29th Annual Student Research Conference
The Experiences of Five Female Collegiate Band Directors: A Collective Case Study
Jennifer M. Rubin♦
Dr. Jay Bulen and Dr. Curran Prendergast, Faculty Mentors
Strength, power and leadership are often used to describe the role of a concert band conductor. The same words could also define a man. Since the establishment of concert bands, men have controlled the role of conductor. Though unions and committees were developed in support of equal rights for women performers, band conducting, particularly at the collegiate level, continues to be a male dominated field. Research provides explanations for gender discrimination. Traditional aspects of the concert band?s heritage, societal expectations, and characteristics of a conductor are current areas of study. Less understood, however, are specific struggles women encounter as college band conductors. Through the use of semi-structured interviews and online questionnaires, experiences will be explored, themes discovered and similarities identified. Information gained through this study will ignite further research regarding gender privilege in collegiate band conducting, paving the way to equity in numbers of women and men college band directors.
Keywords: Women Band Conductor, Gender Bias, Gender Privilege, Music
Topic(s):Music
Women's and Gender Studies
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: -1
Location: OP 2210
Time: 9:30