Workshop
In 2015, Gavin Grimm filed a lawsuit against the Gloucester County School Board after being forced to use the female restroom based on his assigned gender. A decision was upheld by the Fourth Circuit Court upheld Grimm’s claim that the school violated his rights as provided by Title IX and the Fourteenth Amendment. Lawsuits such as these have significant implications in academic settings in the United States. Just recently, right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh’s visit to the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, partially funded by the Associated Students of Madison, not only elicited protests but in a deeper sense, induced hurt, pain, and exhaustion amongst the LGBTQ community and especially, the trans community of the university.
Safety, visibility, and the need for a gender-affirming spaces are few of the many lingering issues that the trans and non-binary communities face every day. In the performing arts (musicals and operas), gender is fundamentally queer and fluid. Yet, off-stage and behind the scenes, most approaches in vocal training and pedagogy in K-12 schools, universities, and conservatories do not acknowledge this fluidity. The discourse on vocal pedagogy is still embedded primarily on the binary gender praxis – from choral part divisions by “men” and “women,” to the notorious FACH system of “male” and “female” voice types, to the casting of roles on productions. This forces transgender and gender non-conforming singers into categories in which they feel they do not belong.
It goes without saying that the day-to-day societal, cultural, and political growth impacts the society we live in. The emergence of the transgender/queer/non-binary singing student reflects the significant changes in the socio-political understanding and workings of gender, and this offers crucial opportunities for the academic community. While there is a growing interest, resources are still limited in understanding the best practice and approaches to work with this student demographic.
One of the primary goals of this workshop is to create and spark awareness of shifting perspectives in pedagogies. This workshop-based event directly responds to the growing need for visibility for trans, queer, and non-binary individuals, especially in the performing arts. Furthermore, it aims to equip participants with a preliminary knowledge of socially relevant and culturally important voice pedagogy. This event hopes to provide resources on repertoire, training, and safe singing practice through a lens that centers on the individual struggles and needs of transgender and non-binary students.
“Teaching the Trans and Non-Binary Voice:
for Students and Educators with Liz Jackson Hearns”