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Female Male Student Leadership in Band

Fran Kick

When it comes to nurturing future and elected-leadership positions. that are not normally visible using
student leaders in our programs Multitudes of reasons can be used to the more customary single-disciplinary
(helping them learn, grow and develop rationalize and explain why we have approach. “It revealed that underneath
the insight and experience necessary fewer female band directors than male the huge diversity of human societies—
to lead effectively) there’s something band directors in music education. transcending such differences as time,
many directors may never realize: Some might even be valid. However, place, technological development,
What if some of our “traditions of what if the things we do in high school ethnic origin, and religious
leadership” actually hinder the “future band are influencing this discrepancy orientation—are two underlying
of leadership?” more than we realize? What if we’re configurations: the domination
Over the past three decades, I’ve had unintentionally reinforcing the system and the partnership system.”
the privilege of working with students past practices of a male-dominated, Certainly we want our student
as well as the many people and command-and-control, approach to leaders to be working in partnership
professionals who work with students. leadership? Perhaps we don’t even with each other versus dominating
Interestingly, when I share time with see how what we do today is still each other. Perhaps there’s an easy
junior high and high school student largely based on the past, and limits the solution to help build more student
leadership groups, student government future leadership potential of ALL our leaders—both male and female—in
associations, student council retreats, students regardless of gender? our bands. Simply select a minimum
and student leadership summer camps, Riane Eisler conducted a huge of two leaders for every section: one
there’s a majority of female participants multidisciplinary study analyzing boy and one girl. That way, you have
to a minority of male participants. Yet how key components of any society two people working together offering
whenever I share time with collegiate throughout history relate to one another a fantastic example of collaboration
students, corporate and association to maintain the larger whole. This within each section of your band. A
leadership events, conferences and method of analysis, called “the study pair of partners working together
organizational strategic planning retreats of relational dynamics,” examined data rather than individuals dominating.
of various types; there’s a majority from a wide range of times and places. Let’s start some new “traditions of
of male participants to a minority of Her research looked at many fields, leadership” that’ll help the “future of
female participants. Granted, this isn’t including cross-cultural anthropological leadership” not just in band, but in the
a statistically accurate representative and sociological studies; writings world we all live in!
sample. Simply an anecdotal, random, by historians analyzing laws, moral “Our emerging workforce is not
non-scientific observation that caused codes, art, literature; scholarship from interested in command-and-control
me to look more and more into “where psychology, economics, education, leadership. They don’t want to do
do all the female student leaders go?” political science, philosophy, religious, things because I said so;
Certainly many generational and western and eastern archeological they want to do things because
societal changes are shaping the way studies; as well as data from more they want to do them.”
students interact with each other and recently developed fields such as —Irene Rosenfeld, -
Chairwoman and CEO of Mondelez International
the world today versus yesterday. chaos theory, neuroscience, nonlinear
Given all the progressive and forward- dynamics, primatology systems, self-
thinking attempts in education to equal organizing theory, gender studies, Fran Kick is an author, educational consultant
and professional speaker who knows What
the opportunity for women to step women’s studies, and men’s studies. Makes Kids KICK! He has his B.A. in Music
up, lean in, and take the lead, we’re Riane Eisler’s multi-disciplinary Education and a M.A. in Educational Psychology.
still plagued with the over-dominance systemic research approach made it His involvement at TBA is graciously sponsored
of men in organizational, corporate, possible for her to see social patterns in part by Drum Corps International and Music
for All. www.kickitin.com/tba/
References:
Eisler, R (2016) Reframing Organizational and Social Change: From Domination to Partnership. In Creative Social Change: Leadership for a Healthy World.
(pp. 101-118) A volume in the International Leadership Association series Building Leadership Bridges. Emerald Publishing Ltd. ISBN 9781786351456

Bandmasters Review • September 2017 10 Texas Bandmasters Association