Dr. Kenneth Moore Presents at Michigan Music Conference

Music education faculty member Dr. Kenneth Moore presented a poster session on January 24, 2025 at the MMC titled "A History of Michigan's Band and Orchestra Festival: Contests, Competitions, or Assessments?" The abstract for this poster session can be read down below:

Educational policies in the early 21st century demanded quantifiable school performance and teacher evaluation reform. This led music education associations in some states to rename their large-ensemble festivals as “music performance assessments” to address the calls for change, even before considering the nature of the events. The purpose of this historical study was to determine the character and nature of the large ensemble festivals of the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association, which also considered relabeling its festivals as assessments to tie them to teacher evaluation. Guiding questions focused on the contextual influences that shaped the event over time. The evolution of the festival system was examined in detail from its inception in 1938 to the present. For most of the 20th century, comparing ensemble performances was a primary element of the event, making it a pseudo competition with as many “winners” (first division ratings) as possible. Implications for music education practice and policy were discussed.