The Relationship Among Conductors' Rankings of Three Unfamiliar Wind Band Scores

Abstract

The twofold purpose of this study was to examine college and university wind band conductors' agreement regarding the relative musical quality of three unfamiliar wind band scores and to collect and synthesize conductor's reported criteria for their rankings. Thirty-three conductors responded to a request to examine, compare, and rank the scores on the basis of relative musical quality, and then list their criteria for their decisions in a free-response format. There was no statistically significant agreement among the conductors' expressed judgments of the relative musical quality of the three unfamiliar scores used in this study. There seemed to be agreement, however, regarding the criteria used as bases for their judgments. Results suggest that individual perception and differing emphases among the criteria may have influenced the conductors' rankings of the three scores.