Date

8-6-2025

Department

School of Music

Degree

Doctor of Music Education (DME)

Chair

John Wilkerson

Keywords

diversity, inclusion, ethnicity, concert band music, biases, repertoire, music education

Disciplines

Music

Abstract

Despite the development of strategies to increase diversity in the music classroom, there is still room for further advancement. Ensuring that each student is represented in the class allows everyone to feel appreciated and work together. Research has shown the current state of diversity and inclusion in band literature selections and has presented recommendations for the next steps. By modeling Whitmore’s diversity in band literature research, this mixed-method research study identified the criteria by which band literature has been selected over the past five years. Perspectives on social issues, database availability, and educators making changes have emerged as themes through exploring a small body of existing literature regarding ethnic and gender diversity in music education. To illustrate how music educators are including diversity in their literature selections, this research investigated concert programs of educators from pre- and post-2020 and compared them to their current concert programs. Identifying trends in music educators' programming is crucial because it reveals how music educators programmed concerts in the past and how they might select more diverse literature in the future. The results of the study will inform recommendations moving forward. As the United States becomes more diverse, developing a more profound knowledge base of diverse composers and concepts is essential for inclusion in the music education classroom.

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