Who is Leading? An Investigation of the Demographics of Band Directors at NCAA Division One Colleges and Universities Across the United States

The purpose of this study was to investigate the demographics of college band directors at NCAA Division One colleges and universities across the United States. Specifically, the research questions were: (1) What are the current demographics of college band directors in terms of gender, race, and level of professorship? (2) Are there differences in demographics of gender and race based on athletic conference? (3) Are there differences in the level of professorship based on race? Results showed that of the 315 band directors at Division One institutions, 283 (90%) were males and 32 (10%) were females, 280 (89%) were identified as Caucasian and only 35 (11%) were identified as Non-Caucasian, 12 (4%) directors were listed as instructors, 18 (6%) listed as lecturers, 55 (17%) listed as assistant professors, 60 (19%) listed as associate professors, and 72 (23%) listed as full professors. Significant differences among demographics were found based on athletic conference and level of professorship. The results of this study provide an insight on the demographics of band directors currently teaching at division one institutions across the United States. While the results were one-sided, they do help to begin a discussion on how the profession can move forward in an effort to diversify the teaching force. Since college band directors play a role in the type of experience students receive, if the music education profession on the collegiate level wants to produce more well-rounded educators, it is suggested that those students be taught by a well-rounded, diverse, teaching force. . A more detailed listing of results can be found in the paper.