Date of Award

Winter 2014

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Social and Cultural Foundations in Education

Department

College of Education, Department of Educational Policy Studies and Research

First Advisor

Horace Hall, PhD

Second Advisor

Catherine Larsen, PhD

Third Advisor

James Duignan, MFA

Abstract

The value of arts education in our nation has steadily diminished. As aims for global expansion and development become more geared towards sustaining economic and technological vitality, the role of education naturally follows a similar trajectory, making the permanent implementation of arts curriculum in schooling an obscure reality. Amidst this transition, however, arts educators are relentlessly working to create arts programs for underprivileged youth whose families often times cannot afford private lessons. This thesis will explore the essence of a music educational space that embodies this effort in order to understand the meaning making processes of development and expansion for youth. By investigating the lived experience of the students in an after-­‐school orchestral style music program, this study cultivates an understanding of the implications of educational involvement in the arts. The findings revealed in the text will contribute to the working effort of researchers to bring the voices of students engaged in music learning to the forefront.

Included in

Education Commons

Share

COinS