Throughout the history of band music, works by women have received little, if any, acclaim. While some of the reasons for this lack of acknowledgment are grounded in the historical development of the band and the social restrictions of the times, an even greater problem has been the lack of reference sources concerning band works composed by women. Likewise, the works themselves are frequently unpublished. This study compiles a dictionary of American women composers who have written for band during the period from 1865 to 1996 and a catalogue of these works.The introduction presents a brief analysis of the status of the woman composer and her relationship with the historical development of the band tradition. A guide to the use of the dictionary outlines the decisions that were made in the compilation and presentation of the material. The actual dictionary includes entries for more than two hundred women who have composed at least one original composition for band. Each composer is represented by a biographical sketch including education; list of awards, honors, and grants; reference citations; and a catalogue of known band works. The list of works presents as much information as possible including title, year of composition and/or publication, level of difficulty, duration, and availability. Beyond the biographical entries, the 572 compositions for band composed by women are listed in the appendixes in four different formats: alphabetized by title of composition, alphabetized by composer's last name, listed by level of difficulty, and listed by year of composition or publication.Works range in difficulty from those that are intended for use with a beginner band, to compositions that were commissioned by the professional service bands of the United States. It is no surprise that the majority of these works were composed post-1970. The study makes no attempt to evaluate the musical value of any of the cited works, but rather is intended as an initial reference on the subject. It also raises several questions concerning the place of these works in the marketplace and in relation to other creative fields. / School of Music

The instrumental composition of the band is an outgrowth of utilitarian improvisation. The well-developed percussion section, and the voluminous reed and brass sections are a carry-over from the Military, where the emphasis was on functional beating of time for marching. Mobility and volume sufficient for the accompaniment of troop movements were also necessary. Until recent times, the band existed only for functional matters, never as an independent and self-justifying medium with its purpose being a musical organization. Through the growth of military, professional, and school bands, the band of today has developed into a musical organization in its own right, which can perform almost anything in the technical range of composition.

It is the purpose of this thesis to list and evaluate the published materials for junior high school band that the director may have a comprehensive knowledge of materials adapted to that level.