Leadership identity development in classical and jazz music: Comparing life histories of eminent female musicians

Conference: The 36th World Conference for the International Society for Music Education https://www.isme.org/other-publications/36th-isme-world-conference-abstract-book-and-proceedings Abstract This paper aims at understanding the factors influencing the leadership identity development of two eminent female musicians (pseudonyms: Elena, Tinecia), as a conductor and a composer respectively, in classical and jazz music. They are also educational leaders in the higher music education institutes in the United Kingdom and the United States. Using theories of leadership identity, social identity, social stratification, and intersectionality, the paper revealed significant factors for the two female musicians’ musical learning and professional development embedded in the formal and informal social structures in classical and jazz music. It examined and compared critical incidents and modal trajectories contributing to the leadership identity establishment in the life histories of both female musicians, and identified relevant issues in music education, industry, and wider societies inhibiting or facilitating women’s leadership identity establishments and dynamics in music. The paper posited that leadership identities are multi-layered, subject to intersected social forces, and malleable throughout lives. It concluded with theoretical findings on leadership identity development in music and practical implications for music education and professional development.