The choral program of the South Australian public primary schools' Festival of Music: a study of its effectiveness.

Abstract

This study investigates the effectiveness of a state wide choral program for upper public primary school students that has been operating in South Australia for over a century. The program is jointly run by the South Australian Public (Primary) Schools Music Society, an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting music in the state's public primary schools, and the state's Education Department. While reviews of educational programs have most frequently been approached from the public service's standpoint, this study incorporates the perspectives of the program's other stakeholders. While some historical background of the program is included, the study concentrates on the program's effectiveness for the period 1995 to 2008. The program's ‘effectiveness' is considered for the way it functions as stakeholders intended – that is, as a program that serves an educational and, specifically, music education role. Other evaluation criteria critical to the program's operation, namely its management, staffing, funding, administration and curriculum are examined for their impact on the program's functions. Methods of inquiry into stakeholders' perceptions included questionnaires, formal and informal interviews, written records, multi-disciplinary published material and the author's participant observation during the period 1995 to 2009. While most parents, principals and choir trainers recognised the music education component as a benefit, particularly when this was otherwise absent in their schools, of greatest import to their perceptions of the program‘s effectiveness were the life skills they perceived students gained. Consistently identified benefits included a growth in self-esteem, social skills and teamwork, enjoyment and deriving a sense of achievement. These benefits were observed to positively influence other areas of students' learning. Ancillary skills mentioned were the development of commitment, perseverance, self-discipline, co-operation and respect for others, focus, memory development and community service. These observations reflected an extension of the meaning of education beyond the Education Department's employment-oriented skill confines to include an appreciation of education that involved students' social and personal development. This study affirms that the gamut of life skills observed in older children and adults in health or therapeutic contexts apply equally to younger children within an educational setting.