IDENTITY FORMATION AND WELL-BEING IN LGBT COMMUNITY BANDS by NICHOLAS D. SOENYUN A THESIS Presented to the School of Music and Dance and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music June 2019 THESIS APPROVAL PAGE Student: Nicholas D. Soenyun Title: Identity Formation and Well-Being in LGBT Community Bands This thesis has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Music degree in the School of Music and Dance by: Dr. Jason M. Silveira Chairperson Dr. Beth Wheeler Member Dr. Melissa Brunkan Member and Janet Woodruff-Borden Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School. Degree awarded June 2019 ii © 2019 Nicholas D. Soenyun iii THESIS ABSTRACT Nicholas D. Soenyun Master of Music School of Music and Dance June 2019 Title: Identity Formation and Well-Being in LGBT Community Bands The purpose of this study was to determine what relationships exist, if any, between psychological well-being, psychosocial well-being, internalized homonegativity (IH), and LGBT community band participation, as well as to holistically investigate these constructs, with identity formation, through participant experiences. Participant responses to survey data (N = 100) were analyzed via Pearson correlation. Significant relationships emerged between psychological and psychosocial well-being (r2 = .12), as well as between psychological well-being and IH (r2 = .05) at both the p < .01 and p < .05 levels, respectively. No significant relationships were found between any of the constructs with years of participation, or between psychosocial well-being and IH. Following survey data collection, interviews of select participants (N = 10) revealed five unique findings. This study has implications in developing methods for supporting the general well-being and identity development of LGBT students via music curriculum/community visibility and adaption. iv CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: Nicholas D. Soenyun GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: Oregon State University, Corvallis University of Oregon, Eugene DEGREES AWARDED: Master of Music, Music Education, 2019, University of Oregon Bachelor of Music in Music Education, 2017, University of Oregon PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Oregon, September 2017–June 2019 Band Materials, Instrumental Conducting, Research Assistant Assistant Conductor, University of Oregon, September 2017–June 2019 Oregon Wind Symphony Marching Band Music Instructor, Grants Pass High School, Aug. 2016–2018 Student Teacher, Southridge High School, April. 2017–June 2017 GRANTS, AWARDS, AND HONORS Member of Kappa Kappa Psi, University of Oregon, 2015–2016 Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Oregon, 2017–2019 Outstanding Graduate Scholar in Music, University of Oregon, 2019 Outstanding Scholar in Music Education, University of Oregon, 2019 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my thesis advisor, mentor, and friend – Dr. Jason M. Silveira – for his commitment to both my own academic excellence and this project. His continual and unwavering support throughout the entire process of this study not only made the project possible, but also made it a formidable and unforgettable learning experience which I will cherish always. Further, I wish to give thanks to Dr. Melissa Brunkan and Dr. Beth Wheeler, whose contributions to this manuscript, and to my own development as a pre-service music educator, I will always be thankful for. I would also like to collectively express my gratitude to the outstanding faculty and administrators at the University of Oregon, without whom I would not have found myself in a position to complete this research study. The past two years spent on this study are part of four which I have spent with my partner, Nathan Evans. Nathan, without your persistent – and formidable – capacity to support and lift me up through the duration of this research project, I am not entirely sure it would have happened. It has been beautiful to complete this exploration of LGBT musical experience in the context of a life I am privileged to share with you; I thank you for all that you are. Lastly, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my parents – Kimberly Eubanks-Soenyun and Dennis Soenyun – as well as my aunt, Lee Ann Eubanks-Banning, whose continual support and sacrifice throughout their lives has given me the opportunity to become the person, artist, musician, and teacher I am today. I love and appreciate you all beyond words. vi I would like to dedicate this study to my grandmother, Rita Eubanks-Matthews. In life, you helped foster in me a love for reading, poetry, and art, which are integral parts of who I am today. Below is a poem you shared with me before your passing: I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning… to the end. He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years. For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth. For it matters not, how much we own, the cars… the house… the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash. So think about this long and hard; are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that still can be rearranged. To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before. If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile… remembering that this special dash might only last a little while. So when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash? --Linda Ellis We love you, Grandma Rita. Rest in peace. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE .............................................................................. 9 Psychological and Psychosocial Well-Being ..................................................... 9 Internalized Homonegativity .............................................................................. 16 Homosexual Identity Formation ......................................................................... 19 Community Music Ensembles ............................................................................ 25 Organizational Theory........................................................................................ 30 Incentives and Commitment ......................................................................... 31 Formal Structure........................................................................................... 31 Leadership and Authority ............................................................................. 32 Environmental Conditions ............................................................................ 32 Organizational Effectiveness ........................................................................ 33 Purpose ............................................................................................................. 34 III. METHOD .......................................................................................................... 36 Pilot Study 1 ...................................................................................................... 36 Pilot Study 2 ...................................................................................................... 37 Sampling and Participants .................................................................................. 38 Instrumentation .................................................................................................. 39 Procedure ........................................................................................................... 40 IV. RESULTS .......................................................................................................... 43 Quantitative Analysis of Survey Data ................................................................. 43 viii Chapter Page Qualitative Analysis of Interview Data ............................................................... 44 Finding 1 ...................................................................................................... 53 Finding 2 ...................................................................................................... 55 Finding 3 ...................................................................................................... 57 Finding 4 ...................................................................................................... 61 Finding 5 ...................................................................................................... 64 V. DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................... 67 Limitations ......................................................................................................... 75 Implications for Music Education in Public Schools ........................................... 77 Conclusions ......................................................................................................