An Examination of Community Band Members\u27 Ratings of Skills, Traits, and Behaviors of Community Band Conductors

The purpose of this study was to examine community band members’ perceptions of the skills, traits, and behaviors of community band conductors. Community band members rated the importance of a range of such skills, traits, and behaviors in relation to their experience within their band. Adult community band members learn differently from the ways that school-aged students do because they have different life experiences, motivations, and educational needs. Adult learners desire to be part of their own learning, and they need a conductor who has the skills, traits, and behaviors that are important from their perspectives. The conductor/musician relationship is an important part of what motivates adults to play in community bands. My research may provide current and future community concert band conductors information that they may use to assess their own conducting skills, traits, and behaviors from the perspective of band members in order to improve the quality of the concert band experience for the band members. The 5 highest rated traits are as follows: “The community band conductor demonstrates proficient conducting skills” was the highest rated trait. “The community band conductor demonstrates a positive approach” was the second highest rated trait. “The community band conductor demonstrates proficient score-reading skills” was the third highest rated trait. “The community band conductor demonstrates a positive rapport with the band members” was the fourth highest rated trait. “The community band conductor demonstrates good rehearsal planning skills” was the fifth highest trait. The most important category of skills, traits, and behaviors was personal skills followed by musical skills, followed by teaching skills. The findings from this research differ from previous research in skills, traits, and behaviors. Adult learners want to have a say in their own education and they bring a wealth of life experience to their educational endeavors. Perhaps they need a mentor and not a teacher. Adult musicians need the conductor/musician relationship and community involvement as well as a quality musical experience to enhance their enjoyment and contribute to life-long participation in a community band