Elana Gitterman

Summary Observation Report - A Look at Funding in Music Education

Over the course of the past year, I had the opportunity to observe and interact with many

different types of music classes in LAUSD and SMMUSD. Although the various different

teaching approaches and classroom environments that I encountered gave me just a small look

into diverse world of music education, however the experiences I had have opened my eyes to

what I might encounter in the future as a music teacher.

I could talk about the obvious parts of music education, such as motivating students (see

research paper), classroom management, or other teacher focused factors, but the thing I have

learned the most about, which I did not expect to learn about at all, is the role of money.

The biggest thing that shapes a music program, after the teacher, is the financial resources

allocated to said program. When observing classes in Mira Costa and Santa Monica, it was easy

to tell that the schools had strong financial resources. The facilities were quite modern and had a

plethora of technology, such as high tech projectors, SmartMusic, and smart boards. In contrast,

the schools I have encountered in LAUSD are more low tech. They would often contain a

projector and speakers, but not really any technology for the students to use themselves. This can

be viewed as a hurdle as the various types of technology did make it seem like those who were

better off financially had more ways of teaching with the tech, however the lack of advanced

technological devices did not seem to hinder the “less well off” schools.
 Aside from the technology, another thing that monetary resources seemed to affect was

classroom assistants. This was most evident in the choral programs that I observed. At the high

school level in both Mira Costa and Santa Monica, the directors had an accompanist, which I at

first thought was something that was commonplace for the schools due to the fact that they were

both high schools. However, at the middle school level, it became apparent that the accompanists

were not provided for the schools based on the competency of the students, but rather

accompanists were only present in schools that were more wealthy. The middle school in

SMMUSD (Lincoln) had an accompanist, which allowed the teacher to be free to focus more on

the students in their class and give them more individualised attention. However, at the LAUSD

middle school (Emerson), there was no accompanist at all, and the students performed with pre

recorded audio. This is consistent with my upbringing in LAUSD schools, where the choral

director or a student would have to play the piano for choir at both the middle and high school

levels while my friends in more wealthy districts had multiple coaches and accompanists at every

age.

The obvious factor that seems to determine the school’s resources is, sadly, the wealth of

the families that send their children to those schools. Even within LAUSD, from my own

experience, schools in “better off” neighborhoods had the funding - whether through fundraising,

parent donations, or other means - to do more with their music programs, such as getting new

instruments, having technology in the classroom, or hiring coaches. The schools from areas

considered economically disadvantaged did not have those things. This has become much more

clear as I have conducted my observations over the past year.

 One observation in particular, however, did stand out to me as a shining example of how

a well placed teacher can overcome this disadvantage and create a program that still manages to

teach students everything that they need. Palms Middle School is located in LAUSD, and with

that came the usual LAUSD funding. The classes seemed to be “normal” until the teacher

reminded her students that if they are using a school instrument that they can't check it out that

night as other classes need them for their concert. This shocked me, because although I am many

years removed from my days attending LAUSD schools, I had never had to share a school

instrument with anyone else. However, what the school lacked in instruments, it made up for

with the enthusiasm and attentive nature of the teacher. This teacher, despite the odds, seemed to

have created a rich and fulfilling program for her students, relying less on technology and more

on other activities to enhance musicianship (like teaching some conducting) that do not require

much in terms of financial resources.

Seeing the various music programs with different levels of funding has given me a

glimpse of many possible routes a future music program I could be teaching in could follow

financially. I hope that by learning about the less advantaged/more publicly funded schools, I can

become more like the teacher at Palms and still inspire future students. If I teach in a more

financially stable school, I want to know that my program is successful not because I have access

to many technologies/new instruments/coaches (which I, of course would still utilize), but

because I can teach effectively and motivate students well.