Community-Based Music Education: Influences of Industrial Bands in the American South

Abstract

From as early as 1855 and extending to the middle of the twentieth century, American industry encouraged the formation of bands and other musical organizations for workers, ostensibly to enhance their welfare. The actual purposes of music in industry, however, were often to prevent formation of unions and maintain social regimes. As industry expanded into the agrarian South, industrial bands augmented the limited town band tradition. Their performances, role-modeling and community-based instruction of young people filled curricular voids and developed favorable cultural environments for the eventual addition of instrumental music to public school curricula. A historical case study of the activities and influences of a significant industrial band in the state of Georgia provides a basis for formulating conclusions regarding influences of industry on music education in the American South.