A chronicle of the life and work of Kathryn Belle Scott: a key figure among female collegiate marching band directors
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Abstract
purpose of this study is to document the life and career of Kathryn Scott, director of The University of Alabama "Million Dollar" Marching Band, from 1984-2002. Among the many significant aspects of Scott is that she is credited with being the first female collegiate marching band director in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I School. Scott's life, teaching, academic career, and pedagogical techniques for marching band are documented and examined. This study documents the impact Scott had on young women aspiring to become marching band directors and her influence as a role model.
The problem this study sought to explore resides with the notion that collegiate marching bands were traditionally all male and segregated by gender and, in some instances, race. This bias not only prohibited women from participating in these organizations, but also hindered them from pursuing a career in instrumental music education--perpetuating the idea of the white male as band director. Factors contributing to this could be the lack of female role models in marching band directing positions at the post-secondary level.
Studies concerning women in instrumental music in higher education indicate that the lack of gender-specific role models could be a contributor to the small number of women in collegiate band directing. Other studies on female collegiate band directors have focused on describing the situation in which these individuals teach as compared to their male counterparts.
An historical approach formed the basis of this study. The methodology employed in the data collection for this study included personal interviews with Scott, personal interviews of selected colleagues, and former students, and a review of any publicly available materials from the University of Alabama archives. Scott provided the researcher with any unpublished writings, course materials, show designs, videos, recordings, or other pertinent data that she believed beneficial to the study.
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Thesis (D.M.A.)--Boston University