The Meaning of Music Education to Middle School General Music Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the meaningfulness of music education to middle school students in general music classrooms. A survey instrument was created by gathering middle school students' responses to an open-ended question regarding the general music (non-performance) class in which they were enrolled. After pilot testing, the Music Meaning Survey (MMS) was administered to general music students in grades 6 through 8 (N = 762)from nine middle schools across 8 states. The results of the MMS were factor analyzed using principal components analysis and a varimax rotation. According to the MMS, subjects did ascribe meaning to music education. The meaning students derived from music education could be assimilated into four categories: Vocational (career-oriented outcomes), Academic (music theory and history), Belongingness (social interactions between students), and Agency (self-esteem, motivation, and emotional development). The primary conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that for middle school general music students, music class can be a meaningful and multifaceted experience.