“Do It Myself”: A Noncompetitive High School Band Program

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 1:45 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Constructing Equitable Arts Education Spaces (Table 2)

Abstract

Current education policy emphasizes external measures of accountability, often requiring music teachers and students to demonstrate their achievements through competitive ensemble performances. Music competition is problematic, in part, because it infuses music education with direct comparisons among students and teachers with uneven access to resources that tend to advantage White, affluent, suburban ensembles. The purpose of this case study was to describe a noncompetitive high school band program through the lens of teacher agency. Research questions included: (a) What ecological elements encouraged a band director’s sustained agency in rejecting competition? (b) What ecological elements inhibited a band director’s sustained agency in rejecting competition? (c) How was a high school band program structured in the absence of participation in ensemble competitions?

Author

• Olivia Tucker, University of Utah