Just One of the Guys: Does Gender Affect Your Festival Rating?

The recent literature shows that band directors identifying as female tend to get lower ratings at adjudicated events when compared to their male counterparts. There has been a great deal of discussion and research published on this topic that points to a “Good Old Boys Club” that is seemingly exclusive and difficult to break into.

This study by Shouldice & Woolnough examined festival ratings in the state of Virginia, and factors that influenced ratings such as director gender, ensemble name, and rigor of repertoire. The researchers found that these factors may indeed have influence on a band’s rating at an adjudicated festival. But… why?

This was a follow up study to examine a previous study’s findings that gender was a significant factor which influences a band’s rating. This study did not find that director genre alone was a significant independent factor influencing a rating, but the researchers address the small sample size as a possible explanation.

One factor that was found to be significant on a band’s rating is simply the name of the ensemble. If you call your ensemble “Wind Symphony” or “Wind Ensemble,” judging bias tends to work in your favor. Discussion suggests that some female conductors teach at smaller schools that may only had one ensemble, and therefore the name of the group itself worked against them. Many directors may call their one and only band “concert band” or “symphonic band” which just doesn’t have the same awe-inspiring effect when it comes to implicit judging bias.

This study also pointed to something I found to be interesting: repertoire choice. Female band directors were more likely to program “safer” choices than male directors. Whether they mean to or not, judges tend to reward rigor of musical selections performed on stage with higher ratings.

The authors point to literature supporting generalized differences in disposition between males and females. When it comes to female directors leaning toward “safer” repertoire choices in terms of rigor, research suggests that females generally tend to be more perfectionistic and are less ego-driven than males. Apparently, playing it safe doesn’t pay when it comes to ratings. And, while males may more be prone to reckless choices in general (possibly due to competitiveness and ego), this tends to pay off for them when it comes to the business of selecting repertoire.

But - Why?

Where I have seen less misogyny in the “high school band business” over my career, it is not gone completely. Because of my privilege of being a male in a “Good Old Boys Club,” I certainly cannot speak for my sisters-in-arms here. But I can speculate that there are still a great deal of issues when it comes to women’s confidence in this business. To me, an interesting question to address is: Why aren’t more female band directors directing “power house” programs with multiple ensembles? I wonder if more females directors taking over “powerhouse” programs will help to break down these barriers and perceptions. In my local area, I am seeing this happening more and more. I hope that normalizing female music educators at the helm of successful programs will pave the way for a new future for the up-and-coming female band directors. And, therefore, any biases based on gender in this business should be a thing of the past.