Music education in the U.S. needs reform to stay relevant, effective, and sustainable.
Teaching methods and course offerings have changed very little over the past 100 years. Student enrollment in school music programs has steadily declined.
This decline is not due to a lack of interest—today’s students engage with more music than ever through streaming and digital access.
School music programs are reaching fewer students than they have in the past.
There is a growing gap between what students experience in music class and the music they engage with in their daily lives. Expanding course offerings to reflect diverse musical interests can help bridge this gap. Organizations like NAfME and the College Music Society recommend increasing cultural and social relevance in music education to further bridge the gap.
Examples include non-traditional classes like songwriting and alternative ensembles such as steel drum bands or world drumming groups.
Currently, there is no single, comprehensive resource that combines advocacy with practical guidance for creating these types of programs.
This website aims to fill that gap by helping secondary music educators modernize and expand their programs.
Reforming music education is both critical and urgent for its continued support and success.
Here is a 2-page printout summarizing the studies, research, and literature which supports creation of alternative music classes. Print it and give it to your administrators as you advocate for creating or offering different music class. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RK0OmM8kjO8trj3JkPaVM75qvLbtGK5X/view?usp=drive_link
Here is a link to a review of the literature below: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TopjfUk_tln8O5Zbc4wQwHF3mGiFcdDF/view?usp=drive_link
Scholarly Resources Advocating for Music Education Reform
Allsup, Randall Everett. “The Moral Ends of Band.” Theory into Practice 51 no. 3 (July 2012): 179–187. https://doi-org.libproxy.unm.edu/10.1080/00405841.2012.690288.
Brashier, Rachel. “Identity Politics and Politics of Identity: A Semiotic Approach to the Negotiation and Contestation of Music Teacher Identity Among Early Career Music Teachers.” PhD diss., University of Rochester, Rochester, 2019. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
Bucura, Elizabeth. “General Music in Middle School and High School.” In The Oxford Handbook of Preservice Music Teacher Education in the United States edited by Colleen M. Conway, et al., Oxford University Press, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190671402.013.33.
Bucura, Elizabeth, and Rachel Brashier. “Transformational Learning Strategies for the Secondary General Music Classroom.” Journal of General Music Education 35, no. 3 (2022): 6–11. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/27527646211061495.
Campbell, Patricia Shehan, Claire Connell, and Amy Beegle. “Adolescents’ Expressed Meanings of Music In and Out of School.” Journal of Research in Music Education 55, no. 3 (October 2007): 220-236. https://doi-org.libproxy.unm.edu/10.1177/002242940705500304.
Giebelhausen, Robin, and Adam J. Kruse. ““A Smile on Everybody’s Face”: A Multiple Case Study of Community Ukulele Groups.” International Journal of Music Education 36, no.3 (November 2017): 347-365. https://doi-org.libproxy.unm.edu/10.1177/0255761417744371.
Jordan, Robert C. “A Student-led, Small-group Approach to A Cappella Music Arranging.” Music Educators Journal 108, no. 3 (May 2022): 47–55. https://doi.org/10.1177/00274321221087722.
Kratus, John. “Songwriting: A New Direction for Secondary Music Education.” Music Educators Journal 102, no. 3 (March 2016): 60–65. https://doi-org.libproxy.unm.edu/10.1177/0027432115620660.
Kratus, John. “A Return to Amateurism in Music Education.” Music Educators Journal 106, no. 1 (September 2019): 31–37. https://doi-org.libproxy.unm.edu/10.1177/0027432119856870.
Lawrence, Sidney J., and Nadia Dachinger. “Factors Relating to Carryover of Music Training into Adult Life.” Journal of Research in Music Education 15, no. 1 (Spring 1967): 23-31. https://doi.org/10.2307/3344248.
Lee, William R., and Michael D. Worthy. “North American School Ensembles.” In The Oxford Handbook of Music Education by Gary E. McPherson and Graham F. Welch, eds., 807-825. Oxford: Oxford Academic, 2012. Accessed December 9, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199730810.013.0049.
Mok, Annie O. “Informal Learning: A Lived Experience in a University Musicianship Class.” British Journal of Music Education 34, no. 2 (March 2017): 169–188. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0265051716000498.
Montalvo, Bryant. “Case Study: 4 Keys to Drafting a New High School Music Program.” Yamaha (blog). Last updated June 29, 2022. Accessed December 5, 2025. https://hub.yamaha.com/music-educators/learn-peers/case-studies/central-falls-high-new-program/.
Moore, Ormond L. “Music Education for All: A Study of Non-Traditional Music Courses in Secondary Schools.” PhD diss., Liberty University, VA 2024. Scholars Crossing. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5252.
Randles, Clint. “Why Music Lessons Need to Keep Up with the Times,” The Conversation, editorial, June 2, 2016.
Sanderson, David N. “Music Class Offerings Beyond Bands, Choirs, and Orchestras in Nebraska High Schools.” Thesis, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 2014. Digital Commons. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1079&context=musicstudent.
Savage, Annie. "Overcoming the Barriers to Offering Eclectic-Styles Ensembles: A Narrative Inquiry of String Teachers’ Experiences." PhD Diss., University of Iowa, 2025. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://libproxy.unm.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/overcoming-barriers-offering-eclectic-styles/docview/3224414422/se-2.
Sutherland, Andrew, and Phillip A. Cartwright. “Working Together: Implications of Leadership Style for the Music Ensemble.” International Journal of Music Education 40, no.4 (April 2022): 613-627. https://doi-org.libproxy.unm.edu/10.1177/02557614221084310.
Theorell, T. et al., “Predictors of Continued Playing or Singing – From Childhood and Adolescence to Adult Years.” Acta Paediatrica 104, no. 3 (December 2014): 274-284. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.12870.
Thompson, David R. “Band, Orchestra, and... What? Alternative Instrumental Ensembles in the United States.” Excellence in Performing Arts Research 3 (2015): 1-10. doi: 10.21038/epar.2016.0304. Accessed on December 5, 2025. Retrieved from https://oaks.kent.edu/epar/vol3/iss1/band-orchestra-and-what-alternative-instrumental-ensembles-united-states.
Vasil, Martina. “Integrating Popular Music and Informal Music Learning Practices: A Multiple Case Study of Secondary School Music Teachers Enacting Change in Music Education.” International Journal of Music Education 37, no. 2 (February 2019): 298–310. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761419827367.
Whitmore, Lee. “Opinion: What’s Missing in Music Education? Cultural and Social Relevance.” The Hechinger Report. Last modified July 15, 2019. Accessed December 3, 2025. https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-whats-missing-in-music-education-cultural-and-social-relevance/.
Williams, David. A. “The Elephant in the Room.” Music Educators Journal 98, no. 1 (September 2011): 51–57. https://doi-org.libproxy.unm.edu/10.1177/0027432111415538.
Woody, Robert H. “Playing by Ear: Foundation or Frill?” Music Educators Journal 99, no.2 (December 2012): 82–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432112459199.