Robinson, Brandon Earl

Description

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the history of the Little Rock Central High School band before, during, and after integration in 1957-1958. A review of related literature in the areas of civil rights, Brown v. Board of Education, integration of schools, integration of Little Rock Central High School, and integration of school music programs provided the rationale for this study. Based on the related literature, research questions for this study included: What was the history of the Central Band before, during, and after integration in 1957-1958? Who was the first African American in the Central band? When were African American students alloto participate in the extracurricular activities at Central? What factors contributed to the decline of the Central band? What factors contributed to the success of the Central band? The researcher conducted ten telephone, email, and in-person interviews and used eight published interviews in this study. Investigating the history of Central High School and the Central High School band program, as well as conducting interviews revealed the historical implications integration had on the Little Rock Central High School band program. The research presented an understanding of the events that surrounded integration and how integration affected the Little Rock Central High School band.

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