Date

5-20-2026

Degree

Master of Arts in Music Education (MA)

Chair

John Wilkerson

Keywords

mass bands, HBCU band culture, train-the-trainer model, culturally relevant pedagogy, culturally sustaining pedagogy, community music education, music education equity, leadership development, peer learning

Disciplines

Education | Music

Abstract

This study examines the roles of mass bands, community bands, and all-star bands and explores how they can offer culturally relevant, community-driven alternatives to traditional summer music education programs. This is especially important for students from diverse and lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Traditional marching musical arts programs require students to have access to sufficient funding and transportation, effectively locking out low-income and culturally distant groups. This research explores how alternative band models offer a viable option for supporting young students in music education, social skills development, and leadership. The multiple-case study focused on three diverse program types. Over the course of eleven weeks, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, document analysis, on-site observations, and field notes. The data were then analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings strongly suggest that these programs help preserve student cultures and empower identity development and experiences that reflect students’ lived experiences. Leadership is developed through the “train-the-trainer” model, in which students assume instructional roles and transfer that knowledge to their home programs. The data also provide additional support for viewing these programs as networks built on social capital that create community, provide pathways to college, encourage growth in students’ musical skills, operate in challenging ways, and embrace their students culturally, despite facing major structural barriers concerning staffing, funding, and sustainability. This study suggests that mass band programs represent a viable and scalable model for culturally sustaining music education that expands access and redefines effectiveness by integrating identity, leadership, and community engagement.

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