Abstract
This study explored the role of athletic bands at highly selective universities with Division 1 FBS athletics, considering how directors navigate recruitment, admissions, access, and community engagement within academically constraining environments. By integrating Kingdon's Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) and Ribot and Peluso’s Theory of Access, the study examined the agency of athletic band directors (ABDs) as policy practitioners who advocate for their programs, their students, and prospective students in the face of institutional barriers. Five themes emerged: athletic band accessibility, overcoming structural adversity, cross-campus collaboration, community engagement, and institutional displacement. Findings indicate that athletic band directors and their ensembles can cultivate inclusive, adaptive spaces that challenge institutional exclusivity, foster community connections, and contribute to broader missions of diversity and inclusion; while competing and sometimes antithetical institutional characteristics present continued challenges. Data underscore the agency of ABDs in leveraging policy opportunities to improve access to and visibility of their programs and schools, positioning athletic bands as adept contributors to institutional goals.
Recommended Citation
Parrilla-Koester, Dylan
(2026)
"Instruments of Access: A Collective Case Study of College Marching and Athletic Bands at Highly Selective Institutions,"
Visions of Research in Music Education: Vol. 48, Article 4.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/vrme/vol48/iss1/4