Open Responses

Eleventh grade students who were not enrolled in a music course were invited to respond to a music program survey. Responses to an open-ended question on recommendations for increasing participation in the music program were organized by participant number, and the researcher read through them several times for general understanding. The responses were then segmented and coded. The researcher searched for common themes that could provide greater understanding of the problem of underrepresentation in elective music courses. Coding and themes were checked by a qualitative researcher unaffiliated with the research. The responses below are organized by theme.