Where’s the Evidence? Finding Support for Separating Middle and Junior High School Choirs by Gender

Abstract

Choral experts, namely conductors and textbook authors, have long recommended separating middle and junior high school singers into all-male and all-female choirs to address the unique challenges facing young adolescents and those who teach them. However, limited research-based evidence exists on the decisions conductors and choral music educators have made on how to form their same-sex ensembles and the considerations involved in doing so. The purpose of this literature review is to provide conductors and choral music educators with an overview of what has been learned in support of configuring same-sex choral ensembles for middle and junior high school singers. Relevant studies include vocal skills development, participation and retention, gender differences, and schooling contexts. This information may be immediately useful to practicing choral music educators as well as provide motivation for further research-based inquiry on related topics in hopes of assisting all choral music educators to better prepare and educate young choral musicians.