Embracing gender diversity in singing – insights for singing teachers
In part 4 of the AOTOS Keynote speech, Dr Gillyanne Kayes shares thoughts on voice and gender
“Gender expression. We’re right in the process of reviewing previous binary notions of male and female voice, hey, that’s what I grew up with. Understanding that while biology may bias the voice towards a particular gender, the expression of that gender, of the individual, is flexible.
And yes, sometimes it’s challenging to remember pronouns and new terms. There were a couple here I didn’t know. Assigned Female At Birth, Assigned Male At Birth. So that can be challenging, and also remembering to use the pronoun with your client if you’re not used to it. But stumble and fall, it’s ok, and you know, by and large it’s liberating.
Similarly our trans community is more visible, and rightly so. And I think we need to regard it as an opportunity for growth in our understanding of vocal ranges and timbres that – let’s say within the Western Lyric culture at least – were previously mapped as ‘male’ domain and ‘female’ domain. “You don’t sound male enough, you don’t sound female enough. Why are you singing in that part of your range?”
Had we been paying attention this was happening decades ago in Contemporary Commercial Music styles and in close harmony groups.
And I think with this new diversity is an opportunity to change how we write for musical performance – it’s beginning to happen in Musical Theatre – especially in relation to ensemble and choir work.
And it seems to me in addressing this new situation there are two important questions for us to answer:
- As a human, why is it important for me to hear gender when I listen to a voice
- As a singing teacher, what is it important for me to know? What information do I need to help the singers I work with voice their gender identity?”
Gillyanne’s further reflections
We need to think about how the concept of voice categorisation got linked with gender identity in the first place! It’s a very Western viewpoint because there are many cultures in which singing hasn’t been categorised in this way e.g. Chinese Hua’er music where the males and females sing in the same frequency range.
Behind this is another important concept: no matter what assumptions we grew up with, gender has never truly been binary – it sits on a continuum.
Another potential challenge we need to navigate is the difference between understanding of ‘gender bias’ in the biology of the voice, and gender inclusivity in the way we work with singers. This includes having awareness of how WE as teachers map the sounds perceptually, and whether these align with what the singer also perceives and wants. Using phrases such as ‘oestrogen influenced’ or ‘testosterone influenced’ can assist her in mapping the sounds that our singers are making. You can also demonstrate inclusivity and practise allyship by simply introducing yourself as “I am Gillyanne and I use these pronouns – she/her”.
It is also worth considering when/if you need to help a singer voice their gender expression – not all do. The prompt needs to come from them. Sometimes what the singers needs most is to feel comfortable to voice themself. There’s a lovely blog by our Registered Teacher Naomi Lee Schulke on our website that give food for thought. Dancing the identity jive
In 2022 I attended the 7th Physiology of Acoustics of Singing Voice conference. There was a powerful and fascinating set of presentations on a special session titled ‘Gender Bias in Voice Science and Voice Pedagogy’. You can read some of the abstracts of the presentations I was able to watch here: https://ifvportal.com/pas7-book-of-abstracts-full/
In our practice, we have found it helpful to understand the life-cycle of the human voice, inducing biological changes that result from puberty, and how these play out in changed adult voice. This allows us to assist clients in navigating transition from F-M or M-F for example, and informs our understanding of adjustments that singers may want to make in order to express their gender identity.
In your opinion, how could writers of new musical theatre and choral works embrace gender diversity?
Do you teach students who need support in voicing their gender identity?
What is your experience of navigating this in the studio, the choir or in an elite performer educational setting?
Click here for part 3 of Gillyanne’s AOTOS Keynote – Navigating musical taste: How your taste preferences shape your vocal training
Click here for part 5 of Gillyanne’s AOTOS Keynote – Different learning styles: Supporting neurodiverse students in voice training
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