Selecting Instruments for beginners.

Abstract

This study investigated how music teachers in Western New York State prepare beginning instrumental music students to select a musical instrument. Participants comprised music teachers in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Niagara Counties. Eighty-one participants completed an online questionnaire or adaption of the online questionnaire relating to their instrumental selection process. The purpose of the study was to explore the factors that determine the instrument selection process for beginning band students. Additional explored areas included educational setting, professional background, specific instrument selection procedures, the effects of gender on instrument choice, the role of testing in the instrument selection process, and influences of the instrument selection process. Most participants in the study earned their master’s degrees and had an average of 16 years of teaching experience. Participants reported that the instrument selection process was briefly mentioned in their pre-service education and that personal experience had the most influence in their selection procedure. Participants also reported that students preferred instruments that coincided with traditional gender roles. The findings of this study indicate that more emphasis on the instrument selection process is needed by music teachers and pre-service programs to address important issues such as gender bias.