Student perceptions and attitudes regarding the diversity of music in their high school band classroom

Though much research has been published on the benefits, importance, and teacher perceptions of multicultural music education, fewer investigations have examined student perceptions and attitudes on this topic. Most notably, the author perceived a lack of such research at the high school level. The purpose of this study was to investigate student perception of and attitudes toward the diversity of music in high school band programs. This qualitative investigation involves a case study approach, using interview technique. It seeks to answer the following questions: (a) what are high school band students\u27 perceptions of diversity in their school band curriculum, and (b) what are high school band students\u27 attitudes toward diversity in their school band curriculum? The sample of convenience included three students recruited from the researcher\u27s private music studio. Each student was interviewed individually, using open-ended questions. Results were analyzed for trends and discrepancies that provided a foundation for further discussion. Information gained from this report may be valuable to school band directors as they make decisions on multicultural curriculum design and implementation --Leaf ix