The purpose of this research is to examine the approaches used when developing nontraditional ensembles in secondary public schools. Topics include class offerings, curricula, music enrollment, administrative and community support, preparation time, teaching strategies, and financial costs to purchase and maintain equipment and instruments.

The participating subjects are secondary music teachers from school districts in the Los Angeles area teaching nontraditional ensembles during the school day. Subjects were surveyed with Google Forms and received follow-up questions via email.

Subject responses show that most teachers initially operated outside of their “comfort zone” when developing nontraditional courses. The majority developed new programs with a teacher-driven classroom model, relied on teacher-created arrangements, and spent similar amounts of time with both their traditional and nontraditional ensembles. The startup and maintenance costs for instruments and equipment varied from program to program.