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Conclusion
The end of the civil war, the rising immigrant population in America, and the touring of professional orchestras and bands helped pave the way for string education to be established in the public schools. The new immigrants did not have the negative attitudes towards instrumental music as the Pilgrims and Puritans. The end of WW1, the development of the radio, phonograph, motion pictures with sound, and the great depression, all sent professional musicians searching for work, and many found work as instrumental music teachers in the schools. The pioneering efforts of Albert Mitchell, Joseph Maddy and others were extremely important in developing interest in instrumental music among music supervisors and school administrators.The work of Rolland and Suzuki and the adoption of their materials for use in the string class has had a tremendous impact on raising the quality of string programs in the schools. Also, through continued efforts by ASTA, NSOA, and MENC, string programs are now appearing in schools where they had disappeared or never existed before.
Struggles continue for school orchestras: the rise of the non-profit youth orchestras, increased property taxes, and unfunded testing mandates from the federal government, have resulted in orchestra programs being cut from school budgets in many parts of the country. The success of a school orchestra still largely rests upon the shoulders of a capable director - someone who is not only an excellent musician, but who has the skills to recruit and retain students, develop an awareness in the community about the importance of the school orchestra, and build a strong rapport with parents, administrators, teachers, and other school personnel.
Copyright © 1996-2006, Michael Hopkins. All Rights Reserved.