Diversity and talent: how to identify and recruit classical music students from among underrepresented populations

2018-04-30A number of programs exist that were created to diversify classical music by training students from underrepresented populations, in particular African‐American and Hispanic/Latino populations. This qualitative study examined the recruiting practices of one such classical music training program for pre‐college‐age students from predominantly African‐American and Hispanic/Latino backgrounds. A gap analysis using in‐depth interviews of program faculty and staff, supplemented with historical enrollment data, was conducted to identify the knowledge, motivation, and organizational factors that influenced stakeholders’ abilities to meet the program’s recruitment goals. The search for answers to what was posed as a recruiting question led to practical solutions using the New World Kirkpatrick Model, but also included examination of asset‐ versus deficit‐based approaches