A comparison of a school district's music curriculum and ensemble directors' expectations of preparedness within a feeder pattern

The purpose of this study was to compare the level of ensemble directors’ expectations of musical knowledge and skills of their students entering 5th, 7th, and 9th grade in schools within a district feeder pattern. The researcher-designed survey was based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for the grade level students had completed the previous year. Participants (N=51) included elementary music specialists and intermediate, middle, and high school band and choir directors employed by a large suburban school district. Band and choir directors and elementary specialists had similar expectations for 3 out of 15 (20%) musical concepts for incoming 5th graders. Band and choir directors had similar expectations for 6 out of 17 (35%) musical concepts for incoming 7th graders and 4 out of 11 (36%) musical concepts for incoming 9th graders. These results suggest that the district could benefit from greater vertical collaboration.