Meanings of music making experiences among second-generation Chinese American string students

This study examined the meanings of music making experiences among second- generation teenage Chinese American string students. The eight participants in this study were members of their school orchestra ensembles and the community youth symphony in a metropolitan city. I observed the participants in their ensembles and interviewed the participants, their parents, and their music teachers. I coded and analyzed the data, and looked for patterns of behaviors and deviations from the patterns through the long-term engagement with and observation of the participants.;The data revealed that most participants in this study fit the model minority stereotype, believing that if you do something, either "be the best or don't do it at all." Parents of the participants had high expectations for them and were very involved in their children's education and music learning. Even though most participants were fine young musicians, none of them planned to make music a career due to a lack of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Many participants in the study were involved in orchestras to build their resumes for college applications and for social reasons. Because they often performed at a much higher level than their peers, they gained status through participation in orchestras, and to some extent they may have encountered less discrimination than their non-music playing Asian counterparts. The social interactions they had through participating in orchestras helped promote their psychological well- being.;The Chinese American string students in this study believed their school music programs lacked challenge compared to the community orchestras in which they participated. School music teachers should find appropriate playing challenges that build on these students' motivations to succeed. Further, providing opportunities to be mentors of others may offer additional challenges for Chinese American students, strengthen their leadership and critical thinking skills, and encourage mixed-raced student interaction. Music educators should also reach out to parents of these students, who wish to support their children but who may seem reticent to engage. Finally, this study found a need for secondary and university music educators to promote life-long music making for Chinese American students by exposing them to varied options to continue making music after high school.