Date of Award

August 2022

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Music

Department

Music

First Advisor

Sheila J Feay-Shaw

Committee Members

Scott Corley, Tim Sterner Miller

Keywords

Music Education, WAC, WAC Band, Women's Army Corps, Women's Army Corps Band

Abstract

The Women’s Army Corps (WAC) Band was a unique military band that consisted of all-women soldier musicians. This study examined the stories and music education of the women who served in the WAC band. Several questions guided this study including: 1) what kind of music education did these women receive before, during, and after serving in the WAC band? 2) how were the music educations of these soldiers different throughout the various eras of war? 3) did the women continue to play their instruments after they finished serving in the Army? If so, in what capacity did they play? and 4) why do they continue to hold/attend reunions every other year? The research revealed common themes across the women veterans’ lives including the desire for personal choice, changes in military protocol, women’s rights, the importance of music, as well as the sisterhood that serving in the military together created.

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