ALGUNAS TEORÍAS DE JUSTICIA DISTRIBUTIVA

The choice of repertoire in band ensembles is a consistent topic in conversations among music educators. Several participants stated strong feelings about the choice of music performed throughout their band experience and the about the lack of input in the decision-making process of choosing music.

Repertoire selection. Participants suggested there was a disparity between band directors and students when it came to choosing music that related to them. Participants discussed their displeasure at the musical offerings chosen by their band directors:

 “High school directors should tell eighth graders what kind of music they play because the music actually matters because some people don’t want to play music that they don’t like.” (Ann);

 “We should play more music that is enjoyable.” (Billy);

 “Sometimes we play a lot of marches and that isn’t really interesting to me.” (Emily);

 “I would like a more popular, more interesting choice of music. That should be a bigger priority.” (Grace);

 “I like learning other songs that are popular and not just what we have to play, but the actual popular songs we have to play and being able to play them.” (Jim). While there have been many reasons for the overall decline in participation in large performance ensembles (Johnson, 1990; Music for All Foundation, 2004; Strickland, 2010), repertoire selection was one of the reasons stated by the study participants. One student, Emily, provided a specific example of music she enjoyed performing. “We played this Michael Jackson piece once. It was fun, but we don’t do a lot of it.” She indicated the lack of performing music relevant to her was a primary reason she decided to discontinue participation in band. Emily said, “Who needs band when I can listen to music I like on my phone.” She felt no difference between music played on her phone and performed in band. “It is all music to me,” she thought. While the lack of popular music in her band experience was one important reason she decided to quit band,

it was not the only one. Emily also made it clear she did not like the abundance of marches, “old music” as she called them, chosen by her band director. Another student, Grace, suggested current music should be a bigger priority of band directors. “It is what we want to play,” said Grace. She thought she could speak for her peers that students often found band music boring and the students wanted to play music they know. “Music should be interesting . . . most of the time we play our scales and boring music and that’s it,” said Grace. She suggested band directors should listen to their students and incorporate some current music to be played in class.

Stephanie seemed frustrated by not having any voice. She said, “Band is a dictatorship.”

According to Stephanie, students wanted directors to understand why they wished to perform this type of music, but thought directors ignored the students’ desires. Stephanie felt as though she was not valued as a member, so she decided to join another activity in high school where she may have been more valued.

Student participation in choice of music. The second major component of this theme was the students’ desire to help choose music performed in band. Students who performed in band, and other performing ensembles, wanted to assist in choosing repertoire performed in band:

 “Maybe if you let the kids vote on what type of music they want to play instead of the band director just telling you what you have to play, that might go over

better.” (Jonathan);

 “I would like to play some current music, things we hear on the radio, but our director doesn’t ask our opinions.” (Stephanie);

 “We need more common songs and, umm, at my sister’s school, they did this dance routine type thing and they had a lot of fun with it. Our director doesn’t ask our opinion about music.” (Rachel).

Jonathan had decided not to participate in high school band due to a desire to play football. He suggested allowing students to choose more music performed in band as a way to recruit more eighth graders to join high school band. He conceded this was not practical for every selection of music performed by the band, but he felt student ownership in the process of music selection would generate goodwill between the students and the band director. Stephanie also wanted a role in the selection of repertoire in band. She wanted to play current music, but the director never asked the opinions of the students. Stephanie implied that asking student opinions for repertoire selections would be a positive outcome for the students and the band director.

Most of the students desired more inclusion in the music selection process. Students did not want to make decisions for teachers, but students wished to have some level of input. Secondly, students were disenfranchised with much of the music they had performed as a member of band during middle school. Repertoire selection by students was addessed in the recently revised and published National Core Music Standards (2014).The detachment between students and the music performed in band was a major factor in many of the students’ decisions to discontinue band participation during high school.