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.
In the eleventh grade and throughout high school, students may be questioning the rigid gender roles they have been existing within for many years during their childhoods (Becker, 2022). Because children are experiencing a newfound openness in their ability to understand gender and gender roles, this is a prime opportunity for teachers to redirect their students onto a more fluid understanding of gender presentation. On the other hand, students are receiving messaging about “appropriate” gender roles from outside sources like podcasts and social media (Jones, 2025). This can create environments that support harmful gender expectations for students, like toxic masculinity (Jones, 2025). While there are many ways to counteract this influence, such as refusing to accept sexist language in your classroom and presenting a diverse range of people in materials, counteracting online role models requires that students be provided with new role models (Jones, 2022). Another thing that students at this age struggle with, at different rates, often related to their gender, is self-efficacy (Angel Cleary, 2024). In a study of gender differences in high school music, girls were found to be quieter about their abilities, while boys loudly advocated for themselves (Angel Cleary, 2024). Scholars stress the need for educators to establish student empowerment in order to improve the overall education experience (Hargrove et al., 2024). This can be applied to the lack of access to women in music spaces due to the ‘boys club’ nature which encourages boys in the industry and makes girls feel left out of important places (Raine & Strong, 2018).
This activity asks students to find someone who is considered an activist in gender in the music industry. This will give them a role model to look up to in the industry as they approach the end of their high school experience, and aims to inspire them to advocate for themselves in their potential careers.
Grade 11 - Changing the World
Lesson Objectives
- Students will know how they can make a difference in the music industry.
- Students will be able to make future connections about where and how change can happen.
Materials
- Presentation (PDF 5.75 MB)
- Devices for students to research
- Supplies to make an infographic (this can also be done on the computer)
- Some paper or a device for students to write a reflection
Lesson
This lesson is about Alicia Keys to give students an example of someone in the industry who is actively attempting to change gender expectations in the music industry. The lesson will focus on her experience as a musician, as well as her foundation, She Is The Music. Please feel free to use the slides below or make your own if you’d rather.
Activity
- Have students research an issue relating to gender in the music industry.
- Once they have chosen an issue, they should find someone in the industry who is actively and purposefully acting to address the issue.
- Ask students to make an infographic (digitally or by hand) about this person and how their work impacts gender expectations in the industry. The infographic should include…
- A description of the issue
- The name of their industry professional
- What actions they have taken to address the issue
- How it has impacted/could impact the industry they exist within
- Why it is important that people know about this person
- OPTIONAL: Have students write a reflection about what they learned and how it could impact their experience as an emerging musician or industry professional.
References:
Angel Cleary, M. (2024). Music production and girls: A phenomenological study of the high school music technology classroom. Scholar Commons.
Jones, M. (2025, July 10). Courts to rethink parent involvement presumption after review finds risks to child welfare. TeachingTimes.
Leopold, M., Hargrove, J., Marrone, S., Jennings, G., & Max, R. (2024). Student change agent model: How school counselors can operationalize the advocating student-within-environment framework to promote student empowerment. Professional School Counseling, 28(1b).
Lundberg, A.-L. (2025, October 14). How teenagers use music to deal with emotions. BOLD.
Raine, S., & Strong, C. (2018). Gender politics in the music industry. ResearchGate.
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).