Semester of Graduation

Summer 2023

Degree

Master of Mass Communication (MMC)

Department

Manship School of Mass Communication

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

This study explored the use of marching band membership as a medium of mass communication through in-depth interviews with Louisiana collegiate marching band participants and subsequent analysis. Since these groups tend to serve as their school’s face and brand ambassadors in many cases, this study will look to their constituent members to explore what it is truly like to be a small cog that makes the whole run effectively and efficiently. Intersections of a marching band’s outward-facing image and its members’ personally held values, beliefs, and preferences are of specific interest in an effort to understand the effects of mass uniformity on individuals. Guided by Intersectionality and Social Identity Theory as its ideological framework, this study investigates the key tenets of these theories in a novel application that bolsters current literature in a wide range of topics. Overall, 12 themes emerged which paint marching bands and their members as a complex symbiosis of group norms, individual needs, and both parties’ struggle to find fulfillment in the face of it all.

Date

7-12-2023

Committee Chair

Dr. Tina Harris

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