Abstract:
What does music education look like at an American classical school? The purpose of this case study was to examine the philosophies, practices, and perceived outcomes of secondary music at a classical school in southern Colorado. Data was collected through four semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and several source documents from the school. Interview transcripts, observations and artifacts were analyzed through emerging category coding. Transcripts were member-checked and confirmation bias was limited by accurately stating data. Research questions that guided the study were 1) what does the music education program look like in a classical school, 2) what are the perceived benefits and deficits of a classical education in music from teachers and parents, and 3) according to current music teachers at a classical school, how does music education there reflect/not reflect the classical education model in this setting? Findings revealed that a compulsory music component was vital to the classical model, classical instruction in music is guided by the Trivium, parent involvement in music at this classical school is growing, and character education is a benefit foundational to the music program. Implications for music education include unique structural elements, an effective instructional model in music, and character education can be tied to music education.
