Exploring the work of band directors: an institutional ethnography.

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorEdwards, Sandra Melissa
dc.contributor.supervisorBegoray, Deborah
dc.contributor.supervisorSmith, Dorothy E.
dc.date.accessioned2011-01-10T16:17:24Z
dc.date.available2011-01-10T16:17:24Z
dc.date.copyright2010en
dc.date.issued2011-01-10T16:17:24Z
dc.degree.departmentDept. of Curriculum and Instructionen
dc.degree.levelDoctor of Philosophy Ph.D.en
dc.description.abstractThe purpose of this study was to examine the work band directors do in the course of their jobs. Specifically, I sought to understand more about the disjuncture between the balanced music education band directors want to deliver to their students and the need to prepare and present performances that bring positive notoriety to a band program. Using Institutional Ethnography (IE), I interviewed, observed, and explored the texts that directors create and/or refer to as they lead their band programs. Institutional Ethnography is a method of inquiry that allows a researcher to probe those immersed in situations that he or she finds problematic. The term problematic refers to something about which a researcher is interested in learning more. It was found that the three band directors included in this study are granted much freedom when it comes to creating or referring to a music curriculum. The directors appreciate this freedom and have each chosen various forms of curricula, which range from an official curriculum document that is used specifically for music theory instruction across Canada to a poster designed by university music instructors. With regard to performances and the pressure to prepare them, each director had a different way in which they organized their instruction to teach both performance skills and music literacy. One director relies heavily on a theory curriculum to supplement his work on performances while another works through various method books that include non-performance-based music instruction. Through this study I was able to show the gap that occurs between a well-rounded music education and a primary focus on performance in a band program. The band directors I interviewed revealed a deep desire and belief that they were delivering a comprehensive music education to their band students. In the course of my research, the pressure to create outstanding performances could be seen in the band directors’ talk and instructional organization. It is hoped that the results of this study will aid university instructors and curriculum writers in developing successful ways to deliver music instruction in a band program while remaining cognizant of performance.en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1828/3190
dc.languageEnglisheng
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Weben
dc.subjectmusic educationen
dc.subjectinstitutional ethnographyen
dc.subjectinstrumental musicen
dc.subject.lcshUVic Subject Index::Humanities and Social Sciences::Education::Music--Instruction and studyen
dc.titleExploring the work of band directors: an institutional ethnography.en
dc.typeThesisen

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Sandra Melissa Edwards_doctoral dissertation.pdf
Size:
446.62 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.84 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD)
Theses (Curriculum and Instruction)
 
University of Victoria Libraries

We acknowledge and respect the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, and the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.