Relationships Among Band Festival Ratings, Director Gender, and Other Selected Factors

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among high school band festival ratings and director gender as well as school locale, school size, student socioeconomic status (SES), student race, repertoire difficulty, and ensemble name. Data included overall ratings of bands ( N = 257) that performed at District Concert Assessments held across the state of Virginia during 2019 as well as demographic information from the National Center for Education Statistics. Statistical analysis of a subset of these performances ( n = 151) revealed a statistically significant association between ratings and director gender, with male-directed ensembles more likely to receive a “I” rating than female-directed ensembles. However, hierarchical logistic regression revealed that repertoire difficulty and ensemble name were the best predictors of whether an ensemble would receive a “I” rating. Implications include the need to examine why female band directors may choose less difficult repertoire than male directors and to explore strategies for making the secondary band teaching profession more equitable and inclusive.

An Exploratory Case Study of Mindfulness Techniques in a High School Band Program During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of mindfulness practices on high school band students. This action research project took place in spring 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home orders. Four students enrolled in the high school band participated in five weeks of mindfulness practice interventions over the virtual format alongside their instrumental music director. Mindfulness practices included diaphragmatic breathing, relaxation imagery, cued relaxation, and stretching. Throughout the five weeks, student participants discussed improved focus, improvement of stress management, and increased frequency of mindfulness practice. However, four months after data collection was complete, three of the four student participants continued to practice mindfulness techniques on their own time to assist with nervousness, anxiety, and stress.

Passing the Baton: Building Student Autonomy and Democracy in the Large Ensemble Setting

The purpose of this study was to explore the phenomena of participation in a democratic large ensemble experience in a secondary public school setting. Specific research questions included (a) Do high school band students feel capable of performing a music work without teacher intervention? (b) In what ways do high school band students describe the experience of performing in a student-led large ensemble? (c) What music decisions were most often made by high school band students in a student-led large ensemble? and (d) Were there any changes in high school students’ perceptions of autonomy following a student-led large ensemble music rehearsal and performance experience? Findings illustrated that the democratic experience increased student autonomy and music discrimination across larger distances in the classroom as students listened to other nonsimilar sections. Furthermore, student voice, self-efficacy, and personal affect also increased as a result of the experience. Students felt empowered to offer their rehearsal critiques; however, a lingering concern is that participants continued to feel that their peers would not listen to their opinions on rehearsal issues or strategy usage.

High School Band Directors’ Perceptions and Applications of Democratic Rehearsal Procedures in Concert Band Rehearsals

The purpose of this study was to examine inservice high school band directors’ perceptions and applications of democratic rehearsal procedures in concert band rehearsals. Respondents ( N = 216) were members of the National Association for Music Education who were currently teaching concert band at the high school level. Respondents indicated that “identify and describe opportunities for individual and ensemble performance improvement” and “student-led sectionals” were considered the most important democratic rehearsal procedures for their students to experience. These same procedures were also the most frequently used democratic rehearsal procedures. Analysis of open-ended responses revealed that respondents believed student ownership, student engagement, and student growth as musicians and leaders were advantages to implementing democratic rehearsal procedures. Potential disadvantages included issues related to student ability, rehearsal time limitations, unfamiliar classroom dynamics, and availability of classroom resources. Implications for music teachers are discussed.

An examination of democratic educational processes within concert band rehearsals

This dissertation consists of three projects that I designed to examine high school band directors' and collegiate musicians' experiences and perceptions of democratic educational processes within concert band rehearsals. The first investigation is a review of literature about democratic educational principles and their application in non-music and music classrooms. The second investigation is a phenomenological study of collegiate musicians' lived experiences with democratic rehearsal procedures in a concert band setting. Emergent themes included (a) the value of multiple perspectives, (b) ownership and musical agency, (c) engagement, (d) the ability to provide feedback, and (e) concerns with the amount of rehearsal time. The third investigation was a survey study of high school band directors' attitudes toward democratic rehearsal procedures, self-reported use in a typical rehearsal cycle, and perceived disadvantages and advantages. Results indicated that respondents believed several democratic rehearsal procedures were important for their students to experience; however, the frequency of their application was inconsistent. Taken together, results from these three projects indicated that democratic educational principles may be beneficial for students and teachers by providing opportunities for students to (a) actively engage in their learning, (b) exercise their agency, (c) work collaboratively, and (d) develop skills related to musical independence.

The Perceived Influence of Social Media on High School Band Students’ Decision to Participate in a College Marching Band

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived influence of social media on high school band students’ future decision to participate in a college marching band. Participants ( N = 158) were high school band students. Results indicated that social media could be influential in high school band students’ decision to participate in a college marching band, as high social media usage rates were reported. Results also indicated that personal communication, such as face-to-face conversations with family and friends and direct email contact from band directors, strongly influenced their decision to join a college marching band. These results suggest that recruitment strategies containing direct modes of communication resonate with prospective college students. Suggestions for future research are provided, as social media technology is quickly evolving and investigations are needed to guide and inform the recruitment practices of college marching band programs.

Intermediate and High School Band

This chapter examines the assumptions and perceived boundaries of intermediate and high school concert band in an attempt to enhance and expand beyond traditional approaches to instruction. Extensive research on the skills necessary for preservice teachers to be successful are presented. The socialization and identity development of young instrumental teachers are also explored in detail. A comprehensive approach to teaching musicianship in band is advocated, one that reaches a larger and more diverse student population. It is recommended that the direct instruction model common in intermediate and high school band programs be complemented with more meaningful connections to students’ musical lives outside of school, aural learning experiences, and small peer-led learning opportunities.

Breaking the Silence: The Phenomenology of the Female High School Band Director

The purpose of this study was to investigate the phenomenology of the female high school band director (FHSBD). In order to achieve a sample for regional maximum variation, one FHSBD from each county in the state of Connecticut was interviewed. After gathering data from a series of three interviews, I used Moustakas’s modification of the Van Kaam method to analyze data to align with common phenomenological analysis techniques. I identified the following nine themes from relevant and validated invariant constituents: (1) support, (2) resistance and barriers, (3) loving the students and loving music, (4) discrimination, (5) motherhood and time consumption, (6) building or rebuilding a program, (7) gender clubs, (8) high school wasn’t the goal, and (9) administrative and leadership degrees and certification. Based on results from the analyzed data, I determined the essence of the FHSBD is most succinctly described as persistence.

A Measurement of Self-Efficacy Among Oklahoma Secondary Band Directors in Concert, Marching, and Jazz Ensemble Pedagogy

The purpose of this study was to examine secondary band directors’ self-efficacy toward concert, marching, and jazz ensemble pedagogy. Secondary purposes were to investigate potential relationships between secondary band directors’ self-efficacy in concert, marching, and jazz ensemble pedagogy and their respective (a) demographics and (b) previous professional and preservice experiences. Oklahoma high school band directors were invited to participate in a researcher-designed survey that included questions pertaining to their professional teaching background and preservice music teaching experiences. Participants ( N = 133) also identified their level of agreement to items on the Band Director Pedagogy Self-Efficacy Measure. Results indicated that mean differences for self-efficacy beliefs for all three ensemble settings were significantly different. Self-efficacy for concert band pedagogy was the highest, followed by marching and jazz band, respectively. Professional and undergraduate experiences significantly affected director pedagogy self-efficacy, particularly in the jazz setting.