Classical Music Education: a transcontinental comparative study of classical music for today’s youth

This thesis is a two part project, the first being a viola recital that I will perform on Wednesday, April 24th 2013, including a variety of original or transcribed works by Bach, Bruch, Walton, and Handel-Von Halverson. The second part of my thesis, to which the title refers, is a comparative study of the music education programs, particularly the orchestra programs, in the Lewiston Public Schools (Maine), the Farmington Public Schools (Connecticut), and the Foundation of Youth Orchestras of Chile (Fundación de orquestas juveniles e infantiles de Chile). The focus of the study is on accessibility issues, the outside and surrounding environments, and the accomplishments of each of the programs; it explores the reasons for both shared traits and discrepancies. While some of these programs are arguably more successful than others in certain ways, there is valuable information that could be shared and exchanged between all three programs, as in the end, all three share the goal of teaching and raising aspirations of young people through music