Honoring Trans and Gender-Expansive Students in Music Education

Abstract

Trans and gender-expansive (TGE) youth deserve safe and empowering spaces to engage in high-quality school music experiences. Supportive music teachers ensure that all students have access to ethically and pedagogically sound music education. In this practical resource, authors Matthew Garrett and Joshua Palkki encourage music educators to honor gender diversity through ethically and pedagogically sound practices. Honoring Trans and Gender-Expansive Students in Music Education is intended for music teachers and music teacher educators across choral, instrumental, and general music classroom environments. Grounded in theory and nascent research, the authors provide historical and social context, and practical direction for working with students who inhabit a variety of spaces among a gender-identity and expression continuum. Trans and gender-expansive students often place their trust in music teachers, with whom they have developed a deep bond over time. It is essential, then, for music teachers to understand how issues of gender play out in formal and informal school music environments. Stories of TGE youth and their music teachers anchor practical suggestions for honoring students in school music classrooms and in more general school contexts. Part I of the book establishes the context needed to understand and work with TGE persons in school music settings by presenting essential vocabulary and foundational concepts related to trans and gender identity and expression. Part II focuses on praxis by connecting research and teaching pedagogy to practical applications of inclusive teaching practices to honor TGE students in school music classrooms.