Extrinsic Motivators Affecting Fourth-Grade Students’ Interest and Enrollment in an Instrumental Music Program

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate fourth-grade students’ extrinsic motivators for joining and continuing in a school instrumental music program. Three research questions were investigated: (a) What extrinsic motivators have influenced fourth-grade students’ initial interest and continuing participation in an instrumental music program? (b) What are the musical backgrounds of these students? (c) What musical activities (in or out of school) are they involved in at the time of this study? Elementary instrumental music students ( N = 6) were interviewed following Seidman’s three-interview series. Extrinsic motivators that influenced student decisions to join and continue in the instrumental music program were family, environment, social factors, and finances. Participants had varied musical backgrounds and their primary musical activity (in or out of school) at the time of the study was the instrumental music program. Study results indicate that participation in an instrumental music program may encourage students to become life-long musicians.