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Gender and Sexual Diversity in Music Education
In this paper, I will explore the issues of gender-sexual diversity in music education,
and how they affect the way we approach teaching. I will first discuss some significant
viewpoints regarding the topics of gender-sexual diversity in the existing scholarly literature,
and examine helpful and problematic elements of my current teaching approaches concerning
the present issues. Lastly, I will look into how my future classroom practices can be
reconceptualized with new perspectives gained from the study of gender-sexual diversity in
music education.
The Intricacies of Gender and Sexual Diversity in Education
I believe that gender-sexual identity is a sensitive issue that needs to be discussed
respectfully, and this is especially so as teachers of young children and adolescents. However,
there are several misconceptions identified by Meyer (2010, as cited in Bergonzi, 2015) about
gender-sexual diversity observed in schools, such as that implementation of anti-
discrimination guidelines or promoting diversity in schools are tactics to secretly advance the
homosexual agenda. Teachers may feel uncomfortable to teach students that they have no
common ground with regarding gender-sexual identity, if they have a lack of understanding
of gender-sexual diversity (Palkki & Sauerland, 2019). I believe that as educators, we should
create a safe space in music learning environment for students to develop their sense of self
(Garrett & Spano, 2017). We should present opportunity for student voice by allowing
students to bring up repertoire and musical interests with teachers who will not judge their
choices (Abramo, 2015).
Important Viewpoints Concerning Gender Diversity in Existing Literature
According to Bergonzi (2015), Education for the Other necessitates physical and
learning spaces where oppressed students from gender and sexual minority groups are made
safe and affirmed, which involves culturally-responsive pedagogies and intervention of
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student victimization. These students do not always come across inclusive learning
environments in schools, as heterosexual privilege may be an obstacle to meaningful musical
involvements for them (Garrett & Spano, 2017). In this case, supportive teachers can create a
positive change in the learning environment and previous research results showed that teacher
support of LGBTQ students produced a considerable difference to students’ psychosocial
development and academic achievement (Garrett & Spano, 2017).
In case studies by Fitzpatrick and Hansen (2010, as cited in Bergonzi, 2015) found
that LGBTQ students commonly perceive music classes and musical communities as
accepting of gender-sexual diversity and they seek these music spaces to find a safe place and
community. As schools occurs within sociopolitical contexts, pre-service and in-service
teachers should be taught to build open and affirming classrooms for students of all gender
identities (Palkki & Sauerland, 2019). Garrett and Spano (2017) also concurred that educators
