WOMEN PARTICIPATING IN BAND: A COMPARISON OF EXPERIENCES
BASED ON INSTRUMENT
MOLLY TITTLER-INGOGLIA - DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN LEARNING AND TEACHING, HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY
Research has shown that people associate Band Instruments with a particular gender (Abeles, 2009) The people who choose to break that stereotype and play a gender atypical instrument have a different experience than those who choose a gender stereotypical instrument (Conway, 2000) This research sought to uncover the experiences of women who played gender atypical instruments in school I found that specific participant instrument choice played a role in their overall experience My hope is that these findings might provide more information to students as they select an instrument, and to teachers and families as they guide students towards that decision
shape
A long, thin mark made by a pencil, brush, or other tool.
As someone who played a “gender atypical” instrument, I always felt like “one of the boys” growing up playing around mostly male brass players Whenever I met another female in brass, we instantly bonded I felt so connected to those individuals because we had similar experiences as women in brass
The nature of instruments are different, the styles they usually play are different, therefore curriculum is different Their roles in the ensemble are different - melody vs harmony vs accompaniment vs bass line
The theoretical framework rests on feminist theoretical perspective This perspective studies limitations for opportunities for girls and the nature of gender inequality
FINDINGS
4 Female Participants 2 played gender typical Instruments (Flute), 1 Band Teacher/1 Non- Band Teacher
2 Played gender atypical Instruments (Trombone, French Horn), 1 Band Teacher/1 Non-Band Teacher
Individual Interviews
Data coded and compared
as a female in band most of the time,
I
Although participants reported that the overwhelming majority of the time they did not notice any type of sexism or favoritism based on gender, there were several stories reported about sexism which are important to discuss. Band teachers had a very influential role in pointing students towards the instruments that they ultimately picked Instrument should not be solely based on their gender - should be taking previous musical training, fine motor skills, natural embouchure set up, and ear training potential into account
The people who played flute reported how “unimportant” they felt since there were so many people playing the same instrument, on the same part as them. These students all had very different experiences as a result of the instrument they chose to play This is something that parents and young students should be aware of at the beginning of their musical journey, so that they can make an informed decision about the nature of their experience in band
in
IMPLICATIONS & SIGNIFICANCE VALIDITY
CONCEPTUAL
INTRODUCTION
ETHICS DISCUSSION Does instrument-choice play a role in student experience? 1 Among girls, does gender play a role in band student-experience? 2 How do the experiences of women who played gender typical and gender atypical instruments compare? 3 What are the most important elements that define the band experience for women who played both gender-atypical and gender-typical instruments? 4.
being a female brass
positive way
were one of so many 1 Although most participants reported not
different
being a Female/Female Brass Player sometimes put you in situations that were negative, uncomfortable, or unfair 2 Teacher Gender/Instrument/Influence heavily impacted students’ instrument choice initally 3
FRAMEWORK
RESEARCH QUESTIONS METHOD
Sometimes
player OR a person who played a small section instrument (Oboe, Bassoon, etc ) made individuals stand out in a
People in sections with many people felt unimportant because they
noticing
treatment
accounted for my biases in part by adjusting my participants
of only using people who played gender atypical instruments, I used 2 gender atypical, 2 gender stereotypical Instead of using all band teachers with rigorous musical experiences, I used 2 non-band teachers, 2 band teachers I was careful not to lead the participants towards what I believe to be true of instrument-choice and student experience I did this through carefully crafted interview questions and responses to those questions while interviewing As participants are describing their experiences, they may be revealing information about their teachers and classmates that could be less than positive (sexism, gender identity, favoritism, sexual harassment, etc ) To minimize risks proposed, participants were reminded that all of their answers will be confidential, their name will be changed, they do not have to go into detail about events that may be triggering, or they can drop out of the study at any time I wanted participants to feel comfortable being candid about their stories Women are having different experiences based on the instrument they choose Sometimes it’s giving them a positive spotlight, but other times they are subject to negative situations Women playing gender atypical instruments may need particular support Teachers are on the front lines seeing these negative interactions and need to interject I believe the less apparent instrument gender stereotypes are, the lower amount of negative situations will be Changing societal perceptions about instrument gender stereotypes will not happen quickly The more we encourage women to play gender atypical instruments, however, the more we can help shift these stereotypes Teachers are a major influence in pointing students towards the instruments they choose They need to think carefully about the “type” of child they are pointing towards gender atypical options and small section options The particular traits for what makes a successful player of these instruments will require further research It might be beneficial to get the parents involved in the conversation about what they hope for their musical experience to encompass Teachers throughout the child’s musical journey (at the secondary level) should be cognizant of the fact that those students feel like they get lost in the shuffle Teachers should try to carve out opportunities for these children in order to feel more like individuals and equally important in the grand scheme of the band These ideas require further exploration in the “safety in numbers” concept, and how this idea of the number of people playing in your section influences student success
Instead
