The Perceptions of Participation in a Mentored Title I Elementary String Instrumental Music Program

When elementary school-aged students want to learn to play a string instrument, they have the option to rent or purchase one, take private lessons, practice at home, and participate in their school orchestra program. In order for students to accomplish this, parental economic support and involvement is essential. Underserved Title I elementary school students without this socioeconomic support are at a distinct disadvantage: They do not have the parental socioeconomic support necessary to acquire an instrument and pay for private lessons. A string instrumental mentoring program aims to provide private instruction with mentors, free of charge, to those Title I elementary school string players that otherwise could not afford it. There is a need for string instrumental programs in Title 1 elementary schools because it is the "optimal time" to learn to play an instrument (Cutietta, 2012).

This study conducted an online focus group with string instrument mentors that visited two Title I elementary schools with string programs. The purpose of this focus group was to document the teachers’, administrators’, and parents’ perceptions of the musical, academic, and social benefits derived from participation in a mentored Title 1 elementary string instrumental music program. The focus group results provided significant validation for having free string mentoring programs in Title I elementary schools.