Familiarity of CBDNA commissioning projects among college band directors in the United States.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine familiarity among college band directors in the United States of band compositions generated through commissioning projects supported by the College Band Directors National Association. A survey instrument developed for use in this study examined the following: familiarity level of the band profession with each commissioned composition; profile of the directors who responded to the survey (profile determined by examining the following: age of respondent or number of years in the profession; attendance at band and/or music conferences; membership in CBDNA; previous commissioning activity; type and size of academic institutions; general student enrollment and/or music major enrollment at an institution); practical and artistic reasons given by respondents for choosing to perform or to not perform each of the works, and which elements were present in the director profiles that seemed to influence familiarity and frequency of performance of these works.