This is part of a Master of Education research project called Gender in Music Education: Lessons Addressing Gender in Music in Grades K-12 (PDF 4.8 MB) completed by Laura Anne Smith.
At age fifteen, and throughout high school, students’ views of gender roles and expectations become more open to complex ideas of what it means to identify as a woman, man, or anything in between (Becker, 2022). This likely occurs in teenagers because they begin to recognize people and structures in the world that they disagree with on a more fundamental level (Becker, 2022). With this shift in perspective, it is important for teachers to allow students to explore their identities and those of their classmates. Students also bring other parts of their identities into the classroom that have an effect on their gender presentation. Gender expectations can vary in different cultures around the world based on the structure of each country’s society (Power, 2011). Learning about international takes on gender is beneficial to students because it puts them out of their comfort zone and can offer new perspectives (Mazza, 2019). Multicultural education is also known to increase students’ empathy, increase their open-mindedness, and give them a better understanding of the people around them (Drexel University School of Education, 2015). University professor Rebekah Moore teaches about international music industries because she finds that it encourages students to disrupt harmful norms, as well as to recognize their complicity in the unequal access that exists in the industries (Moore, 2018). This is important in helping students to consider their own experiences and biases so that they can fully and authentically embrace themselves and their peers in music spaces.
This lesson asks students to choose a country or region and an associated music industry and to learn about the gender roles and expectations that exist within it. In doing so, they will be able to recognize what conflicting pressures are present in their lives as musicians, but also in the lives of their classmates. The goal is to continue exposing students to different perspectives that open them up to the endless ways there are to be a musician and an artist.
Grade 10 - Gender in International Music Industries
Lesson Objectives
- Students will be able to name and describe the complexities and nuances of gender representation in an international music industry.
- Students will be able to describe the differences and/or similarities in stereotypes in international music industries vs the North American popular music industry.
- Students will be aware of the different pressures that exist on their own and others’ musical identities.
Materials
- Slideshow presentation (PDF 5.24 MB) or make your own
- Devices for students to research and make presentations
Lesson
Present the slideshow below, or create one for a country that connects with you. This lesson introduces students to the concept of gender roles outside of the music industry that they are likely the most familiar with. With a brief overview and minds on activity to put students in the right mindset, the lesson mostly focuses on gender in the Scottish folk music industry.
- Students will choose a music industry/genre from a country or region outside of North America.
- Students will create a presentation about their chosen industry/genre that includes…
- What do the gender roles look like for artists with different gender identities?
- Are they similar, the same, or very different from the expectations in the North American popular music industry?
- Examples of popular artists specific to the industry and their relationship to gender expectations.
- Pictures and videos.
References:
Mazza, S. (2019, July 7). The importance of cultural exposure in high school and how you can participate (for free!). OSTA-AECO.
Power, M. (2011, October 3). The social construction of gender.
Ullrich, R., Becker, M., & Scharf, J. (2022). The development of gender role attitudes during adolescence: Effects of sex, socioeconomic background, and cognitive abilities. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51(11).