Band Director Perceptions of Student Leadership

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate North Carolina band directors’ perceptions of student leadership and to identify any similarities or differences between the responses of middle school and high school band directors. A total of 38 band directors from the South Central and Eastern Districts of the North Carolina Bandmasters Association participated in the open-ended survey, resulting in 199 total comments. Following a previously established descriptive approach that utilizes qualitative coding techniques, the researcher examined each response to determine a taxonomic structure based on themes found in the data. Results indicate that “What Leaders Do” generated the highest number of comments, specifically regarding “Assist Director with Tasks.” Additionally, categories of “Characteristics of Leaders,” “Students Involved,” and “Reasons for Student Leadership” also emerged from the comments. Although the four taxonomic categories materialized similarly based on responses, there do appear to be differences within the subcategories, which may indicate differences in the perception of leadership between middle and high school band directors.