PERCEPTIONS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND AND CHOIR TEACHERS’ REGARDING THE INFLUENCE OF MUSIC EDUCATION ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Abstract

Mosby, Alta G., Perceptions of middle school band and choir teachers’ regarding the influence of music education on students’ academic achievement. Doctor of Education (Executive Educational Leadership), May 2021, Houston Baptist University, Houston, Texas. Arts are part of a balanced education providing America’s learners with essential skills and knowledge needed to be productive college and career ready citizens. The arts are supported by a rigorous set of voluntary national standards and assessment frameworks designed to improve and support arts learning. Students gain an opportunity for a sequential standard-based education in the arts when America’s public schools invest in certified arts educators (Kennedy Center, 2013). The arts can improve student attention, sequencing, processing, and cognitive skills (Ashbury & Rick, 2008). The arts build attentional skills that could greatly improve student success (Posner, Rothbart, Scheese, & Kieras, 2008). Despite a growing body of evidence that music instruction can improve student achievement, this form of instruction continues to be reduced or eliminated from the school curriculum (Dryden, 1992). The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative research was to examine the perceptions of middle school band and choir teachers and the influence of music education in the development of the whole child and students’ academic achievement. This research explored and described the perceptions of middle school band and choir teachers on the impact of music education on students’ achievement. The researcher conducted the study using a non-probability sampling consisting of the snowball sampling of middle school band and choir teachers in the various states in the southeastern region of the United States of America. The study revealed how music is perceived in middle school and how students participating in the music program, especially band or choir will positively impact students’ academic achievement. The findings revealed that students who participate in the band or choir have higher scores in their other classes, are able to express v themselves through music, are creative, are better communicators, are self-motivated, and have social and emotional learning skills. The researcher gained knowledge of the participants’ feelings and their perceptions about their personal experiences and teaching experience of band and choir. The data collection and analysis procedure were discussed and three means of data were collected. The three means of data were: (a) survey containing demographic questions, (b) open-ended questions and Likert scaled questions, and (c) responses obtained in focus group interviews using the open-ended questions from the survey and allowing participants to expand on the written responses orally. The examination of the study was broken down into two categories (1) perceptions of middle school band and choir teachers and (2) participation in band or choir influence on student’s academic achievement. The participants strongly agreed music education influences student’s academic achievement and the development of the whole child. Every child is entitled to a wholesome education, and music is part of a child’s development. Keywords: creativity, self-motivation, social emotional learning, cross-curricular, teamwork