The Effect of Middle School Music Ensemble Participation on the Relationship between Perceived School Connectedness, Self-Reported Bullying Behaviors, and Peer Victimization

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between school connectedness and youth aggression with middle school students enrolled and not enrolled in a school-based music ensemble. The four research questions guiding this investigation were: (a) what is the frequency of bullying behaviors and peer victimization as self-reported by middle school students both enrolled in music ensemble classes and not enrolled in music ensemble classes?; (b) what is the level of school connectedness as self-reported by middle school students both enrolled in music ensemble classes and not enrolled in music ensemble classes?; (c) to what extent, if any, does music ensemble participation affect the relationship between connectedness and bullying perpetration/victimization for middle school students?; and (d) does school connectedness mediate the relationship between school-based music ensemble participation and self-reported bullying behaviors and peer victimization? Data were secured from a large-scale, two-year randomized trial funded by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (;Results indicated that, on average, relatively few instances of bullying perpetration and peer victimization were reported to have occurred in the 30 days prior to data collection. A statistically significant difference was found between music ensemble and non-ensemble participants according to their mean Bullying Scale scores, which revealed that non-ensemble students in this sample perpetrate aggressive behaviors, on average, more frequently than do music ensemble students. Although all participants reported relatively few instances of bullying perpetration, instances of peer victimization were reported more frequently in the past 30 days prior to data collection than were experiences perpetrating these behaviors. Non-ensemble students also reported slightly higher mean scores on the Internet Harassment Perpetration and Victimization Scales than music ensemble students; however, no statistical difference between ensemble and non-ensemble students was found. While participant self-reports of bullying behaviors were relatively low, their perceptions of school connectedness were relatively high. However, no significant difference was found between School Connectedness Scale scores for adolescents enrolled in a school-based music ensemble and not enrolled in a music ensemble.;Multiple-group Structural Equation Modeling analyses demonstrated that the level of associations between school connectedness and bully perpetration/victimization did not significantly differ for the current sample regardless of enrollment in a school-based music ensemble. Alternatively, the level of associations between school connectedness and Internet Harassment perpetration (cyberbullying) were significantly associated with adolescents enrolled in a music ensemble course during middle school; however, these associations were not found to be significant for non-ensemble youth. The results also displayed a stronger negative association between perceptions of school connectedness and Internet harassment perpetration for music ensemble students than for adolescents not enrolled in a school-based music ensemble. Based on this result, mediation analyses were used to ascertain to what extent, if any, do adolescent perceptions of school connectedness explain the relatively low frequencies of bullying and peer victimization with music ensemble and non-ensemble populations. No indirect effects reached statistical significance (p < .05), and, therefore, adolescent perceptions of school connectedness did not mediate the relationship between a participant's ensemble enrollment status and their self-reported frequencies of bullying, peer victimization, cyberbullying, and cyber victimization. Included are implications for the better support of preservice and in-service music teachers with regard to bullying in schools, alongside recommendations for music teacher education and suggestions for future research.