Sustaining Music Education in K-3 Programs: A Research in a Low-Income Rural Area

Public school principals who provide music in elementary programs are often confronted with budgetary costs and reduced funding for music education. There is a dearth of research regarding music as an essential element in early education in low-income rural areas. Thus, the purpose of the inquiry presented in this book was to explore and describe leadership practices of principals who, despite the final challenges, include and sustain music in the K-3 curriculum. The study was conducted in a small county southeast of the United States. The findings may encourage educational leaders to find ways to sustain music education from early childhood as an opportunity for enhanced education in the hopes of future citizens engaged with a more equitable society. About the Author Dr. Ivone Fraiha Clark, PhD is a musician and mother of three. She is a US citizen by marriage and Brazilian by birth. In Brazil, she worked for more than 30 years between the stage and teaching. To encourage excellence in music, she created choirs for corporate employees and religious and philosophical groups and promoted Choir Festivals that evolved into a national event. Dr. Clark was appointed to music teacher at Dom Bosco Catholic University, where she had several opportunities to take her students on musical tour throughout Europe and the United States and subsequently conducted them in a musical performance for Pope John Paul II during his visit to Brazil. Before leaving Brazil, as a lyric soprano, she recorded Canto da Saudade, an album of Brazilian classical music. Living in the United States, Dr. Clark obtained a Ph.D. degree in Education while teaching music as an employee and volunteer. She has two published literary books: Solfejos em Versos e Luz (poems) and Memories from Childhood (tales). This third book is founded in her doctoral dissertation, Principals' Leadership Practices for Sustaining Music in K-3 Education. According to Dr. Clark, music education from early childhood gives wings to children's imagination, allowing their thoughts to fly creatively and critically throughout their lives.