Brockton officials flag drop in instrumental participation after schedule change; grant for new instruments "in process"

Brockton Public Schools staff told the subcommittee that moving fifth‑grade instrumental music to a before‑school slot led to a measurable drop in participation and that the decline is starting to affect middle‑school ensemble capacity.

The superintendent said, “the data has shown a drop off in participation following that change,” and noted Brockton is an outlier among peer…