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Instrumental music education in Japan has long emphasized wind bands, and in recent decades, Japanese bands have achieved a level of performing excellence that arguably rivals all other nations. This case study of Japan's premier wind ensemble provides insights applicable to bands throughout the nation. The study explores the influence of the ensemble's repertoire and educational activities, traces its religious origins, and examines Frederick Fennell's role as musical ambassador. The findings suggest that Japan has not only assimilated and mastered the band genre, but it has transformed the tradition. Moreover, the subculture of wind bands is argued to be a domain of internationalization that challenges Japanese notions of gender roles and ethnic identity.
Wind bands have long played a prominent role in school music education of the United States and other Western nations. Recent generations of Japanese musicians have also embraced the tradition, carrying it to new levels of achievement. When mentioned in print, the successes of Japanese bands seem virtually miraculous. In 1986, the Music Educators Journal declared, "Many high school concert bands and an amazing number of junior high school bands in Japan are performing on a level equal to America's college bands. ... Performances are of such a high quality that it is doubtful whether any high school or junior high school bands in the world could surpass them."1 Although Western band directors have acknowledged the feats of Japanese bands at all levels, little research is published on the topic in English. This is surprising because the success of Japanese bands entails a number of issues of great interest to our profession.
European wind bands provided Japan's earliest known contact with Western instrumental traditions.2 Therefore, Japanese bands embody an important case for examination of the music acculturation process. More than 1,647 community bands are currently active in Japan,3 which suggests that research in this area may provide insights into the role of cultural context in life-long music learning (a subject emphasized by MENC's Housewright Declaration4). In recent years, Japanese composers have produced a genre of original works for wind band that fuse indigenous traditions with Western forms.5 The development of such hybrid genres is a topic of interest to scholars grappling with the issues of globalization and authenticity in multicultural music...