Lived experiences of Navy Musicians adjusting to life in the armed forces
OA Version
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Abstract
The U.S. Department of Defense is the largest employer of musicians in the world (Burch, 2025; Gleason, 2015), and many college graduates with music education degrees are actively recruited into military bands (Jackson, 2023). When a person joins the United States Navy Fleet bands, they may experience a pull between identities (Bannister, 1995; Cartledge, 2009). Though they may understand themselves predominately as musicians, the U.S. Navy prioritizes their role as Sailors (Bannister, 1996; Garnett, 2014; U.S. Navy, 2018b; Welborn, 2015). The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of U.S. Navy Musicians as they adjust in their role from music students to a work role as armed forces musicians. Dawis (1980), in the Theory of Work Adjustment (TWA), explained that an optimal relationship between an individual and an occupation requires two conditions: 1) The individual's abilities satisfy the skills demanded by the occupation, and 2) the individual's needs are met by the occupation. According to Dawis et al. (1968), correspondence (the compatibility between an individual and their occupation) occurs when the individual’s and occupation’s needs are met, resulting in a positive work adjustment. Correspondence leads to job satisfaction, satisfactory job performance, and work tenure (Dawis et al., 1964). The negative results of a poor transition, or the failure to achieve positive work adjustment, may include dissatisfaction, unsatisfactory job performance, and job turnover (Dawis & Lofquist, 1981). Using Dawis’s theory as a framework, in order to establish correspondence, music graduates who enlist as U.S. Navy Musicians must expand their self-identity to encompass both musician and Sailor (Dawis et al., 1968; Dawis, 1980; Eggerth, 2008; U.S. Navy, 2018b). In order to better understand how being employed in a military band reshapes a musician’s identity and the critical role identity may play in establishing correspondence, I interviewed four participants purposefully selected based on rank and time in service, educational experience, military music experience, and naval experience. Utilizing principles of Mueller’s (2019) episodic narrative interview, I had four primary interactions with each participant including a brief introductory interview, an artifact collection assignment, a long interview, and an opportunity for the participants to review the transcripts. By interviewing high school and college music graduates who serve as musicians in the U.S. Navy, I collected stories and crafted narratives to better understand their experiences of adjusting to life in the armed forces, as well as the differences between civilian and military music education programs.
Description
2026