The Concert Band Experiences of the Non-Music Major

Music Education Research International, Volume 5, 2011 Keeping Instruments Out of the Attic: The Concert Band Experiences of the Non-Music Major Dan Isbell Ithaca College—U.S.A. Ann Marie Stanley University of Rochester—U.S.A. Abstract the majority of the students, active participation Students’ participation in music beyond high school ceases upon the day of graduation from our high continues to be a goal of many music teachers and a schools” (p. 33). topic throughout decades of music education For many students, high school graduation literature. The purpose of this inquiry was to marks the moment when band instruments are packed understand students who continue making music in away in the attic. This issue has been studied from college by participating in a campus band as non- various perspectives to tease out possible factors music majors. One hundred band members provided contributing to the decision to continue, or re-start, written responses about their campus band participating in music throughout life (Bowles, 1991; experience. Twenty members were interviewed. Flowers & Murphy, 2001). Researchers have studied Research questions were: How did the band members students’ choice to pursue a musical career by perceive the campus band experience as contributing majoring in music and/or music education in college to their musical lives? How could the experiences (Bergee, Coffman, Humphreys, & Thornton, 2001; and understandings of the band members contribute Bright, 2006; Isbell, 2008). Of course, not all high to our knowledge of lifelong participation in music? school musicians who wish to continue playing Many participants’ prior memorable music choose to major in music. Unique opportunities experiences were competitive; however, they desired however, do exist for those who choose to continue low-stress, non-competitive environment in campus playing but not majoring in music. Casey (1994), band. Participants enjoyed the campus band after sending questionnaires to 508 National community and atmosphere. Most participants Association of Schools of Music (NASM) member wished to continue playing their instrument and institutions, found that two-thirds of schools offered stated they felt that the concert band was their only an open enrollment concert band. Little is known viable musical opportunity. about the motivation of young adults who, upon college matriculation, choose to enroll in performing Introduction ensembles as non-music majors. Lifelong music participation is a worthy goal The purpose of this qualitative study was to held by many music educators. The notion that years better understand one such group of students, by of public school education in music should result in investigating the experiences of non-music major students graduating high school with the desire and students enrolled in a campus concert band. Specific skills to continue making music has been an enduring research questions were: (1) How and to what degree theme for decades among practitioners and policy did the band members perceive the campus band makers alike (Leonard & House 1972; Myers, 2005; experience as contributing to their musical lives? and Poland, 1987; Revelli, 1937). At a recent Lifelong (2) How could the experiences and understandings of Learning Symposium, Myers (2005) suggested the the band members prior to and during participation in formal approach to music instruction in schools is the ensemble contribute to our knowledge of lifelong irrelevant in terms of its ability to foster engagement participation in music? in music beyond high school, and that current practices in music education emphasize short term Method goals ending upon graduation. Remarkably, almost This study was a qualitative inquiry using a 75 years ago William Revelli (1937), a highly grounded theory approach to data analysis. In our regarded band director and music educator of the research design, we followed Moustakas (1994): twentieth century noted, “Perhaps one of the greatest weaknesses of our school band program is that, for 22 Music Education Research International, Volume 5, 2011 The focus initially is on unraveling the elements intentions and expectations of the campus band of experience. From a study of these elements members. and their interrelationships a theory is Patton (2002) called these types of developed that enables the researcher to questionnaires “the most elementary form of understand the nature and meaning of an qualitative data” (p. 21). While he cautioned readers experience for a particular group of people in a about the limitations to open-ended data collected on particular setting.” (p. 3) questionnaires, he also used an example of a questionnaire study to depict the power of direct In this study, we sought to understand the quotations from questionnaire answers: “Yet, even at interrelated elements of the campus band experience this elementary level of inquiry, the depth and detail in the musical lives of these band members and of feelings revealed in the open-ended comments [on develop theories that illuminate the reasons why the questionnaire] illustrate the fruit of qualitative these non-music majors choose to continue to pursue methods” (p. 21). We recognized that these music in a concert band setting. We were also questionnaire data needed to be enhanced by and interested in formulating a theory about how these triangulated with more in-depth interviews with some findings may contribute to our professional of the participants. knowledge of lifelong participation in music. Interviews Sampling After the school year was completed and 2 Participants in this study were undergraduate concerts performed, 20 students whose written students at a private liberal arts college in the responses reflected the most frequently coded themes Northeast United States who were choosing to were selected and asked to participate in follow-up participate in an open enrollment campus band but interviews. Participants were contacted by phone and not pursue a degree in music. Total undergraduate each conversation was recorded. Because one of the degree-seeking enrollment (full-time) across campus researchers was also the conductor of the campus at the time of the study was 6,355. The total band, a research assistant conducted all phone undergraduate enrollment at the School of Music was interviews. The “interview guide” (Patton, 2002, p. 538. The campus was predominately white/non- 343) (Appendix B) was created following the initial Hispanic (4,461) and was located in a college-town analysis of the written responses and was designed to with a population of 29,763 (www.city-data.com, provide further insight into the research questions. 2008). A total of 100 students from a variety of The interview guide was also intended to help the departments across campus attended an introductory research assistant shape the interviews into the same meeting of the ensemble and agreed to participate in basic lines of inquiry without losing her ability to this study by completing a questionnaire. From these expand upon or probe interesting subjects. During the responses, 20 participants were selected for follow up interviews, participants identified their plans for interviews after the initial round of data analysis was making music after graduation from college, shared completed. One of the researchers was the conductor their perceptions of their campus band experience, of the campus band, but at the time of the written and elaborated on their previous written responses. responses had yet to begin his first year with the The interview guide began with the open-ended ensemble. question, “What was campus band like for you last year?” This initial question was designed to permit Data collection participants to take whatever direction and use Questionnaire whichever words they wanted to express what they At the start of the school year participants had to say. All interviewees were allowed the were asked to provide written responses to researcher opportunity to talk as long as they wished. questions (Appendix A) and submit contact information. In the open-ended written responses Data Analysis ensemble members were asked to provide The analysis of both the written and the information about their most memorable musical interview responses followed an approach experiences, expectations for the campus band, and recommended by Patton (2002). Each researcher what they enjoyed most about playing in the analyzed the written response data separately first, ensemble. These “opinion and values questions” developing our own coding schemes independently. (Patton, 2002) were designed to enable us to capture According to Patton: participants’ points of view and learn more about the 23 Music Education Research International, Volume 5, 2011 … where more than one person is working on mill typical positives and negatives that occur in the analysis, it is helpful to have each person daily experiences. To present a fuller picture of the develop the coding scheme independently, then campus band participants, we chose to analyze their compare and discuss similarities and written responses to this first question in detail. In the differences. Important insights can emerge from next section we explain and quantify their answers to the different ways in which two people look at the prompt: “Describe your most memorable music the same set of data, a form of analytical experience (can be in- or out-of school).” This is triangulation. (p. 464) followed by the findings related to each research question, organized thematically. Using the coding strategies suggested by Most memorable musical experiences: out- Patton (2002), we began by looking for “recurring of-school. Thirty-six participants cited an out-of- regularities” (p. 465), or patterns, within bits of the school context for their most memorable musical respondents’ answers that we then sorted into experiences. We defined out-of-school groups as any categories. As recurring regularities occurred, we put ensemble that was not part of the typical school day these bits of data into categories, constantly asking, or dependent upon enrollment in school groups (i.e., “What does this answer mean in terms of this honor bands).

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