ABSTRACT Public schools in southern Oregon serve a high percentage of at risk students. The majority of students live in a rural region and in poverty. These rural communities are facing overwhelming economic challenges affecting the viability of the schools and communities. The cultural opportunities that enrich the human experience are often the first to be sacrificed during times of economic distress, and this includes music in the schools. RESEARCH QUESTION The overarching research question was: Why are music organizations having difficulty accessing students in rural southern Oregon? The problem is that the Rogue Valley Symphony, Britt Music Festivals, and Southern Oregon University have expressed frustration with the lack of access to provide southern Oregon children with a meaningful supplementary music experience. The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions of principals, teachers, and arts organizations to learn how rural students could have greater access to music assemblies and programming. DATA COLLECTION PROCESS The data collection process was three-fold. First, 46 elementary school principals in Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, and Douglas Counties participated in an online survey, administered in spring Second, interviews were held with teachers throughout the region. Third, a focus group representing local arts organizations was conducted where the findings of the survey and interviews were shared and discussed. The schools participating in the study were primarily Title One Schools located in rural Southern Oregon. CONCLUSION The study is significant to music education because the findings yielded best practices that can be used by arts organizations who want to provide music assemblies and programs at local elementary schools despite the demands of the Common Core State Standards and Partnership for the 21 st Century Skills. Vicki T. Purslow, Ed.D. and Amy T. Belcastro, Ph.D. Southern Oregon University, Ashland, Oregon COMMENTS FROM PRINCIPALS “Teachers and students have much to cover each day within State, District, and School standards. Anything that can help a teacher enrich the curriculum while keeping up with timelines is very useful.” “Regrettably, time does not allow us to bring in additional teachers/curriculum, no matter how worthy we regard the experience.” “We use music to teach the Common Core when we can but it’s not integrated into language arts and math as it could be done. It would require some extensive teacher training.” “Artists must have experience or training in being able to present effectively to small children.” “In a large school such as ours it would be nice to have grade level targets of interest and appropriateness listed on a log of possible presentations.” “It is cost prohibitive, especially for rural and remote schools, for us to bring assemblies and in-class guest artists.” FOR FURTHER INFORMATION RECOMMENDATIONS 1.Provide professional development for principals, teachers, and arts organizations on the OR Arts Standards, Common Core and 21 st Century Skill.s 2. Arts organizations must identify school leaders (include parents) who can service as arts advocates. 3.Arts organizations who wish to provide school assemblies and/or in-class guest artists must provide supplemental curricular materials to support the programs and make a clear connection to the achievement of standards. 4. Create a one-stop shop (website and print materials) that details available assembly opportunities from all regional arts organizations.. Challenges in Providing Equal Access to the Arts for Children in Rural Communities FINDINGS: THREE THEMES Relationships 1. Principals 2. PTA/PTO 3. Identify other Power Brokers 4. Collaboration between Arts Organizations Marketing 1. One Stop Shopping 2. Alignment to Common Core Standards, Oregon Arts Standards, and 21 st Century Skills 3. Alignment to School Assembly Goals 4. Assembly Materials Professional Development for Arts Organizations 1. Goals and Standards 2. Pedagogy 3. Curriculum Design 4. Logistics