ToSuperintendentHiteandthe

SchoolReformCommission:

ACallforEqualAccessto

InstrumentalMusic

AstheSchoolDistrictofPhiladelphiarebuilds
itsmusicprogram,datashowsthatmorethan
50schoolsstilldon'thaveinstrumentalmusic
instructionthroughthedistrictandthat
thoseschoolsservedisproportionatelyhigh
numbersofminoritystudents.


Letourchildrenplay:Equalaccesstoinstrumentalmusic Signed:

Instrumental music has significant benefits for children -- from higher CouncilmemberHelenGym

reading and math performance to improved concentration and stress YouthUnitedforChange

reduction. Schools with strong music programs promote student PhillyStudentUnion

engagement, school pride and positive school climate. The rebuilding ofthe Bowerbird

School Districts itinerant instrumental music program in recent years has PublicInterestLawCenter

notrectifiedalong-standingpatternofunequalaccesstoinstrumentalmusic EducationLawCenter

for students of color. In reviewing the racial composition of schools that TallerPuertorriqueo

have no itinerant instrumentalmusicoronlyoneteacherversusschoolswith PlayOn,Philly

two or more teachers, we find that the itinerantinstrumentalmusicteachers PaintedBrideArtCenter

aredisproportionatelyconcentratedinschoolswithwhitestudents. NetworkforNewMusic

Although the Districts central office is responsible for allocating teachers

fairly to all schools, an analysis of instrumental music programs across the We,theundersigned,supportequalaccessto
districtshowsastrongpatternofunequalresourcesalongraciallines.
instrumentalmusicandstandwiththe

HereisananalysisofDistrictdatafromOctober2016: organizationsabove.

Thestudents:---Citywide,24%ofBlackstudents(morethan15,000)and18%

of Latino students attend schools without a single itinerant instrumental
Name:____________________________________________________________________
music teacher. Only 4% of White students (783) attend schools without an

itinerantinstrumentalmusicteacher.
Address:__________________________________________________________________

The schools: --- 55 District schools have no itinerant instrumental music
Email:_____________________________________________________________________
teachers; 48 schools have only one part-time instrumental music teacher ---

None of the District schools with more than 33% white students lacks an
Phone:____________________________________________________________________
itinerant instrumental music teacher, and all but 4 of those 31 schools have
two or more instrumental music teachers. --- But 19 of the Districts 53
schools that are 99% or more students of color have no itinerant
instrumentalmusicteacher.