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The purpose of this study was to investigate demographic variables and
doctoral coursework of music department chairs from NASM-accredited programs
and compare these to administrative preparation. The researcher used a
questionnaire that assessed administrative preparation on a Likert scale
from Very Unprepared to Very Prepared. Data were analyzed using descriptive
statistics and nonparametric tests.
The participants were 408 music department chairs with at least one doctoral
degree and who served in U. S. colleges and universities with NASM-accredited
departments. The average administrator was a male “department chair,”
aged 51, who had not planned on becoming an administrator, but had been
in his present position between one and five years because of administrative
skills and had participated in at least one administrative development
workshop. The majority had a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree that
did not include administrative coursework.
The majority stated that there were no classes during their doctoral studies
that were beneficial in preparing them for music administration, although
most listed at least one course that would have been beneficial and feel
that administrative skills should be the most important criteria in selecting
a music administrator. Other experiences that helped prepare them for
music administration included teaching and ensemble directing. Most administrators
indicated a moderate degree of administrative preparation from doctoral
coursework, with many scoring in the lower range and very few in the higher.
The gender and age of the participants did not appear significantly related
to the chairs’ administrative preparation. The type of doctoral degree,
however, was related to administrative preparation for many of the categories.
The doctoral emphasis and doctoral degree dates were also significant
for some of the variables. The factors chairs considered most important
in their administrative preparation were whether the participants took
administration courses or planned on being administrators during their
doctoral studies.
One of the main recommendations of this study was that music doctoral
students should take at least one administrative course in the event they
should later become department chairs in higher education. Future study
recommendations include designing a curriculum for music administrators
and exploring the relationship between high performance and types of administrative
preparation.
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