| This study, using, as a sample, 60 secondary instrumental music teachers and 242 juniors and seniors from fifteen states to represent the six accrediting agencies in the United States, seeks to ascertain whether or not electronic music is an essential part of the secondary music curriculum.;The Chi-square test provides information for analyses of differences in teacher responses and regional differences. The analyses consist of two sections: Section I, which deals with responses of teachers, and which is of major importance, and Section II, which deals with the dynamic responses of students from the six regions.;In order to gain some insight into the merit of electronic music courses, the study examines factors that account for variation in teacher responses, and it compares regional responses.;The investigator finds significant differences in teacher responses at the.05 level. Also, the investigator finds that there are differences among the regional groups, but each group strongly favors the inclusion of electronic music courses in the secondary music curriculum. A finding of particular interest is that teachers of the North Central Region are more receptive to electronic music courses than teachers of the five other regions.;The results of this study confirm the belief that electronic music is an essential constituent of the secondary music curriculum, as courses have been instituted in many schools.;Among the recommendations of the investigator are a continuation of electronic music course offerings; a review of objectives and practices of departments of music to make certain that the curriculum allows for diversity; development of specific lifelong learning opportunities; establishment of student interest in taking electronic music courses; establishment of employed teachers' interest in, and willingness to teach, electronic music courses to minimize cost; an encouragement of administrations to explore successes of other school systems that have introduced the course; an encouragement of administrations to investigate the possibility of obtaining state of federal grants for such courses; and future research, to include more states, with a larger sample of teachers. |
