Keeping Instruments Out of the Attic: The Concert Band Experiences ...

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Music Education Research International, Volume 5, 2011most memorable musical experience thus far, forexample: “Winning State Champions with mymarching band my junior year of high school” or “Iloved when our marching band in high school broke arecord score.”Sixteen participants wrote about specificperformances, pieces, or venues as most memorable.Some of these overlap with theadjudication/competition category, as in: “playing inFestival … it was a very challenging piece and wehad just perfected it after nine months of practice”and “marching at Disney World at night with myhigh school marching band.” However, somerespondents described concerts as memorablebecause of repertoire or venue: “performing atSymphony Hall,” “playing ‘Stars and Stripes’ on thepiccolo,” or “playing percussion in the pit orchestraalongside professionals for our high schoolproduction of ‘West Side Story.’” In this category,we are also including those participants (11) whoindicated that their most memorable experience wasperforming in auditioned, all-state or -county solo orgroup festivals in this group, as membership wasusually reliant on the participant being member of aschool music organization: “for several years I wasselected to play in the Area All State Band/Orchestra.It was fun getting to play with dedicated musicians.”Research Question One. How and to what degree didthe band members perceive the campus bandexperience as contributing to their musical lives?In answering this question, we found themost frequently occurring answers could be collectedinto four categories. The band members credited thecampus band experience for contributing (a) joy andbeauty, (b) skills and understanding, (c) a musicalopportunity, and/or (d) a positive atmosphere to theirmusical lives.Joy and Beauty. When asked their primaryreason for joining Campus Band, or what they likedmost about it, participants most frequently gaveanswers that we coded “love to play.” These indicatea strong fondness for music, for their specificinstruments, or for playing music in general or in alarge ensemble: “I really enjoy music and playing mytrumpet whenever I have the time;” “I like music, Ilike playing;” “Playing in a large ensemble is myfavorite activity;” and “I love being in a band and Ilove music.” When asked to share their expectationsfor the coming year in Campus Band, typical answerswere, “Play fun pieces and have fun while playingmusic;” “To have fun and continue playing;” and “Ihope to have a fun, enjoyable, musical experience.”Beyond having fun, participants alsoprovided deeper, more meaningful explanations of25how campus band contributed to their musical lives.A frequent appearance in the coding was what welabeled “the potential for an aesthetic musicalexperience,” which to us indicated the desire ofparticipants to have satisfying musical encounters.For example, to the question “What suggestions doyou have for Campus Band?” one participantresponded, “to be more emotionally connected to themusic;” other participants were less specific butwrote about “having good rehearsals,” “playingbeautiful music,” and “mak[ing] some good music.”Follow-up interviews with selectedparticipants confirmed these ideas of joy and beauty.For example, we asked one participant what had beenso enjoyable about campus band for her. She said:It was incredibly fun. The best part I liked aboutit was performing. I really do enjoy getting upon stage. So it’s fun to be able to take an entiresemester’s worth of work and be able to be on[Name] Hall stage, which is kind of rare for anon-music major.Another participant said, “[the conductor]conducted about loving the music. He made it so thatwe would be more passionate about the music. And Iloved that.”Skills and Understandings. A large numberof participants wrote on questionnaires about thedesire to not just “keep playing” but improve theirskills on their instruments or their musical knowledgebase: “I hope to improve my flute skills and tone,”“Continue to grow as a musician,” “To get myfingers back in gear,” “To develop better techniqueand to practice more to be able to play with moreconfidence,” and “Grow on my instrument andencounter a wide variety of music and composers.”Others seemed to be content with merelymaintaining their ability on their instrument: “Keepup my skill level,” “Keep playing at a recreationallevel,” and “I just want to make music and maintainmy skill level.” In interviews, participants describedthe campus band as a group where both groups ofstudents, those highly motivated and the morerecreational, can coexist quite successfully: “It wasprobably comparable as far as skill level to a highschool level band. So it is really a welcomingenvironment for anyone of any skill level.” Anotherparticipant said:I can miss a note or two because I’m pretty suresomebody in this room is missing one. It wasjust comfortable being around people that arenot bringing perfection to the band … Themusic was the appropriate level, and this is the
Music Education Research International, Volume 5, 2011only opportunity that I have to pull the clarinetout of its case every week.Opportunity. In a number of cases,participants wrote that campus band had become partof their musical lives because it was convenient,easy, and accessible to non-music majors: “I forgot toaudition for [another] ensemble,” “It’s an Easy A,”“Campus Band fits in my schedule this year,” and “Idon’t have time to devote to any of the higher musicensembles.” In an interview, we asked a participantto elaborate more on why he joined campus band. Hementioned his major, and scheduling: “The reasonwhy I enjoy campus band is because I majored in thesciences. The reason I’m not in ensembles regularlyis that I am in the lab or science building most daysof the week.” He said he enjoyed the once-a-weekrehearsal pace with 16 weeks to prepare a concert.Another participant in an interview said:I really need to play my instrument and feelempty without playing my instrument. Playingin campus band definitely helped me to fulfillthat. And I knew when I came to [Name]College that I wanted to try out for one of themajor ensembles or play in campus band, andcampus band is what fit into my schedule, so Iwas very thankful to have that and will continueto use it whenever I can.Atmosphere. Returning members of campusband frequently credited the relaxed atmosphere assomething they liked most, writing comments like:“It’s very open and engaging,” “It’s a way for me tokeep playing without having to stress,” and “I loveplaying … but not at the level of an intense band.”Many participants wrote about their desire for abalance between challenge or competition and asupportive atmosphere, as in one participant whowrote she expected to “be challenged, but notstruggle.” Similarly, another musician desiring hardermusic, also indicated that she expected “relaxed, lowstressrehearsals.” The “fun, not too stressful, buthigh expectations” sentiment was expressedfrequently.We asked several participants in follow-upinterviews to explain what they meant by “lowstress”and why it is desirable. One said:I feel like it [the stressful nature of his previousexperiences] was the expectations … the stressof having to prepare a concert. The expectationsfor the Campus Band was to come in, you playas well as you can and that’ll be our concert. Idon’t even recall if there was a grade attachedto it, but you weren’t in campus band for a26grade, you were in there because you wanted toplay.Another participant stated:It’s just more low key. The challenges of themusic fit into that very nicely. On our first runthroughs,I was missing notes. I had to practiceonce or twice or multiple times depending onthe piece. At the same time, it wasn’t like I wasslaving over it, and I didn’t feel that pressurethat I had to get everything right.Research Question Two. How could the experiencesand understandings of the band members prior toand during participation in the ensemble contributeto our knowledge of lifelong participation in music?In answering the second research question,we found most of the data related to the bandmembers’ continued participation in music fell intoone of three categories: (a) participants’ comfort andfamiliarity with, even nostalgia for, the band genre;(b) their satisfaction with being a part of a musicalcommunity; and (c) their strong desire to keepplaying their instruments.Familiarity, comfort, or nostalgia. Notsurprisingly, specific band experiences weredescribed in detail when participants were asked toshare their most memorable experience. Beyond that,it was also not uncommon for participants to recallfond memories of past band experiences when askedto share their primary reason for joining: “I playedthroughout high school, I need band in my life;”“Band was my favorite class in high school;” and “Iloved concert band in high school” were commonresponses.Participants also seem to see the campusband as an opportunity to recreate or replicate theseformer band experiences, as in the participant whowrote: “I dropped band in 8th grade and alwaysregretted it,” or the band member who wrote, “it[band] was hard in high school because not manypeople cared.” Another participant, in response to thequestion, “what do you like most about campusband?” wrote, “it reminds me of my high school bandexperience, which I do miss at times.” When askedwhy they wanted to join, participants frequentlylisted the ensembles that they were a part of in thepast, as in this response: “Throughout middle schooland high school I’ve been a part of marching band,jazz band, and concert band.” For many people, theprimary reason for joining the group was the fact thatthey’ve done it for a long time; as one person wrote,“it’s because I’ve played in band since fourth grade!”
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