Engineering Change in Music Education: A Model of the Political Process Underlying the Boston School Music Movement (1829-1838)

In this paper, a dynamic model of the political process underlying the Boston school music movement (1829-1838) is explained. Its function is to generate hypotheses about the political process underlying public school music innovations in Type C politico-organizational environments: those in which executive responsibility for public education is vested in local school boards. Implications of the model include: a “snowball effect” as a movement gains support and events transpire with increasing rapidity; the importance of orchestrating the political process, particularly in the early phases; a “demonstration effect” and the role of model schools; the distinction between the efficacy of an idea and how well it is sold to the public at large; and the possible utility of the model for contemporary public school music practice.