As large and complex campus organizations, collegiate marching bands face a variety of practical issues that must be addressed by directors through clear policies and effective procedures. Extant research on these groups focuses on pedagogical matters, ensemble histories, organizational descriptive analyses, participation factors and effects, and social matters, but their operational specifics have been left unexamined.
The purpose of this study is to examine the policies and procedures developed by marching band directors of the Big Ten Conference in response to the following current vital issues affecting collegiate bands: social media usage, copyright concerns, relationships with athletic marketing departments, supplementary performance requests, bowl travel, and student drinking and hazing. Significant recent changes to the Big Ten programs are also documented.
Directors of the fourteen Big Ten marching bands addressed these issues in open-ended interviews. They were also invited to share additional topics which fell outside the scope of this study. Interview transcripts were subjected to qualitative content analysis through the development and application of codes and identification of emergent themes. Narrative data on each research topic were presented separately.
Across the conference, the bands and directors share comparable experiences; however, the management of each program features unique approaches. This study’s descriptions of the Big Ten bands’ policies and procedures yield a means for intra- and inter-conference comparison and provide potential administrative strategies.