Annotated Bibliography

Fitzpatrick, K. (2006). The Effect of Instrumental Music Participation and Socioeconomic Status on Ohio Fourth-, Sixth-, and Ninth-Grade Proficiency Test Performance. Journal of Research in Music Education, 54 (1), 73-84 http://www.jstor.org/stable/3653456
This study looked at the effect of instrumental music participation on fourth, sixth, and ninth grade students’ test scores across socioeconomic status. Students participating in instrumental instruction consistently outscored students of like socioeconomic status. Importantly, students of lower socioeconomic status who stayed in music from fourth to ninth grade outscored students of higher socioeconomic status who were not participating in music in ninth grade in the subject areas of science, math, citizenship, and reading. This demonstrates the possibility that instrumental music instruction could be a tool to close the achievement gap that urban schools have with their suburban counterparts.

Smith, C. (1997). Access to String Instruction in American Public Schools. Journal of Research in Music Education 45 (4), 650-662. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3345429
This article examines what school districts in the country offer string instrument instruction and at what grade levels. It found that strings are most often found in schools of average socioeconomic status in medium-sized urban or metropolitan districts. String instruction was offered least often in schools of low socioeconomic status regardless of their area. These findings are important because a string program is usually the last thing added in a music program, and so the presence of a string program in a school district can be an indicator of overall support for music education in a district.

Leard, D. W., and Lashua, B. (2006). Popular Media, Critical Pedagogy, and Inner City Youth. Canadian Journal of Education 29 (1), 244-264. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20054155
This article presented case studies of two teachers at inner city high schools in Edmonton, Alberta, who used popular culture, in particular popular theatre and rap music, for critical pedagogy. The study of interest to myself is the one that involved students writing their own rap and hip-hop music. The not only wrote the lyrics, but also used computer technology to create their own beats to rap over. The study enumerated several ways in which students used rap or hip-hop to lay out their thoughts, concerns, and problems in life. It was also a way for students to express their identity, and how they wanted that identity to take shape in the future.

Gordon, M. (1979). Instrumental Music Instruction as a Contingency for Increased Reading Behavior. Journal of Research in Music Education 27 (2), 87-102. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3344895
This article presented the findings of research conducted in two inner-city schools. Two groups of fourth graders, one reading at or above grade level, and the other at least one year behind grade level, were studied to determine the effect of instrumental music instruction as a reinforcer or motivational tool for increased reading behavior. The lower level reading group was the experimental group, and received music instruction only when individual reading goals were met within a forty-minute time period. If the goals were not met, the students would not receive music instruction. The higher-level reading group was the control group, and received music instruction regardless of performance. A reading pretest given to both groups before music instruction started showed significant differences in the two groups’ performances. A reading posttest given after the experiment was completed showed no differences in the groups’ scores. In the experimental group, daily reading scores increased when contingent music instruction started and was not maintained when the music instruction was withdrawn.
This experiment is particularly interesting because it shows the effect music can have on students’ motivation to learn and do well in school. The findings show that music education can have an affect on students’ school performance in other subject areas besides music. While the study was small, encompassing only fifty-four students, it is promising research that I have yet to find any more support on. While much research has been done on the effects of music instruction on reading performance, this is the only study I have found that looks specifically at music’s effects on motivation for learning in other subjects. It is something that I would like to look at more closely.

Shields, C. (2001). Music Education and Mentoring as Intervention for At-Risk Urban Adolescents: Their Self-Perception, Opinions, and Attitudes. Journal of Research in Music Education 49 (3) 273-286. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3345712
This article described a study of the effects of music education and mentoring by music teachers as intervention for at-risk urban sixth graders based on the students’ self-perception over six domains. The music teacher acted as a mentor during the study, intentionally trying to note and help with students’ problems, both musical and nonmusical. The study found no statistically significant difference between students’ pretest and posttest self-perception in all domains except for that of musical competency. It was also found that students considered music more important in their lives at the end of the study compared to before the study began. Students’ feelings of musical competency also came more in line with the importance they gave to music in their lives. This is important because it shows that at-risk students can use music to increase self-esteem in certain ways, even if it does not carry over to other domains of self-esteem.