Addressing Transphobia and Inclusion in Classical Music: Part 1
Each year in November, Transgender Awareness week takes place to raise visibility about the trangender community and to address issues members of the community face. Statistics estimate trans people as making up 1% of the population, roughly 1.5 million Americans. One of the greatest challenges for trans students is education and their educational environment. While some states have legislative protections for both trans students and staff, many do not, and students may experience discrimination, bullying, or even physical violence. Whether you’re a private music educator, classroom teacher, teaching artist, or collegiate instructor, you can take tangible steps to address transphobia in your school, community, and studio.
Ask for pronouns, whether on paper registration forms, sign up sheets, or other means. Put your own pronouns in your email and contact info, and be cognizant of students’, teachers’, and parents’ pronouns. If a student’s name and pronouns do not match their registration forms, be aware that legal name changes can be a complicated and frustrating process that can take years.
*According to a 2015 National School Climate Survey by GLSEN, 50 percent of transgender students were unable to use the name or pronoun that matched their gender.
Look at your ensemble dress codes. Is there a way to move beyond a gender binary for attire? Choirs have long held a strong binary dress code of unflattering dresses paired with tuxedos, but what about formal black for everyone? Can there be a gender neutral option?
“There are ways to address personal hygiene and personal styling choices without falling into stereotypes and double standards. First, make all personal hygiene guidelines inclusive and gender-neutral. Don’t separate men from women. Avoid using morality words such as “proper,” “modest,” and “appropriate,” that indicate social propriety. Using specific physical descriptions of the personal hygiene expectations can avoid subjective adjectives in your personal hygiene statements just as listing specific clothing descriptions alleviates the subjectivity in uniform guidelines…” -from Unpacking Choral Dress Codes, August 2018 Choral Journal.
Musical study may reinforce old gender stereotypes- that women play the higher, ‘feminine’ instruments such as the flute and harp, that men play the brass or percussion, and so on. This language is outdated and inaccurate- all music has a range of sounds, characters, and personas, beyond masculine and feminine. When giving constructive criticism to a study, notice if you tend to use gendered language to indicate something good or bad. As a musician, I’ve been told that my approach to viola is both too feminine and too masculine, depending on who gave the feedback. There are more appropriate words to describe music than gender stereotypes. If you’re an educator, support a student of any gender to play any instrument. Gendered derogatory language is never acceptable. When I was in college, friends heard things like “You play trombone well for a girl” and “Men don’t play the harp.” Let’s retire old stereotypes and gender expectations of instrumentalists for the sake of all musicians.
Teachers and conductors often use cigender, heterosexual language and metaphors to tell the story of a piece or to evoke a certain emotion. While that may be useful in some cases, we can also update language appropriately for students of all genders and orientations. If a selection has an element of love, let students create their own narrative or use more neutral language.
Some trans men may get top surgery, which will require them to take time off from playing. If you’re their private instructor, make sure to not use this as a time to berate a student for not practicing! Be mindful that the student will also need to wear a compression garment after surgery which can be initially uncomfortable and restrictive for their trunk and ribs. Rehab will differ person to person, but check in with the student and their care team on recovery and return to playing. For a quick FAQ on surgery, this Johns Hopkins post is good start.
If you’re a voice instructor working with trans voices, there are many resources dedicated to this issue from both vocal instructors and speech language pathologists. Liz Jackson Hearns of the Voice Lab in Chicago, has written two books, including the Singing Teacher’s Guide to Trans Voices, which is a great start. (Part 2 of this blog will feature more resources)
If you have a trans student, listen to them, learn how to be a better teacher, and be their advocate. If you see bullying or discrimination toward any student or staff member, do something!
If you program repertoire, look at ways to increase diversity and representation of trans (and other marginalized and underperformed) composers, stories, and performers. Can you find ways to include trans composers and performers in your curriculum?
Even if you don’t think you have a trans student, you most likely have or will have one. A student doesn’t owe your their gender story or identity, whether for personal reasons, safety reasons, or otherwise. Being a more inclusive teacher benefits everyone you teach, regardless of gender or orientation.
Singing voices don’t always correlate with gender expectations. Voices may be high, medium, or low, regardless of gender. While most traditional choral writing is SATB and gender binary, more composers are exploring open part writing, non-gendered writing, or four part writing without gender or range expectations.
Get educated on gender as a social and cultural construct. If this concept is new to you, do some research! Biological sex is also a spectrum, with 1.7% of the population identifying as intersex.
If you struggle with your own personal or religious views around trans people, remember that your job as a teacher is to teach and prioritize students’ learning and safety.
This book is a great foundation for Transgender Voice pedagogy basics.
This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but a good place to start. How can you create a more inclusive class, studio, or ensemble for all students? Part 2 will look at resources, books, websites, and blogs that address these issues and more.