Music Education and Musical Diversity in the Wind Band

In this presentation I focus on the situation in my country, Luxembourg. I nevertheless assume that my findings have a general validity in other countries of the continent. For many professional musicians, playing a wind instrument or percussion in a wind band often is the first step towards a professional career in an orchestra or as a music teacher. Informal learning within the social structures of a wind orchestra will complement formal and non-formal music learning in the general school system as well as in the music schools. Yet, for most young musicians, membership in the local band remains the ultimate aim of their musical training. A further musical career is often only planned at a later date and depends on factors like musical interest and talent.
With the help of selected interviewees, I will give some answers about how music education and wind band playing interact. What are individual experiences in relation to wind bands and to music education? Can they be generalized, and how can these findings help music education fulfill the needs of today’s reality in relation to public music practice?
Furthermore, the question of musical diversity will be raised. What does musical diversity mean, how is it perceived, and how, respectively whether it is practiced at all in a wind band? Examples of musical diversity will then be discussed.
Is music education adapted to the challenges of musical practice in a band, for example, in terms of musical diversity, or are there any unnecessary burdens that could be replaced by more useful practical courses? How much informal learning is acquired through musical practice in a band?