| The history of the school music program in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, a suburban moderate-sized community, was chronicled from 1945--1998 using data taken from school records, newspaper articles, oral history, and the author's own experiences while he was a student and later a teacher in Tewksbury public schools. The alignment of Tewksbury's school music program with professional guidelines, standards, and recommendations was examined during each period studied.;The author concluded that Tewksbury music educators designed their programs around the existing professional guidelines; however, facilities, budget cuts, changes in student enrollment, and state tax legislation and education reform impacted the ability to completely align the music program with those standards. Decreases in the number of music offerings and in student enrollments in music courses followed implementation of middle school and block type schedules.;Finally, recommendations for the continued growth of Tewksbury's school music program are made. |
