Crossing borders and generations: examining the relationship between music engagement and immigration generation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in music engagement across immigration generations among different racial/ethnic groups for adults living in the United States. I conducted secondary analysis of two 2018 nationally representative surveys, the February Current Population Survey (CPS) and the Self-Perceptions of Creativity and Arts Participation (SPCAP). CPS questions for music engagement included formalised operations of performing and practicing instruments and singing, whereas the questions in the SPCAP study used expanded/informal language. Initial descriptive and bivariate analyses demonstrated differences in music engagement by immigration generation and race. However, multivariate logistic regression results indicated that substantive differences between immigration generations and racial and ethnic groups were mostly diminished, though the specific ways in which members of different immigrant and cultural groups engage with music may differ. Implications for culturally sustaining pedagogy in K-12 music education and suggestions for future research are discussed.