“MY VOICE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF”: THE EXPERIENCES OF THREE TRANSGENDER STUDENTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL CHORAL PROGRAMS By Joshua Palkki A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Music Education—Doctor of Philosophy 2016 ABSTRACT “MY VOICE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF”: THE EXPERIENCES OF THREE TRANSGENDER STUDENTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL CHORAL PROGRAMS By Joshua Palkki Is choral music education in America at a “trans(gender) tipping point”? With the purpose of furthering and enhancing the sociocultural dialogue surrounding LGBTQA issues in music education and to improve vocal/choral instruction for trans students, this multiple narrative case study explored the musical lives and lived experiences of trans students in high school choral music programs. The two grand tour problems of this study were: • To describe how transgender students enrolled in secondary school choral music programs navigate their gender identity in the choral context. • To describe if/how transgender students in secondary school choral programs were supported by groups including their choral teachers, choral peers, and school administrators. The emergent research design employed narrative inquiry and ethnographic techniques in order to honor and highlight voices of the three participants: Sara, Jon, and Skyler (pseudonyms). The stories of these three students revealed the importance of context and geography in shaping the experiences of trans youth at school. Additionally, the connection or lack thereof between voice and gender identity was different for each of the participants. The policies of the students’ school districts, high schools (administrators), choral programs, and outside music organizations (e.g., state music education organizations) shaped and influenced how Sara, Jon, and Skyler navigated their trans identity within the high school choral context. Mentors and important others helped these students as they traversed their individual gender journeys. Based upon these data, I contend that secondary schools and choral programs can make policy changes, both large and small, in order to better serve trans youth. I also posit that more professional development and incorporation of (trans) gender issues is needed for choral music educators. Copyright by JOSHUA PALKKI 2016 For three dear friends who departed this earth far too soon: Germán Andrés Águilar (1979-2014), who inspires me to be a better conductor-teacher Adam Aaron Gray (1982-2015), who inspires me to write and urged me to pursue a Ph.D. Rebecca “Becca” Reichert (1982-2006), who inspires me to be a hard working, caring educator And also to my grandmother, Lois Ayotte, without whom I would not be a musician. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Most importantly, thank you to the three students who agreed to be part of this study— Sara, Jon, and Skyler (pseudomyms). You have taught me so much and have inspired me in countless ways. Your experiences are important. Your stories are beautiful. Your voices speak for themselves. Your strength and intelligence will help many people. Thank you for sharing. To my MSU committee members: Dr. Michael Largey, Dr. Mitchell Robinson, and Dr. Sandra Snow, thank you for your encouragement and insightful suggestions.. I feel so very lucky to have attended MSU because it meant working with you. I will always be grateful to call you mentors. And to my adviser, Dr. Cynthia Taggart: there are no words to describe my gratitude for your love, friendship, and guidance. You have been my rock and my roof. And to Dr. Genny Beemyn, thank you for agreeing to be my outside reader on this project. You were crucial in helping me navigate gender discourse in a respectful, timely way. Also thank you to Dr. Juliet Hess and Dr. Elizabeth Gould who played a large role in shaping this document and who were influential in steering me toward vital resources To my MSU cohort, Dan and Stuart—you have been friends and confidants every step of the way and I am so grateful you’ve come into my life. And to the rest of my MSU family, especially Andrea, Mark, and Becky, I love you all deeply and will be a proud Spartan for life. Also a huge thank you to Spartan alums Dr. Adam Kruse and Dr. Karen Salvador who provided insightful feedback on early drafts of chapters in this dissertation. To my family—my parents Karen and Keith, my sister Brenna, and my grandparents, thank you for your love and support that helped get me to where I am today. I could never have done this without you. And to Asher, thank you for standing by me throughout these past two years. It’s been a crazy ride and I am grateful for your love and support, now and always. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... xiii LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER 1—INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................1 The Transgender “Tipping Point” ........................................................................................2 What is Gender? ...................................................................................................................6 Definitions for Common Ground .............................................................................7 Sex versus gender ........................................................................................7 Defining sexuality ........................................................................................9 Defining transgender .................................................................................10 Vital vocabulary .........................................................................................13 Gender: Performativity and Stretching Definitions ...............................................14 Gender in Education ..........................................................................................................18 Schooling and Gender Norms ................................................................................19 School Policies and Interventions ..........................................................................20 Gender-Complex Education ...................................................................................29 Gender in Music Education ...................................................................................31 Gender in Vocal/Choral Music Education .............................................................33 Trans Issues in Vocal/Choral Music Education .................................................................34 Need for the Study .............................................................................................................35 CHAPTER 2—REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ............................................................38 Sex/Gender Research in Music Education .........................................................................38 Literature Reviews .................................................................................................38 Sex/Gender Stereotyping .......................................................................................40 Status and experiences of female conductors/teachers ..............................40 Representations of sex/gender in music education print materials ...........43 Singing and Gender Roles .....................................................................................44 Gender and vocal identity ..........................................................................44 Single gender choirs ...................................................................................46 All-female choirs and the female voice change .............................46 All-male choirs and the male voice change ...................................48 Male engagement with singing/choral music .............................................50 The “missing males” conundrum ...................................................52 Experiences of Trans People ..................................................................................54 Trans Teachers ...........................................................................................56 Studies on Trans Youth ..............................................................................58 Gender Socialization in Schools ................................................................60 Trans College Students ..............................................................................65 Experiences of Trans Students in K-12 Schools ........................................68 vii Harassment of trans youth in schools ............................................68 Non-harassment experiences of trans students in K-12 schools ....69 Transgender Research in Music (Education) .........................................................69 Trans Research in Vocal/Choral Music (Education) .............................................72 Trans voices ...................................................................................72 Trans research in choral music education ......................................76 CHAPTER 3—METHOD .............................................................................................................79 Statement of Purpose and Problems ..................................................................................79