The construction of male gender identity through choir singing at a Spanish secondary school

Abstract

Several authors have recently investigated the psychological aspects that play a determinant role in choral singing during adolescence. One of these aspects is vocal identity, which influences the construction of gender identity according to adolescents’ needs and societal gender roles. This article focuses on gender aspects of vocal identity during adolescence and describes a case study carried out with male adolescent singers at a secondary school choir in Spain. Qualitative data were collected and analyzed in order to get a deeper knowledge about the relationship between boys’ vocal identity and their gender identity. There was enough evidence to show that male adolescents felt more engaged with choral singing when they realized that their vocal identity was a powerful tool for constructing their male gender identity.