Building Your Instrumental Music Program in an Urban School

Abstract

emonstrating a commitment to quality music education for all children, MENC: National Association for Education introduced The Child's Bill of in Music in 1950. A revision adopted in 1991 stated that quality and quantity of children's music instruction must not depend upon their geographical location, social status, racial or ethnic status, urban/suburban/rural residence, or parental or community wealth.' Instrumental music has consistently been an integral component of comprehensive music instruction, and The Child's Bill of Rights accounted for this by stating that every child must receive extensive opportunities to ... play at least one instrument.2 Shortly after the revised version of The Child's Bill of Rights was published in 1992, the National Standards for Arts Education were introduced and widely accepted. successful implementation of the K-12 music components of these Standards is heavily predicated on a number of factors, including the availability of sufficient instruction time and space, the appropriation of substantive funding, and the facilitation of qualified music teachers, including those for instrumental music.3 Sadly, these requisite conditions are presently inadequate in most urban schools. With some extra