Tips for a Gender-Inclusive Choir


As the spectrum of gender identities expands, choral conductor-teachers will interact with an increasing number of transgender/gender- queer/gender non-conforming/etc. singers. Gender is not a binary (male/female) and not everyone prefers to be affiliated with a gender identity (as one participant in my dissertation study said, “I think gender is dumb and I really don’t see the need to have one”). Tere are a large number of monikers people use to identi- fy their gender. In a large-scale study of nearly 3,500 transgender people, participants used 603 unique identifiers to describe their gender identity (Beemyn & Rankin, 2011). Choirs can and should be safe havens for all LGBTQA singers—but particularly for transgender singers who may or may not face a disconnect between their gender identity and their vocal range (Palkki, 2017). Below are some ways that choral conductor-teachers can be supportive and inclusive of transgender singers (this is far from an exhaustive list—for more advice, see Miller (2016) and Palkki (2017)).


Name and Pronouns Do not assume that you know each singer’s name and pronoun preference. Be sure to find out each person’s name and pronoun, espe- cially at the beginning of each semester/term. Tis can be done by asking each singer to write their given name (as printed on a roster, for example), the name they prefer to use, and their pronouns. You might also consider calling roll by last name only.


Mistakes with good intentions are OK. A transition for a trans or gender expansive person (note: not all trans people identify with having a “transition”) is not only a transition for them—it is a transition for every person in their life. In a forthcoming manuscript, co-writ- ten with Dr. Matthew Garrett (Case Western Reserve University), we write, “While this can be difficult, it is important that you do your best to honor these word choices. We all make mis- takes in the process of working to celebrate and validate people’s individual identities. Simply acknowledge the error, offer an apology, forgive


17


Josh Palkki, Ph.D.


yourself, and move on with your conversation. Based on our own experiences with trans and gender expansive students and colleagues, we advocate for the idea that mistakes made with good intentions behind them are okay!”


Vocal Range Some trans people consider their speaking and singing voices a vital way that they “do” or “perform” their gender in public. Terefore, for these singers, it may be important for choral conductor-teachers to enable them to sing a voice part that matches their gender identity. For example, a trans woman (assigned male at birth but now identifies as female) may wish to sing alto even though she previously sang tenor or bass. For some trans people, their voice and their gender identity have little or no connection, meaning that a trans woman may be comfortable singing bass. As I wrote in my recent Choral Journal article:


“Choral music educators can determine through conversation the level of connection, if any, between a trans student’s voice and gender identity. Based on this conversation, a personal- ized voice part plan can be devised. Conceptu- ally, this is similar to middle level choral educa- tors who modify, adapt, or compose voice parts to fit the vocal range of singers in the midst of the voice change. Vocal health should always be taken into consideration, of course, but the connection between the choral experience and gender identity may determine whether or not a student continues to sing in choir” (Palkki, 2017, p. 25)


Rehearsal Language Choral conductor-teachers should not assume that they know the gender identity of each of their choristers. Refer to voice parts, not gen- ders. For example, comments like “men please sing at m. 7, or “let’s have the ladies sing here” are not inclusive.


Uniforms “Traditional” uniforms (e.g., tuxedos and dresses) can reify the gender binary. Would


Choral


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32