A survey of expected qualifications for Texas 5A and 6A high school percussion directors

Abstract

The existence of the high school percussion director is a prominent feature for Texas 5A and 6A band programs. With a staff of multiple band directors, Texas band programs often feature percussion directors to develop the curriculum for high school and junior high percussion students. During my tenure as a 5A and 6A high school percussion director, I became aware of the necessary responsibilities as an educator and administrator in order to develop and maintain a successful high school percussion learning environment. My experiences led me to develop this study of determining the preferred qualifications and experiences for prospective percussion directors.

The purpose of this study is to survey head band directors in Texas 5A and 6A high schools regarding the desired qualifications of high school percussion directors, providing current students and prospective percussion directors insights to the necessary training required or recommended to become successful pedagogues in the high school music education environment.

A three-part questionnaire was constructed and disseminated to head band directors of Texas 5A and 6A high schools, requesting information on current percussion directors, prospective percussion directors based on a hypothetical hiring situation, and personal and professional opinions on the training and preparation of prospective percussion directors. Data was collected and represented in an unbiased format, revealing statistics on head band directors’ views of the current state and preferred qualifications for Texas 5A and 6A high school percussion directors. This study was designed to reveal statistics that may advance further studies and pedagogical approaches for the training of the percussion directors of the future.

Description

Keywords

Percussion, Percussion director, Texas 5A band, Texas 6A band, Band director, Survey, Qualifications

Citation