A study of instrumental music drop-outs

Abstract

PURPOSE. The purpose of this study was to determine and investigate the extent of the instrumental music drop¬out problem in the Kansas City (Kansas) public schools, and to seek reasons for the discontinuance of instrumental music.

PROCEDURE. With the aid of the Director of Music for the Kansas City (Kansas) schools, a questionnaire was devel¬oped to collect data pertaining to the drop-out problem. The distribution and collection of the questionnaire was handled through the separate building principals and counselors. Subjects were identified by comparing lists of students from the school year 1979-1980 to the list of students en¬rolled in instrumental music for the school year 1980-1981. The answers from the questionnaires were tabulated in order to determine any patterns in the reasons for dropping out of instrumental music, and to determine what might be done to increase the retention power of the instrumental music programs.

CONCLUSIONS. The study revealed an instrumental music drop-out percentage of 22.0 for the five high schools and eight junior high schools. If it may be assumed that there will be the same drop-out rate over the next three years, the retention rate for the Kansas City (Kansas) instrumental music program will be U7.6 per cent; or, the probability that a student who began the study of a musical instrument in the school year 198O-1981 will not stay with it for three years is one in two.

There appear to be no relationship between sex, grade level, instrument played, school attended, race, or number of years experience when dropping out of instrumental music.

Conflict with other classes was the primary reason for dropping out; this reason was given by 33.0 per cent of the drop-outs returning the questionnaire. Other reasons with high percentage were dislike of the instrument played (19.4 per cent), participation in extra-curricular activities (14.7 per cent), and influenced by someone else (13.6 per cent).

Student-teacher rapport seemed to have little effect on whether students dropped out of instrumental music. It does appear that 32.6 per cent of the students dropping instrumental music were never recruited by the instructor at the building they were to attend.

Finally, the highest rate of drop-out occurs in the junior high (59.9 per cent) with grade seven (20.9 per cent) in the junior high and grade ten (19.9 per cent) in the senIor high having the greatest number of drop-outs.