music educators' views on the state of string/orchestra programs in four focus states: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.…”

String Teacher Preparation Programs in the United States

“…Fortunately for the stakeholders, the district was able to partner with local universities to place advanced music education majors in the classroom with substitute teachers with the hope that the preservice teachers could be hired full-time upon graduation (Schimek, 2002). Of course, the reality is that many districts across the country lack the resources of the Oklahoma City Public Schools and continue to operate without an orchestra program (Ihas, 2019; Schmidt et al, 2006; Tast, 2014). Exacerbating the problem may be the lack of full-time, dedicated string music education faculty and subsequent lack of string-specific courses in music education curricula (Gillespie & Hamann, 1999; Lesniak, 2008).…”