By Barbra Weidlein

Newer middle- and high-school female band directors typically find they’ve entered a historically male-dominated career field. To help them prepare for their next steps, we asked more established female band directors for guidance. They identify common challenges and share suggestions to help future band directors and those still new to this profession move forward.

Preparing to be a marching band director

An earlier article on MajoringInMusic.com, “Want to Become a Marching Band Director?”, outlines the skills needed to pursue a career as a band director.  A background in marching coupled with experience in leadership positions (such as drum major, participation in Drum Corps International, assisting with summer band programs) provide a great way to get started. 

Getting a degree in music education with music teaching certification is the most direct path toward teaching K-12 Music in U.S. public schools (private school requirements may differ). Strong proficiency on one or more instruments combined with training and skills in conducting, arranging, and composing are vital for getting hired as a band director. The ability to run solid rehearsals as well make artistic decisions is also important. Since band directing is such a competitive field, most band directors find that graduate-level training beyond the undergraduate degree provides the skills needed to meet these job requirements.

Challenges women band directors may face

Dr. Amy Bovin is a 4X-degreed musician with a background in band directing. Her research between 2020-23 indicated that between 60-80% of the hundreds of high school female band directors she surveyed:

• Felt they can successfully advocate for themselves

• Believed their work is valued by others

• Had support for their work and professional endeavors

• Felt their position was secure if there were to be a budget cut

But she also found a high percentage of band directors who reported sexism, agism, and mental or emotional harassment. Respondents who identified as LGBTQ+ experienced an even higher level of discrimination. 

The female band directors Bovin interviewed often believed their early years in the profession were more challenging than they would’ve been for male colleagues. They felt they had to continue to prove themselves because of their gender. According to one of those interviewed, using the same tone of voice as her male counterparts resulted in “complaints from parents about being too harsh…What students see as strength from their male band directors can sometimes (often) be seen as mean or harsh from their female band directors.”

Elizabeth Hering, Director of Bands at McNary High School in Keizer, Oregon, shares: “During my first year in my new state, I programmed a contemporary piece of literature and on one of my adjudicator comment tapes one retired male judge said, ‘I sure hope you know what you are doing’ as we started the piece. He later gave us our highest score of the season, so I think that he discovered that I at least knew a little bit about what I was doing. However, that comment stunned me. I felt like I had gone back in time 40 years.”

Rachel Maxwell, Band Director at Traughber Junior High School in Oswego, Illinois, says that “When women pursue roles in spaces traditionally dominated by men, such as band leadership particularly at the high school and collegiate levels, they often must do more than match the qualifications of their male peers. They must actively establish their presence and build networks of influence within those spaces.”

Motherhood and band directing

Juggling their work with motherhood is a prime example of a hurdle female band directors may face as compared with their male colleagues . 

Elizabeth Hering says, “The biggest challenge I have personally experienced is balancing new motherhood with my role as a high school band director. I have three (now teenaged) children and there are about 8 years of my life that are a blur from their younger years. For certain, men also experience challenges balancing their careers with new fatherhood — but as a woman, I was the one who had to take extended leaves of absence even just to physically recover from childbirth. I was the one who was trying to find a way to pump at school every two hours for months after my return.” 

Some women cannot juggle both motherhood and directing bands and end up leaving their jobs. Amy Bovin interviewed a band director, a mother with young children, who spoke of the complications presented by the “many outside of the school day commitments.” But according to Bovin, “Women who are currently mothers say it is very possible to be pregnant and/or have children and be a band director. You just need a good support system. So to those females who want to be in the field and want to be a mother…don’t let stereotypes deter you from getting or keeping a position. Other women have shown it is possible, especially with full support from as many people as you need (partner, colleagues, administrators, friends, students to babysit, etc).”

How to meet the challenges

Connecting with and supporting other band directors is indispensable for meeting the challenges of working as a female band director. 

Lauren Staniszewski, Band Director at Stoney Creek High School in Rochester, Michigan, shares, “Once I got into the field, I realized just how important it was to find people, other band directors, you can connect with to build a network of support for yourself. Being a young teacher is hard enough and puts you in survival mode quickly—but it is so important to find other band directors with whom you can connect and talk with for support.” 

According to Rachel Maxwell, “Cultivating strong relationships with mentors, both male and female, who can provide guidance and open doors for opportunities” is also vital. She adds, “While the responsibility to fix inequity should not fall solely on those affected by it, the reality is that systemic change often begins with individuals who choose to step into those spaces with purpose, consistency, and excellence..being highly visible, taking on leadership opportunities, participating in professional organizations, serving on adjudication panels, and conducting symposia” are also necessary. 

Elizabeth Hering urges prospective and newer female band directors to “Have a vision of the life you want to live and chase that. Try to be the best you can be, find others to learn from, never stop chasing excellence, and always look for ways to be better at your craft. This is how you will find a tribe that is positive and encouraging. Also, make an effort to be encouraging to other women in the field — we need to look out for each other!”

She adds, “I love my job and find purpose and fulfillment through my chosen career and professional community. I have amazing kids, colleagues, and band families and I genuinely love my life. That keeps me going.”

Resources

Women Band Directors International(WBDI)  

Barbra Weidlein is co-founder and director of MajoringInMusic.com

Photo: Elizabeth Hering, Director of Bands at McNary High School, with students

Photo Credit: Steve Sciatto