Honors Program Theses
Award/Availability
Open Access Honors Program Thesis
First Advisor
Alison Altstatt
Keywords
Music students--Sex differences; Music in universities and colleges;
Abstract
While anyone with proper training can direct a band well, the definitive stereotype in music education is that male directors are the default. Women face a multitude of challenges when going into the field because of this stereotype, which is the direct result of decades of prejudice that are now historical tradition. These challenges include the perceived need to adopt a male persona while on the podium, the challenges of working as a public school band director while being a mother, and the guilt that accompanies many women in the field. Obstacles such as these have strongly contributed to the divide between the number of male and female band directors. Through looking at the University of Northern Iowa graduation rates of undergraduate and graduate music students, one can better understand how the university’s history of encouraging women in music education interacts with the history of women band directors on a national level.
Year of Submission
2025
Department
School of Music
University Honors Designation
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designation University Honors
Date Original
2025
Object Description
1 PDF file (39 pages)
Copyright
©2025 Abigail Wendland
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Wendland, Abigail, "The Music Education Gender Divide at the University of Northern Iowa" (2025). Honors Program Theses. 1017.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/hpt/1017
