Pursuing diversity from the podium: Insights from Australia for wind band conductors and educators on achieving gender parity for women composers

Gender in music has been explored over recent decades with growing recognition of the challenges that are faced by women in the field. There has been substantial work exploring the Western music canon but little that addresses the music of Australian women, and more specifically, repertoire written...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of music education 2021-05, Vol.39 (2), p.247-259
Main Author: Howley, Rachel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Action research
Bands
Barriers
Composers
Disproportionate Representation
Females
Foreign Countries
Gender
Gender Bias
Gender inequality
Music
Music Education
Music Teachers
Musical Composition
Musical Instruments
Musicians
Musicians & conductors
Repertoire
Role
Women
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Summary:Gender in music has been explored over recent decades with growing recognition of the challenges that are faced by women in the field. There has been substantial work exploring the Western music canon but little that addresses the music of Australian women, and more specifically, repertoire written for the wind band genre. With thousands of Australian children every year starting their musical journey in their school band, this is an area that has potential for significant impact in addressing the continued gender disparity for composers. In addition, the substantial influence of the conductor in repertoire selection and promotion of the music of women cannot be denied. This article draws its insights from an action research project that explores the journeys and experiences of Australian women composers through interviews along with artistic collaborations between myself and these composers. Furthermore, Australian conductors of wind bands were surveyed to ascertain their understanding of the role that they may play in facilitating change in this area. This article addresses the barriers that composers and conductors experience, the benefits of networks, the generation of additional repertoire, and the subsequent implications for educational contexts.
ISSN:0255-7614
1744-795X
DOI:10.1177/0255761420928627