A Description of Middle School Male Singers’ Voice Change and Voice Part Assignment

The purpose of this study was to describe the voice change and voice part assignment of male middle school choir members. Volunteers ( N = 92) were recruited from three public middle school choral programs (Grades 6-8). Participants were audio-recorded performing simple vocal tasks in order to assess vocal range and asked to share the music they were currently singing in class. Results revealed 23.91% of participants’ voices could be categorized as unchanged, 14.13% as Stage 1, 3.26% as Stage 2, 10.87% as Stage 3, 26.09% as Stage 4, and 21.74% as Stage 5. The majority of sixth-grade participants were classified as unchanged or in Stage 1 of the voice change and the majority of eighth-grade participants were classified in Stages 4 to 5 of the voice change. Of the participants labeled “tenors” in their choir, over 60% were classified as either unchanged voices or in Stage 1 of the voice change.

A Study of the Experience of Working Adults on Regular Choral Activities: Applying Focus Groups

Maintaining a high quality of work and life can be a challenge for working adults. Most working adults do not have the opportunity to participate in activities that promote physical and emotional health. Working adults need to improve their potential to maintain life satisfaction and prevent a variety of stresses and physical illnesses. Recent research has suggested the effective value of art participation through choral activities for many people. However, little is known about what working adults experience through choir activities. In particular, research focusing on effects of choir participation on healthy people is lacking, and there is insufficient fundamental evidence about how to develop choral programs to improve the quality of healthy people’s lives. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of working adults in the process of regularly participating in choral activities. Our research question is “What experiences did the participants gain from the choir activities?”. Data was collected in three focus group interviews and additional individual interviews with 15 participants. Four themes emerged from this study: “self-improvement and sense of accomplishment”, “interaction and harmony”, “discovery of positive self-identity”, and “healing and happiness”. These findings could encourage choir activity in working adults and suggest that they can be applied as lifelong activities that can improve their quality of life with social interaction.

“My voice speaks for itself”: The experiences of three transgender students in American secondary school choral programs

With the purpose of furthering lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and allies/agender/asexual (LGBTQA) dialogue in music education and to improve choral instruction for trans(gender) students, this multiple narrative case study explores the experiences of trans students in secondary school choral music programs in the United States. The emergent research design employed narrative and ethnographic techniques to honor and highlight voices of the three participants. The connection or lack thereof between voice and gender identity was different for each student. The policies of the students’ school districts, school officials, choral programs, and state music organizations shaped and influenced the participants as they navigated their trans identity within the high school choral context. Mentors (including teachers) and other “important others” helped these students as they traversed their gender journeys. From this research, it emerges that schools and choral programs can make policy changes to better serve trans youth, and more professional development and incorporation of (trans)gender issues is necessary for choral music educators.

Emerging Considerations

The chapter discusses emerging considerations of adolescent voice change beyond classification systems and provides new food for thought about working with the adolescent changing voice. A section of the chapter specifically addresses female singers, for while it is common to have more females than males in choral programs, enrollment numbers do not ensure that choral programs are meeting females’ musical, developmental, and personal needs. In addition, discussion of the documentary Riot Acts provides insight into voice change from the perspective of professional musicians who identify as transgender. The chapter ends with ideas for working with changing voices, especially with regard to approaching choral repertoire.

“I Dream a World”: Inclusivity in Choral Music Education

This article explores how choral music educators can facilitate access to meaningful music experiences for all students in their schools. In a changing landscape that honors equity and diversity, music education environments must also change to align with these values. To provide the optimal environment for successful inclusive practice, choral music educators should evaluate barriers to access in terms of scheduling, reconsider current curricular offerings, and imagine new solutions that support music learning for all students. Instead of structuring choral programs around traditional choral concerts and adjudications, directors can use the 2014 Music Standards and the framework of Universal Design for Learning to drive classroom content and acquire the flexibility needed to build inclusive classrooms.

“We are often invisible”: A survey on safe space for LGBTQ students in secondary school choral programs

This article presents data from a large-scale cross-sectional survey of LGBTQ college students ( N = 1,123) reflecting on their middle and high school experiences in choral music. The quantitative data indicate that students felt safer in high school than in middle school and that a small majority of high school teachers voiced support for LGBTQ students. These data indicate that high school choral classrooms were perceived as safe for a majority of respondents. The open-ended responses highlight themes including: the plight of transgender students who faced difficulty navigating their gender identities in the choral environment, the importance of enumerated non-discrimination policies, and the importance of words/semantics. Respondents discussed helpful and hurtful words and/or policies that influenced their choral experiences. A main theme was encouragement of open acknowledgement of LGBTQ identities and issues in the choral classroom. Suggestions for teaching practice and policy are provided based upon these data.

Correlations between teacher turnover and specific non-pecuniary school characteristics among secondary band and choral programs in a large urban district

This study was designed to examine teacher turnover among secondary choral and band programs ( N = 124) in a large, urban school district in the USA during a 10-year period (1999–2000 through 2009–2010). Also, this study investigated correlations between teacher turnover and specific non-pecuniary school attributes, including total school enrollment, total number of minority students enrolled in the school, total number of students classified as low-poverty, total number of suspension incidents, and total number of expulsion incidents. Overall, secondary music teacher turnover in this urban district negatively correlated with enrollment, minority, and suspension incidents. Specifically, middle school choral teacher turnover was negatively correlated with enrollment and minority, middle school band teacher turnover was negatively correlated with enrollment, minority, and suspension incidents and high school choral teacher turnover was negatively correlated with enrollment, minority, and suspension incidents. Interestingly, high school band teacher turnover was not correlated with any of the non-pecuniary school characteristics.

The Gang Mentality of Choirs

Choirs function very similarly to street gangs in that they have the power to radically transform lives, especially those of poor at-risk youths. Adolescents join gangs for the same reason adults join a choral community—to meet their needs. Often in the inner city, neither the familial unit nor the schools and community centers can provide the holistic solutions necessary to meet students’ needs, forcing them to go elsewhere. This chapter examines ways that choirs fulfill those needs, showing how several choral programs provide and/or supplement four basic needs according to the hierarchy of needs of Abraham Maslow (namely physiological, safety, love/belonging and esteem) and lead adolescents to a healthy and constructive place of self-actualization. Most importantly, this chapter explores how and why choral music has the power to transform lives of disenfranchised youths, preparing them for higher education and lives that contrast with their upbringing.

Choral Pedagogy Responds to the Media

Pop choral music has changed during the 21st century due to the enormous popularity of contemporary a cappella and commercial network TV shows such as Glee, The Voice, The Choir, The Sing-Off, American Idol, and the Clash of the Choirs. Choir students watch these shows and are influenced by them in terms of vocal tone, repertoire, showmanship, and competitive spirit. What is the proper pedagogical response? Should the media shape/influence choral pedagogy, or should traditional pedagogy develop the pop-influenced singer? This chapter addresses these questions and includes viewpoints of choral teachers throughout the age and experience spectra—from first-year teachers who are very familiar with these shows to competition-winning show choir directors and leaders in the field of choral music who have witnessed the effects of these programs on choral interest, enrollment, attitudes, and achievement in school choral programs.