Gay male choir teachers who model vulnerability in their classrooms
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Citation
Abstract
Teaching and learning are embedded with a certain amount of vulnerability. Learners may struggle with a concept, wrestle with feelings of being uncomfortable, and even fail when learning something new. Teachers may need to model vulnerability in order for students to be willing to take a risk and grow emotionally and intellectually. Impediments to vulnerability may limit what learning is possible in classrooms. In this study, I was interested in understanding the lived experiences of four gay male choir teachers who modeled vulnerability in their classrooms. I asked the following questions in the study: (a) What educational, professional, or personal experiences, if any, prepared the participants, gay male teachers, for modeling vulnerability in their choral classroom?; (b) How did participants consider the ways a choir teacher embodies vulnerability, and how, if at all, does mutual vulnerability manifest in their teaching and learning?; (c) How, if at all, do gay male choir teachers foster connection and mutual empathy in student-teacher relationships?
Relational Cultural Theory (RCT) was used as a framework for this study. The authors of RCT lifted being in relationship and connecting with others as opposed to the Western concept of individualism and self-determination. I was curious how RCT could be used to understand choir classrooms and the dynamics between teachers and their students.
In this qualitative study, I employed a multiple case study in which I interviewed each participant four times and conducted one group interview. Prior to the second interview, each participant read Jordan (2008) article “Valuing Vulnerability.” I also asked participants to provide artifacts to further reveal aspects of their case. Then I provided within-case and across-case analysis of the data. My findings included that each gay choir teacher’s lived experience is unique and contextually dependent. Participants revealed their gay identity and modeled vulnerability as they developed relationships with colleagues, students, and parents, and became a fixture in their communities. In addition, as society became more welcoming of LGBTQ+ people, so did the constituents in their communities. Choir teachers modeled vulnerability in a number of ways including acknowledging their partners or husbands, revealing their connection to a piece of music, or a willingness to have difficult conversations with students. Teachers reported that mutuality was achieved in their choirs. For example, mutuality was realized when students shared musical ideas with their teachers, when students asked teachers what they needed from them, or wanted to hear their teacher’s response to a question. Teachers were able to build connections and model empathy for students through their choice of repertoire, community-building activities, engaging students in discussions, and revealing aspects of their personal life (e.g., vacations they took with a partner, when they decorated for Christmas, etc.).
Implications include that gay choir teachers may find it meaningful to be out in their classroom and that by doing so they begin to deconstruct homophobic and heterosexist practices. Building community and developing student-teacher relationships can become an essential part of choral programs. Choir teachers may want to consider intentionally developing mutuality in their classrooms and shift the paradigm in their classrooms from power-over to power-with. Pre-service teachers who study the concept of vulnerability in their music education coursework might be more prepared for the realities of teaching choir in the 21st century.
Description
2026
License
Attribution 4.0 International