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Description
In 2012, after a strategic planning process and community needs assessment, the Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO) identified several ways the arts could better serve the community. One result was the creation of PSO Explorers, an arts integration program that brings symphony musicians into kindergarten through third grade classrooms at Portland’s Howard C. Reiche Community School and Longfellow Elementary School. The program uses music to support and enrich students’ learning in literacy, math, science, and social-emotional development by connecting musical activities with classroom lessons. PSO Explorers also helps teachers by providing ideas and skills for using the arts in their daily teaching. In 2018, PSO partnered with the Data Innovation Project at the University of Southern Maine to evaluate the program’s impact. During the 2018–2019 school year, the project team used a mixed-methods approach that combined qualitative and quantitative data from six sources, including surveys of parents, teachers, and teaching artists; teacher observation tools used in fall and spring; focus groups; and interviews. The qualitative information was analyzed through thematic and content analysis, and the quantitative data were examined using descriptive statistics in Excel and SPSS. This evaluation helped determine how PSO Explorers affected students, teachers, and teaching artists.
Publication Date
9-2019
Publisher
Data Innovation Project
City
Portalnd, Maine
Keywords
PSO explorers, music education, mixed-methods evaluation, program evaluation, Data Innovation Project
Disciplines
Art and Design | Digital Humanities | Education | Graphic Design | Interdisciplinary Arts and Media | Statistics and Probability
Recommended Citation
Hawes, Susy; Goan, Sarah; and Swenson, Emilie MSW, "Portland Symphony Orchestra: PSO Explorers Program Evaluation" (2019). Publications. 4.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/dip_publications/4
Included in
Digital Humanities Commons, Education Commons, Graphic Design Commons, Interdisciplinary Arts and Media Commons, Statistics and Probability Commons
