A report on music programs in Oklahoma public schools found most students have access to music, although the number of courses available vary widely from district to district.
The report was commissioned by the Kirkpatrick Foundation of Oklahoma City. It found that general music is taught in 95 percent of the state’s elementary schools, but only half of those schools offer more than one music course.
In middle schools, choir and band courses are very common and replace general music classes almost entirely. Even though the variety of music courses increases in high school, the report says, more than 60 percent of all high schools offer two or fewer courses. The report also recommends the state encourage instrumental-music courses in elementary schools.
