Short Courses & Events / Archive

Queering Vocal Pedagogy: Affirming Trans and Genderqueer Singers

Thursday 14th March 2024, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)

As a provocative renaming of gay and lesbian studies in the 1990s, “queer theory challenges the normative social ordering of identities and subjectivities” (Brown & Nash, 2016, p. 5). Though queer is used as an identity marker for some LGBTQIA+ persons, as a praxis, queer theory carves space for new perspectives and pedagogies. Annamarie Jagose (1996) explains, “Queer is widely perceived as a calling into question conventional understandings” (p. 97). When used as a verb, 'queering' calls on the re-examining needed to affirm transgender and genderqueer individuals. Thus, queering vocal pedagogy – as a way of querying vocal instruction with an integrated perspective of gender-expansive voices – is an iterative process to make singing instruction wholly welcoming and affirming of all identities.

The intent of queering vocal pedagogy is to maintain a close and critical observation of our traditional practices. Queering is more than inclusivity or a formula of 'best practices'. In music education, Gould (2013) applies queer theory in her discussion of “companion-able species”, where teacher and student, as companions, co-create learning and teaching. Gould inspires queering vocal pedagogy to be an inquiry and interrogation in all domains of vocal teaching – from the socio-ecology of the studio to the technical know-how of singing, from teacher and student rapport to repertoire selection. As a disruption of the status quo, queering our teaching dismantles inequality, invisibility and marginalization in the teaching of singers.

Rooted in a multi-case research project, this session explores the experiences of transgender and genderqueer singers in private voice instruction. Through the lenses of six singers, including a teenage transgender woman, an adult transgender woman, two adult transgender men, and two adult trans/non-binary singers, this session imparts both practical and theoretical knowledge and brings attention to implicit biases that dominate the field of vocal pedagogy. Attendees will garner specific strategies in voice teaching, a greater understanding of affirming gender language, and an overview of the impact of gender in the teaching of singers.

 

Citations:

Browne, K. & Nash, CJ (2016). Queer methods and methodologies: An introduction. In Browne, K. & Nash, CJ (eds.), Queer methods and methodologies: Intersecting queer theories and social science research (pp. 1-23). Routledge.

Gould, E. (2013). Companion-able species: A queer pedagogy for music education. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 197, pp. 63-75.

Jagose, A. (1996). Queer theory: An introduction. New York University Press.

 

🏷️ Price £30 (UK VAT inclusive)
🎥 Recording automatically sent to all who book (even if you cannot attend live)
▶️ Rewatch as many times as you like
📜 Certificate of attendance available

Dr William Sauerland

Dr William Sauerland (he/they) is Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies for the School of Music at Purdue University – Fort Wayne, conducting choral ensembles, teaching classes in applied voice and music education, and supervising student teachers.

CPD Course Logo

Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.

Learn More

Sorry, this is an archived short course...

We have plenty of upcoming short courses coming soon. See details of some of them below or look at the full list of short courses.

Body Mapping: Integrating the Whole (three-part course)
Tuesday 12th November 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 19th November 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 3rd December 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Body Mapping: Integrating the Whole (three-part course)

Jan Prokop

During this workshop series, we will explore the 6 dynamic places of balance of Body Mapping. Through discussions, exercises, and stretches, we will discover how to recognize and release muscle tension, and correct and adjust our own body’s maps.

'Mal canto' and the cultural politics of voice pedagogy: provocations from a critical disability studies (CDS) perspective
Thursday 14th November 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

'Mal canto' and the cultural politics of voice pedagogy: provocations from a critical disability studies (CDS) perspective

David Cane

In this short course, I apply the insights of critical disability studies (CDS) to voice pedagogy and the academic discipline of voice studies, more broadly. I suggest that disability is highly relevant to our field in significant (and potentially surprising) ways!

Pedagogic Misconceptions and Their Correction
Thursday 21st November 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Pedagogic Misconceptions and Their Correction

Ken Bozeman

Things are not always as they seem. Many fairly prevalent conceptions of vocal function and resultant studio directives are either inaccurate in part or in whole, misleading, and therefore in need of correction or at least significant qualification.