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Marching Forth: A Study of the Impact of Gender on the Professionalization of Marching Band Students in New Orleans

acase@tulane.edu / Marching bands and the professional music scene in New Orleans have historically been male-dominated. Even as more female students are beginning to join marching bands, far fewer women go on to pursue careers in music than men do after participating in high school marching bands. This thesis shows how marching bands in New Orleans encourage visual, sonic, and social performances of uniform, normative masculinity that can discourage the professionalization of female band members after high school. Through observation and interviews with band students and directors at St. Mary’s Academy High School, which is an all-girls school, and Warren Easton Charter High School, which is co-ed, it is apparent that many girls are affected by stereotypes and social constructs that deem marching band and the subsequent careers in music to be masculine activities. This thesis looks at the history of marching bands as military organizations, the culture of bands today, and the patriarchal nature of the New Orleans professional music scene to show how marching bands maintain a gender hierarchy that privileges masculinity and can discourage professionalization in music for girls. / 1 / Olivia Broslawsky

  1. tulane:76913
Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_76913
Date January 2017
ContributorsBroslawsky, Olivia (author), (author), Sakakeeny, Matt (Thesis advisor), Mathieu, Jane (Thesis advisor), Schippers, Mimi (Thesis advisor), School of Liberal Arts Music (Degree granting institution)
PublisherTulane University
Source SetsTulane University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText
Formatelectronic, 133
RightsNo embargo, Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law.

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