In this edited compilation, there are 39 chapters, written by 56 individual contributors with research and/or experiential expertise in the field of queer and gender studies in music education. The topics encompass the experiences and perspectives of students and their teachers, ranging from elementary school through adolescence and into higher education contexts. There is also an examination of some of the settings in which music education can be accessed through adult participation in musicmaking, such as choirs in the wider community. Throughout the book, there is an exploration of a range of research methods that can be used to respectfully explore sensitive topics among minority populations.
This substantial volume is organised in four discrete sections, respectively covering the historical and theoretical foundations and perspectives related to gender and sexual identities; interrogating the representation and shifts in gender and queer research in music education; exploring ways of using this research to develop practical perspectives and taking action in relation to curricular content; and proposing possibilities and futurities for gender and LGBTQ + research in music education. Several chapters contextualise the current state of play, situating contemporary research and practice within the wider political, social and legislative history of gender inequality and LGBTQ + rights.
Although the material is largely based on music education in the US, the four sections share many common themes (including the impact of intersectionality, minority stress and allyship) that are equally applicable in the UK. Most of the recommendations for extending research and developing gender-and queer-inclusive theory and pedagogy will provide a useful foundation for reflective practice in wider educational and musical contexts. There is a range of chapters that will be useful to all practitioners in music education, regardless of their previous knowledge, experience or professional context and this review will focus on a selection of these.
Many of the chapters provide the authors’ definitions of current terms and concepts relevant to the gender and queer studies under discussion. Chapter 5, ‘The ABCs of DEI: The Promise and Politics of Queer Inclusion in the Arts’ by McManus and Carter, explains the language and terminology associated with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, alongside the challenges of obtaining reliable data on gender and LGBTQ + inclusion in music education. The authors argue that further research is necessary to obtain a fuller picture of the status quo; while statistics tend to provide information about diversity in recruitment of students and teaching staff, fewer details are usually collected about ‘the manner in which those people, ideas and stories are [sic] identified, incorporated and given agency (i.e. equity and inclusion) are often overlooked and undervalued’ (p. 72).
The title of Chapter 28, ‘Look for us in Every Class You Teach’ by Bartolome, Silveira and Stapleton, is a reminder that, given the increasing population of people who identify as transgender, non-binary or gender expansive (TGE) in the US (Herman et al., Reference HERMAN, FLORES and O’NEILL2022) and the UK (McKechnie et al., Reference MCKECHNIE, O’NIONS, BAILEY, HOBBS, GILLESPIE and PETERSEN.2023), many educators will encounter students and colleagues presenting with these identities. This chapter reviews the literature on gender inclusiveness in music education research and teacher education, and makes evidence-based recommendations for supporting TGE students in the music classroom and in teacher training.
In comparison with the increasing body of research on gender and queer identities in relation to students’ wellbeing in the context of music education, there have been fewer studies on LGBTQ + teachers and their mental health (Smith, Reference SMITH2023). Chapter 18, ‘LGBTQ + Teacher Mental Health: A Duoethnography Depicting the Experiences of a Lesbian and Gay Music Educator During their Early Career’ by Smith & Vũ, references theoretical frameworks and case studies to address this. Their detailed explanation of the concept of minority stress and its adverse effects upon teachers adds depth to the reader’s understanding of the challenges faced by LGBTQ + colleagues and underpins the authors’ call for more mental health support for LGBTQ + teaching professionals. Their duoethnographic approach demonstrates an effective method for exploring sensitive topics in minority groups.
Chapter 17, ‘Being a Trans Music Educator: Collaborative Reflections from Academia and the Classroom’ by Sauerland, Cayari, Graham, Jampole & Rowland, highlights the dichotomy between the potential impact of sharing knowledge through increasing trans visibility and the associated risks of exposure for trans teachers. This has led to a level of invisibility amongst this population in previous research, and the authors address this through presenting their autoethnographies. Cayari (Reference CAYARI2026) extends this method into collaborative autoethnography in their new publication on trans academics and musical activism. In this chapter, Felix Graham proposes a student-centred approach to teaching TGE students, similar to the Rogerian person-centred principles of counselling (i.e. empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard), which can also be effectively applied to education (Rogers et al., 2014). This approach is mentioned in several chapters, and is likely to benefit all students, whether they identify as LGBTQ + or not. In Graham’s words: ‘It takes looking at a person, actually seeing the person who is standing before you, understanding what their needs are and trying to meet those needs with an open mind’ (p. 313).
Several authors discuss the differences between performative and practical allyship. In Chapter 26, ‘Researching the LGBTQ + Music Educator as Ally’, Minette makes a strong case for increasing knowledge of the research in this area while considering its implications and practical applications for developing informed and meaningful allyship in the music classroom. Chapter 19, ‘The State of the Podium for Female Band Directors’ by Shouldice, Bovin & Sears, promotes active allyship within and beyond under-represented groups in all educational and musical settings, and explains the potential added value of allyship from those outside the groups affected by discrimination or exclusion. The authors of this chapter present a pragmatic four-step approach for ally development, based on the work by Washington & Evans (Reference WASHINGTON, EVANS., Washington and Evans1991), and demonstrate how this can be applied to music pedagogy and practice.
Intersectionality is another theme which is threaded through the whole book. Chapter 39, ‘Setting a Research Agenda for Queer Studies in Music Education’ by Taylor, underscores the importance of considering intersectionality in future research, as ‘individuals who are marginalized, not only by queer identity but also by race, socioeconomic states, citizenship or ability often face social, financial and physical harm’ (p. 708). Taylor emphasises that researchers in the areas of gender and LGBTQ + topics in music education need to ‘engage multiple, and sometimes conflicting, viewpoints about sex, gender and sexuality’ (p. 710).
While no single publication can provide an exhaustive guide to every topic under the LGBTQ + umbrella or on gender-related inequalities in the world of music, this volume is a useful introduction to many relevant topics and brings together some groundbreaking research by US scholars in this field. It raises many thought-provoking questions about current teaching practice in music education; it makes a range of practical suggestions for developing active, impactful allyship; it advocates further study to inform the development of evidence-based strategies to support the diverse needs of students and teachers in music education; and proposes adopting creative, collaborative and supportive research methods for enhancing knowledge of the experiences, perceptions and needs of minority groups.
Finally, it is important to acknowledge that being visible as an educator or researcher who is part of the LGBTQ + community can carry serious risks in terms of professional and personal vulnerability to discrimination, microaggressions, verbal abuse and even physical violence. Despite this, many of the authors have transparently reported their own positionality and experiences as members of the minority groups under discussion. These accounts are compelling, providing the reader with valuable insights into some of the challenges for LGBTQ + individuals in music education. The authors’ courage in this respect is to be applauded; their testimony will help allies from outside the minoritised and under-represented communities to more fully understand and impactfully support the needs of their students and colleagues.
