Twelve individuals participated in the study representing experiences had both as students and as music educators. Participants lived and taught in communities throughout the United States and brought differing levels of teaching and competitive experience. Data were generated through in-depth interviews and collaborative phenomenological texts. Research questions included: What is the lived experience of competing in a high school band like?; and, How does competition frame and influence high school band curricula?
Findings indicate that competition was a meaningful and influential part of participants' work as band directors and educational experiences as students. Competition was approached with tension as participants acknowledged negative concerns over the influence of competitions on their students, yet chose to engage in competitive activities. Marching band contests offered a creative outlet where directors could develop custom materials and they did so with a significant motivation to win. Competition was perceived as an influence on band directors' professional reputations, feelings of competence, and how band programs were viewed in the community. Students were motivated by competitions and reacted strongly to competitive results such as rankings, ratings, and other distinctions.
Findings also indicate that band curricula emphasizing competition share similar curricular facets: (a) teachers carefully control and manage classroom activities and curricular choices; (b) students are viewed as skilled performers who are dependent upon their teachers for learning; (c) subject matter is narrowly considered around measurable behavioral objectives and repertoire selection; and, (d) the educational environment is dominated by the teacher who may use competition to motivate students to work and practice more.
Over the past few decades online learning has continually evolved to become a popular pathway to higher education. The COVID-19 pandemic produced an unprecedented shift toward online learning through Emergency Remote Teaching. Recent literature has increasingly represented online learning environments through the negative experiences of students and instructors as they navigate such a difficult transition. However, comparatively little attention has been given to the experiences of instructors in established online programs. This article presents idiographic findings from a qualitative study that used interpretative phenomenological analysis of interviews with five college-level online instructors. These findings describe the emphasis online instructors place on maximizing student engagement, facilitating the student’s translation of learning to their own lives, belief in online learning as an equal-but-different pathway to higher education, sense of purpose from providing accessible education to a diverse student body, and the unique challenges faced in course preparation and student connection.