My earliest experience with making music was in a children’s
choir throughout elementary school. In that setting, there were no ideas at all
about the role of boys or girl because, as children, we all sang the same part.
In fourth grade, I began to play the piano. I remember that
my teacher had very few male students, but piano was never viewed as a “girl’s
instrument.” My teacher was a man and everything I played was written by men.
Additionally, though it was very common for girls to learn piano in the 20th
century, the pianists who were most present in the general public awareness of
the time (Rubinstein, Horowitz, Rachmaninoff, etc) were all men. Still, I never felt
that I shouldn’t play piano because I am a girl.
In sixth grade, I began to play the clarinet in band. There
were perhaps some lingering ideas about how it was a bit funny for a boy to
play the flute or for a girl to play the tuba, but the idea was never present
within the classroom that they shouldn’t be playing an instrument “out of line”
with their gender. It was a very traditional and conservative area, so I wouldn’t
be surprised if some students were influenced by their parents to play a more “masculine”
or “feminine” instrument. My father probably would have said something if I
elected to play an instrument like the trombone. Still, I played the clarinet
in a section that was fairly evenly divided between boys and girls and thought
very little about what boys and girls “should” play. I don’t think anyone consciously
thought about it, but gender divides did persist. The flute section was mostly
female, the brass and percussion sections were mostly male. I don’t know why
this is. I suppose when there is an established tradition of a section being
nearly entirely boys or girls, it can be intimidating to break that trend.
Now, at Converse, the dynamic is very different. I really
enjoy the single gender environment. A drawback, though, is that I know a wonderful
trombone player at my high school who will be auditioning next year. I am hesitant
to recommend Converse to her because of the lack of other low brass players for
her to interact with and learn from. If the model change occurs, it will
definitely influence the dynamic of the music school.
I agree with your statement about there not really being a spoken "rule" about gender and music. I did not come in contact with this either, but this could be because I was not around any classes that dealt with all musicians and musical instruments. However, when I would see a piano or drums being played, I always see females (sometimes males) on the piano, and males on the drums.
ReplyDeleteI always thought that piano and flute was a female instrument since I have only seen female play it. I thoughts have change over time since I have see more males play them.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the gender difference for male vs. female students being drawn to the different instruments like the flute vs. the brass could be because of the sound each instrument makes. Girls normally vocalize on a higher soprano tone whereas boys usually have a deeper bass tone.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it has to do with size. Brass instruments are bigger and heavier, and men are (generally) larger than women. That does not mean that women cannot or should not play them; it is just not as common.
ReplyDeleteNow that you mention it, I'm not sure piano is really one or the other. I can't think of a case where it's a male or female perceived instrument. I am happy you like the one gendered surrounding.
ReplyDeleteYou know, there's actually a lot to the trend that you noticed of lots of young women playing the piano, but the most famous pianists have tended to be men. That's changing, but slowly. And, by all means, encourage your trombone-playing friend to audition! We've only ever had a few brass players at a time, but the ones that we do have are still part of wind seminar and the wind ensemble, as well as whatever groups exist for their specific major (Music Ed Forum, Musicians Helping Others, etc.) and they get a of playing experience!
ReplyDeleteI personally didn't play an instrument, however I did notice the difference in the numbers of boys and girls that play certain instruments. I agree that it's a rule everyone kind of agrees on without it being official.
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