Inclusivity in Choir

Art reflects society. This sentiment has been echoed throughout numerous articles and is evidenced throughout history. Art reflects society. Music reflects society. In previous work samples, I have echoed the sentiment that we will never have a utopian musical society because we will never have a utopian society. There will always be work to be done. Growing up in a small, midwestern town, I was sheltered from societal issues like xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, etc. I had not been exposed to these things, so there was not much to base my views on other than what the adults in the area taught. I was taught in our churches that homosexuality and transsexuality were things that we didn’t talk about, and when we did, it was usually in the context of fire and brimstone sermons, where we were explicitly told that the “thems” of society were going to hell for being different than what our socio-norms suggested. In moving to school in a progressive city, I discovered that I had some reckoning to do with my thinking. It wasn't that I realized that I was taught something that was wrong. I realized that I had been taught concepts in a fishbowl, isolated from the people that the ideas were centered around. It was easy for me to think of those who were different from me as a separate group, because they were! All of a sudden, I was introduced to a world of theater and musical students, many of whom fell into the aforementioned “them” category. All of a sudden, “they” became “us”. All of a sudden, I discovered that I had transgender and homo/bi-sexual friends who had spent their entire lives not feeling as if they fit in, and I had my upbringing and those similar to me to blame. I felt a strong sense of duty to my new friends to advocate for them in the musical classroom, as I had gone into school with the understanding that music is for all. The only thing I had to identify was “who does all include”?

A study published by The Musician’s Census1 reported that approximately 3% of a census sample identified as either transgender or as a different gender than male/female. While 3% may not seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things, that means that within a healthy, 100-person choir/band program, statistically, at least 3 students fall somewhere in this range. This proves that this is not only an ongoing issue, but is something that we can not ignore if we are choosing to be an inclusive group. Another recent poll by Gallup2 shows that a rising number, 9.3% of adults, identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or something other than heterosexual. In recognizing that there is a rise in people identifying as something other than heterosexual, it is important to realize that this does not necessarily mean that there are more non-heterosexual people; it could be that societal norms have changed and that the demographic is more comfortable being who they already are. Another poll by the American Survey Center, a result of the American Enterprise Institute, posited this idea;

“For a very long time, many gay or lesbian people felt compelled to hide who they were to avoid public condemnation, social stigma, and even violence. But American society has changed a lot over the last few decades, and views of LGBTQ people have become far less negative than they once were. In 2024, 67 percent of US adults said that homosexuality should be accepted by society, up from 50 percent in 2007. This argument is based on the idea that natural sexual preferences and identities were culturally repressed. Ross Douthat explained that this argument is akin to the rise in left-handedness, which increased rapidly after schools stopped prohibiting it: “Just as, for example, we discovered that left-handedness is much more common once we stopped trying to train kids out of it.” Once we stopped suppressing intrinsic sexual diversity, it quickly flourished.”3

The article, summarized, states that there is evidence to support, inconclusively, that a rise in a non-heterosexual demographic is likely a result of social acceptance, rather than increasing identification with the group. All of the above evidence brings us back to the original statement: Art reflects society. Music reflects society.

In Dr. Stephen Paparo’s article How Gender Inclusive Is My Choir,3 Dr. Paparo addresses some of the social issues surrounding breaking the heterosexual norm that has permeated society for hundreds of years. He addresses pronouns, repertoire selection, role models, concert attire, and more. The article, which can be seen as a direct reflection of society, as well as music, illustrates the ease at which we can address some of issues surrounding homosexuality and transgenderism in music. I find that some of these things are easy to adapt, and some take conscious effort. Recognizing female composers and programming their music is easy to adapt. There are hundreds of great female composers in the world. Rosephyne Powell, Elaine Hagenberg, Clara Schuman, and Amy Beach are some of the notable female composers, both past and present, who come to mind. Programming their music is one of the easiest ways to support inclusivity in the music classrooms. Concert attire is another easy way to be inclusive. In recognizing that there are people who identify outside of the male/female spectrum, I think it is important to have inclusivity in your concert attire. Coordinated shirts with logos, and personal black are great options for students to select from, as the article states. However, traditional concert attire such as tuxes/suits and dresses can easily be adapted to students who fall outside of the societal norms by simply providing and honoring the choice. Plenty of schools already have these two types of systems in place, and simply providing the choice of which students prefer to wear is a simple yet effective method to be inclusive in the classroom. Highlighting role models, such as the above-mentioned composers, is an excellent way to be inclusive, on top of showing videos of sexually ambiguous, female, and non-conforming individuals to the class during active listening or initial listening periods. All of these habits are generally quite easy to adapt as they are a “flip of a switch” fix for inclusivity. However, some issues are not quite as easy. I have often caught myself referring to my tenors and basses as men, and in doing so, discredit any individualized gender expression within the sections. Pronouns become a less-than-easy-to-fix issue as well, only in that we may have become accustomed to saying certain pronouns in certain instances. However, despite taking slightly more effort, these changes are habitual to implement, and once the initial habit is broken, they can easily pursue them throughout their entire teaching career. Additionally, it is simply more accurate and efficient to refer to a group by its section, rather than a generalized term, and it often leads to more precise instructions. These changes are harmless to the instructor to implement and mean the world to the people that they affect.

While the article is specifically geared to the music classroom, it is important to remember this; as musicians, we oftentimes are the leading edge in societal issues, and we need to use our positions to push society into being an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere to all, just like we strive to do in the classroom. It is understood through the writing of this article that everyone holds their own set of beliefs, and in recognizing such, understand that there may be disagreements behind inclusivity. However, recognizing that inclusivity oftentimes simply means respecting people where they are at, and understanding and recognizing differing individuals as worthwhile despite our differences is something that we should all strive to do, and I believe that no beliefs warrant harmful practices to be implemented towards another individual, nor do I believe that most people in the general society wish to inflict harm upon another. Finally, as music and art reflect society, it is important to remember our role as the trend-setters and to remember that society reflects music.

References

Centre national de la musique. (2024, February). LGBT+ musicians: From visibility to inclusion (Report). https://cnm.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LGBT_MusiciansReport.6cs.pdf

Jones, D. (2024, April 1). What’s behind the rapid rise in LGBTQ identity? American Survey Center. https://www.americansurveycenter.org/newsletter/whats-behind-the-rapid-rise-in-lgbtq-identity/

Jones, J. M. (2024, February 21). LGBT identification in the U.S. ticks up to 7.6%. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/656708/lgbtq-identification-rises.aspx

Langston, J. (n.d.). How gender-inclusive is my choir? Alfred Music. http://alfred.com/blog/how-gender- inclusive-my-choir/