A Survey of Band Directors in the United States Regarding Barriers to Developing Successful Band Programs in Majority African American Public Secondary Schools

Abstract

This study investigated barriers hindering development of successful band programs in majority African American secondary public schools and strategies employed by band directors to overcome challenges. A mixed-methods survey was administered to 247 participants, including 20 from majority African American public secondary schools and 227 from non-majority African American secondary schools. Quantitative data, contextualized by qualitative responses, indicated the top barriers in majority African American schools included funding and resources, socioeconomic challenges, and scheduling. Top strategies were collaborating with administrators, developing positive band culture, and providing student transportation. In contrast, non-majority African American schools identified scheduling, socioeconomic challenges, and competition with extracurricular activities as their top barriers, while developing positive band culture, connecting with feeder programs, and collaborating with administrators were their top strategies. Factorial ANOVA analyses indicated participants in Title 1 schools rated several barriers, including socioeconomic challenges and student mobility, higher than those in non-Title 1 schools. Also, participants in schools that were both Title 1 and had a majority African American student population rated scheduling significantly higher, indicating the combination of these factors exacerbated challenges. Future research should focus on a) longitudinal studies to determine how band programs in majority African American schools develop and maintain overtime, b) student perspectives to explore their experiences in these programs, c) innovative funding models to address financial limitations of band programs, and d) replicating the current study with a larger sample size to generalize findings.