A field study on marching band members’ workload assessment

BACKGROUND: Marching band activities consist of both physically and cognitively demanding tasks. The demands that this activity has on players has largely been unstudied. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of players’ experience level, role, and gender on the workload of marching band players via a field study. METHODS: Surveys were issued during one game day to the Oregon State University Marching Band (OSUMB) in the fall of 2017. Increments of discomfort ratings and workload ratings were gathered. The three independent variables were experience level (novice or experienced), role (leader or non-leader), and gender. RESULTS: Novice players had a higher discomfort for their left hand and a higher level of cognitive demand as opposed to experienced players. Leaders had a higher increment of discomfort in their neck and upper back, and higher workload ratings in their performance workload and overall weighted workload than the non-leaders. Gender had no effect on increment of discomfort and workload, but some trends were noted. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that players’ role and experience, but not gender, can influence their workloads and discomfort.