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Abstract
In 1996, David Myers, with assistance from the League of American Orchestras (LOAO), published a report entitled Beyond Tradition: Partnerships Among Orchestras, Schools, and Communities. The report, funded by the National Endowment of the Arts, examined the outreach programs in American orchestral arts organizations and presented detailed information gathered from site visits made to nine orchestras. The purpose of this study was to give a brief history of arts outreach in the United States, examine the original report by Myers, address relevant literature reporting on arts outreach in symphony orchestras during the last twenty years, provide new data from the LOAO to compare with the 1996 survey, and chronicle the current state of outreach in the nine orchestras examined in the original report. The following questions guided the research.1a. What is the current status of educational outreach by LOAO member organizations?1b. What changes have taken place over the last 20 years?2a. What is the current status of the outreach programs profiled in the Myers Report?2b. Did the Myers Report change or impact the outreach programs of the profiled orchestras?Supported by the findings in this study, it may be concluded that, although the LOAO reports revealed a number of statistically significant differences in the organization, staffing, and funding of outreach programs since the 1996 Myers Report, the orchestral outreach organizations in the United States appear to be thriving. As evidence, many of the programs reported in the 1996 document are still in existence. Recovering from the Great Recession, orchestras are using technology to broaden the scope of their outreach activities without increasing cost, and dedicated funding directed toward ed/comm activities is proving to be the best way to ensure long-term community engagement.