Straightforward? Queering High School Show Choir
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| Title: | Straightforward? Queering High School Show Choir |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Brandon Magid |
| Source: | Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education. 2026 25(1):115-142. |
| Availability: | MayDay Group. Brandon University School of Music, 270 18th Street, Brandon, Manitoba R7A 6A9, Canada. Tel: 204-571-8990; Fax: 204-727-7318; Web site: http://act.maydaygroup.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 28 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | High Schools Secondary Education Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Singing, Gender Issues, Sexuality, Social Bias, Social Theories, Social Justice, Music Education, Secondary Education, Higher Education, Competition |
| ISSN: | 1545-4517 |
| Abstract: | Competitive show choir is widely valued in secondary music education for fostering community, artistry, and collaboration. Yet the aesthetic expectations that shape show choir performance and adjudication draw from cultural norms regarding gender and sexuality. The purpose of this philosophical inquiry is two-fold: to problematize the heteronormative foundations of these aesthetic aims and to suggest possibilities for imagining show choir in ways that support broader forms of musical and relational expression. I argue that common performance conventions, such as costuming, partnering, choreography, and narrative design, can narrow the range of identities and expressions that are treated as musically appropriate. Queer theory provides a lens for examining how these expectations become naturalized and for considering alternative understandings of expression that are not limited by binary or prescriptive norms. Rather than proposing a singular corrective, I invite reflection on how attending to queerness may encourage more expansive aesthetic aims in ensemble contexts. Such reflection may support forms of musical experience characterized by greater openness, complexity, and possibility. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Access URL: | https://act.maydaygroup.org/straightforward-queering-high-school-show-choir/ |
| Accession Number: | EJ1499644 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Competitive show choir is widely valued in secondary music education for fostering community, artistry, and collaboration. Yet the aesthetic expectations that shape show choir performance and adjudication draw from cultural norms regarding gender and sexuality. The purpose of this philosophical inquiry is two-fold: to problematize the heteronormative foundations of these aesthetic aims and to suggest possibilities for imagining show choir in ways that support broader forms of musical and relational expression. I argue that common performance conventions, such as costuming, partnering, choreography, and narrative design, can narrow the range of identities and expressions that are treated as musically appropriate. Queer theory provides a lens for examining how these expectations become naturalized and for considering alternative understandings of expression that are not limited by binary or prescriptive norms. Rather than proposing a singular corrective, I invite reflection on how attending to queerness may encourage more expansive aesthetic aims in ensemble contexts. Such reflection may support forms of musical experience characterized by greater openness, complexity, and possibility. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1545-4517 |
