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Straightforward? Queering High School Show Choir

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Bibliographic Details
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
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  Data: Straightforward? Queering High School Show Choir
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  Data: 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
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  Data: 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.
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