To all supporters of arts and music education at Oyster River Cooperative School District in Durham, New Hampshire — Welcome!
This site exists to provide information and advocate for the addition of a curricular string music program to the existing music curricula at Oyster River schools. There is a petition (now completed) to gather and demonstrate community support to district administration and the school board.
Questions and Answers
The following is a list of questions and answers to provide background and information on why and how to integrate string education at Oyster River. It is intended to provide a framework for potential conversation and not as a set of requirements. How to develop and structure a string music curriculum at Oyster River is definitively within the realm of responsibility of our music department staff and district administration.
These questions and answers are distilled from conversations with music educators throughout New Hampshire including Oyster River, Timberlane, and University of New Hampshire. This section also draws heavily on a 2012 proposal to incorporate curricular string instruction in the elementary school day created and presented by Oyster River elementary music teacher, Sarah Kuhn.
Is there interest in instrumental music at Oyster River?
Yes! The band program at Oyster River is very strong. The current rate of participation in the elective band program among 4th grade students is greater than 90%. At the middle school, almost 40% of 7th and 8th grade students are members in the elective band program.
Isn't band enough?
Offering only wind instruments fails to engage with students and parents who indicate a preference to play a string orchestra instrument. As shown, most students do elect to participate in band — however some of those students would choose to learn a string instrument, if given the choice.
Furthermore, many of the greatest works of western composers are music solely for orchestra. The presence of a string orchestra program in the schools will expand all our students exposure to the great music of our culture.
Why not include string instruments in band?
Orchestra music and wind ensemble music is very different — especially music accessible to students new to an instrument. Teaching methods, exercises, and rate of progression also vary considerably between wind and strings
For example, standard practice in public music education is to start string instrument instruction in 3rd grade instead of 4th grade due to increased difficulty mastering the more complex motor skills involved.
Why not an after-school program?
While the existing, 6th grade and below, Oyster River Elementary Orchestra (OREO) program has seen great success these past few years, holding instrumental lessons outside the school day instantly makes the group elitist. To participate, students require families whose work schedules and financial situation affords them the flexibility to drive their child to the program. The public school system should provide all children equal opportunity.
Will taking orchestra adversely impact academic performance?
Research has shown participation in school music programs does not adversely impact academic performance.
Currently, 4th grade students electing both band and chorus are pulled from their general classroom for lessons and rehearsal for approximately 120 minutes per week. Standard music education programs allow students to participate chorus and then choose band or orchestra, but not both. Therefore, offering orchestra will not alter the amount of time 4th grade music students are out of the general classroom.
Currently, 3rd grade students may elect to participate in chorus. If orchestra were to be available, the amount of time outside the general classroom could be increased to possibly 90 minutes per week following common practice.
As asserted above, pullout music programs do not adversely affect student achievement when measured by standardized academic assessments. Supporting studies:
- (1998). A comparison study of the Ohio Proficiency Test results between forth-grade string pullout students and those of matched ability . Journal of Research in Music Education, 46(2), pp. 239-247
- (1985). Excusing Elementary School Students from Regular Classroom Activities for the Student of Instrumental Music: The Effect on Sixth-Grade Reading, Language and Mathematics Achievement . Journal of Research in Music Education, 33(1), pp. 45-54
- (2011). Effect of Pullout Lessons on the Academic Achievement of Eighth-Grade Band Students . Applications of Research in Music Education, 30(1), pp. 16-22
