Gender in Music Education: Grade 4 - Musician Trading Cards

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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.

As the perspectives of students continue to expand throughout fourth grade, it is important to continue conversations about gender so students can re-establish gender neutrality in instrumentation. Students will likely continue to bring assumptions about gender from other aspects of their lives into the music classroom (Martin & Ruble, 2010), which can have harmful implications for students in their long-term music experience. One implication can be a perceived loss of opportunity because students believe that their gender affects their ability to choose their instrument or style as a musician (Walker, 2004). Academics in music argue that educators must make an effort to keep the instrument selection process and the time leading up to it gender neutral (Kim, 2023).

Children at this age have the capacity to understand and recognize sexism (Bear Bergman, 2022), so educators should not be afraid to approach the topic directly. A tactic in education that has grown in popularity over the last couple of years is gamification. Studies show that elementary-aged students are able to increase their retention of information, as well as their engagement and motivation, when learning happens through games or game-like activities (Sappaile, 2024). Some scholars suggest that the use of an avatar, a personal visual representation of the student, can make activities more personal and increase student buy-in (Saft et al., 2025).

Considering this research, this lesson will ask students to reflect on their previous biases and continue to build on their identity as musicians by focusing on aspects outside of gender stereotypes that they might not identify with. The lesson will expose students to instrumental musicians who go against the expectations for musicians of their gender. This aims to interrupt the assumptions students bring into the classroom and give them another perspective. The lesson incorporates gamification with the use of the trading card concept, as well as the avatar aspect, to allow students to visualize themselves in their cards.

Grade 4 - Musician Trading Cards

Lesson Objectives

Students will recognize and acknowledge gender roles in music.
Students will recognize people breaking molds in music.
Students will merge their own identity with their identity as musicians.

Materials

Lesson

Please present the slideshow below, or create a presentation of your own, presenting students with some musicians that break molds of expected gender presentation. Talk to students about how music education and the music industry have certain expectations for musicians based on their gender. Explain to students that this does not need to influence their choices as musicians

and that they can do whatever they want in their music journeys. Show students the example trading cards, or make your own, and explain that they will make their own!

Show students example trading cards (See slideshow).
Have students fill out their own trading card (or two if you are going to trade) and draw a picture of themselves with their instrument.
On the back of their own card, have students reflect on why they chose the instrument they did, and why they chose the powers and qualities that they did.
OPTIONAL: Facilitate a trading session so students can see the things their classmates chose!
- I suggest making this section a structured trade, so none of your students get left out.
  - This might look like having students trade with the person beside them so everyone has a partner, or pair students up with someone from across the room so it is someone they’re less familiar with.

References:

Bear Bergman, S. (2021, January 4). How to talk to kids about gender: An age-by-age guide. Today’s Parent.

Kim, S. (2023). Through the lens of Bourdieu: an integral literature review on bringing gender neutrality to the musical instrument selection process. Music Education Research, 25(5), 577–588.

Martin, C. L., & Ruble, D. N. (2010). Patterns of gender development. Annual Review of Psychology, 61(1), 353–381.

Sappaile, B. I. (2024). The impact of gamification learning on student motivation in elementary school learning. Scientechno: Journal of Science and Technology, 3(2), 1–13.

Saft, M., Leal Da Silva, T., Dias, P., & Ribeiro, L. A. (2025). Application of gamification in elementary education: Benefits and limitations. International Journal of Education and Research, 13(8).

Walker, M. (2004). Influences of gender and sex-stereotyping of middle school students’ perception and selection of musical instruments: A review of the literature. Visions of Research in Music Education, 4(2).

Faculty of Education