Marching to Different Drummers - Brief Article

Black Issues in Higher Education, April 27, 2000 by Laurie Dunivant Sneiderman

College marching bands appear to be failing the diversity challenge.

It is impossible to imagine attending a major college football or basketball competition these days without the attendant soundtrack provided by campus marching bands. Serving up stadium favorites like "We Are The Champions," "We Will Rock You," and the "Theme from `Rocky,'" these student musicians provide sports fans with an audiovisual exhibition of individual artistry and cooperative teamwork.

Jino Ray, one of the few Black members of Florida State University's Marching Chiefs, is proud of his affiliation with the college band and eagerly contributes to the revelry and merriment the Chiefs bring to games.

Yet, it has not escaped his attention that African American participation in the marching band falls short of the 12.3 percent representation Black students have on the Tallahassee campus. This lack of Black participation also stands in stark contrast to the numbers of Blacks on Florida State's dominant football and basketball teams.

Ray says he believes Black participation in marching bands at predominately White institutions has not kept pace with Black student enrollment, which tends to be low anyway, and falls far short of the percentage of Black players on the big-time football and basketball teams.

"[Many minorities] tend to be discouraged about even auditioning," Ray says. "The performances of these bands cater to the predominantly White audiences they are being performed for, and minorities are not attracted to the music. I also feel that Blacks are not sought after to participate in these bands like Whites are," he says.

Although virtually no surveys have documented the level of representation of Black and other minorities in marching bands at major predominantly White institutions, a number of band directors and student musicians across the country report that band membership of minorities is quite low.

African Americans comprise roughly 13 percent of the U.S. population. "I don't think a [marching band] in the country has those numbers, other than the institutions that cater specifically to those groups," says Dr. Richard Green, director of the Penn State University department of music.

Actually, most traditionally White campuses don't have 13 percent Black representation in their enrollment either. But Black representation among band members is often even lower than the already low enrollment percentage.

Sara Beth Carr, a White Florida State University freshman and a member of the campus marching band, offers her impressions. "Taking a look at the Florida State University Marching Chiefs, I would say that there tend to be more Caucasian musicians that are part of the organization than other ethnic groups. It is not at all a discrimination issue, rather a lack of equal amounts of students from different races trying out."

Bucky Johnson, director of the bands at Georgia Tech and director of the Atlanta Olympic Band, agrees that Blacks and Latinos are underrepresented in university marching bands. Johnson, who is White, notes that Georgia Tech's music department enrollment is only 3 percent African American. Blacks are two percent of the marching band's 290 members. Total African American enrollment at Georgia Tech is 9 percent.

Culture Clash On and Off the Bleachers

Opinions vary about why Black participation is so low in traditionally White college and university marching bands. Dr. William Foster, director of Florida A&M's famous "Marching 100" since 1945, says White schools haven't been as competitive as historically Black schools in attracting Black musical talent largely because of different cultural traditions.

"At major football universities, it is true that the racial composition doesn't match the ethnic enrollment of their football teams and the universities themselves. The style of marching, selection of music, format, type of maneuvers and show design is not relevant to the heritage and lifestyle of Black people," he says.

Dr. Richard Green, the White director of the Penn State University music department, also cites cultural reasons as a key factor.

"I think one of the largest reasons for low ethnic enrollment is that a large part of the Western musical traditions, many of the classics taught in university music programs, came from a European, and largely Caucasian, tradition," he says.

"Here at Penn State, our African American [student] enrollment is 8 percent, which is low, reflecting a national trend of low university enrollment amongst that group. Our music department numbers are even lower," he adds.

Style, however, "should not be an issue for the well-rounded musician," says Dr. Larry Pannell, director of Grambling University's Tiger Marching Band. "Good musicians make it their business to learn the styles that are popular. A well-rounded musician, whether seeking professional engagements or enjoyment of a hobby, should be able to perform what is needed. They should know the classics, jazz and popular standards. Simply put, diversity is the responsibility of the individual musician."