MUSI 007A. More Than a Drum Line: Exploring the Legacies of HBCU Marching Band Traditions (SC)

by Antron D. Mahoney, in Southern cultures, 2021, Vol.27 (4), p.78-97. "Black queer college students often have had to navigate campus structures that engendered a careful negotiation of their Blackness and queerness. [...]many HBCU marching bands began as all-male regiments, with some of the first women joining in the 1970s. [...]the visual, spatial, and social logics of the HBCU marching band don't allow someone like Davis to occupy the role of J-Sette. To fully comprehend the Black femme possibilities in J-Setting, we must chronicle HBCU marching band music and sound, and its dirty incarnation.8 Like southern hip-hop at the turn of the twenty-first century, the musicality of HBCU marching bands is a fundamental element of an eccentric postsoul aesthetic, rooted in the Black freedom tradition of what Stallings deems "multiliteracy" - the ability to improvise and manipulate white settler colonial aesthetics and Black authenticity for the formation of more revolutionary forms of knowing and being. [...]as southern hip-hop crooner Trick Daddy intros in his 2000 HBCU band-inspired track "Shut Up," "We gon' let the band deal with this.

by Robert H. Clark in Journal of historical research in music education, 2019, Vol.41 (1), p.5-32. "The purpose of this study is to construct a concise historical narrative of the development and characteristics of African American styles of marching band. While some extant research studies have been published in this area of study, the focus has been primarily on individual exemplary teachers or university band programs. In this article, much of the available published and unpublished scholarly work was reviewed for synthesis into narrative form. Unique style characteristics of African American marching bands are identified and tied to historical developments. The author proposes that African American styles of marching band be examined as an art form through the lens of historicultural research."

2003 by Patrick E. Johnson. "A consideration of the performance of Blackness and race in general, in relation to sexuality and critiques of authenticity." Chapters:
"Blackness" and authenticity : what's performance got to do with it? -- The pot is brewing : Marlon Riggs' Black is ... Black ain't -- Manifest faggotry : queering masculinity in African American culture -- Mother knows best : Blackness and transgressive domestic space -- "Nevah had uh cross word" : mammy and the trope of Black womanhood -- Sounds of Blackness down under : the Café of the Gate of Salvation -- Performance and/as pedagogy : performing Blackness in the classroom.

2023 dissertation by Taylor Leonard Whitehead, "
Since the late nineteenth century, marching bands have served as an integral component of the fabric of Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) campuses. In addition to performing for millions of fans annually, HBCU marching bands serve as brand ambassadors for their university's communities. Marching bands at four HBCUs from the southeastern United States comprised the sample for this study. Despite their many successes, each band experiences significant challenges, including declining school enrollment, limited recruitment opportunities, low retention rates, insufficient budgets and staffing, hazing allegations, and increasingly expensive travel costs. More research currently needs to be done that details the negative influences of these challenges. This mixed methods research examines historical data, performance analysis, and the perspectives of HBCU band members, directors, administrators, and alums. To illustrate the experience of the chosen HBCU bands, interviews with current and former band directors and band members will determine their challenges and how the marching band has enriched their lives. This study provides critical development strategies for current and future HBCU band directors to help advance and strengthen their programs."

2019 dissertation by Claire Milburn. "This study investigated the development of marching band traditions at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), as told through the rivalry between Southern University (SU) and Jackson State University (JSU). Marching bands at HBCUs developed a distinct style where pageantry is a priority. These bands have similar pre- and post- game traditions, and an overall spirit of fierce competition. This study is an oral history account taken from interviews with influential band directors from these programs. Band directors from JSU include Dowell Taylor, Paul Adams, Lewis Liddell, and Lowell Hollinger. These band directors all have established reputations as innovators and men with a storehouse of knowledge about the “Sonic Boom of the South” marching band. Band directors from SU include Paul Adams (taught at both universities), Lawrence Jackson, Nathan Haymer, and Kedric Taylor, for similar reasons. This study includes brief histories of each band, including lesser-known insights from directors. Interviews reveal combinations of happenstance and careful planning that birthed traditions such as the famed pre-game “zero quarter” and post-game “fifth quarter” rituals that are now commonplace at HBCU football games. I triangulated stories through multiple accounts, and patterns emerged surrounding the intense rivalry between the programs at JSU and SU. I also investigated stylistic differences between bands in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), as well as the reasons behind these differences. Geographic positioning and cultural differences appeared to be the most relevant causes. Finally, I explored trends from the advent of YouTube and social media. Participants expressed both joy and frustration about these technologies, much of which relates to the uniquely fan-based and competitive world of HBCU marching bands. These stories inform modern music educators about the important role of competition."