“Just do your own thing and don’t be too loud:” : perceptions of gender stereotyping and its consequences in Finnish music education

Abstract

Girls play the flute. Boys play the drums. Singing is for girls. These are common stereotypes acknowledged by music education research in Europe and the United States. Inquiry into the underlying societal factors that contribute to these stereotypes has attempted to explain their origin through factors such as pitch, size, and timbre. The purpose of this research is to further explore these factors, uncovering not only their origins, but the effect they have on music classrooms. The chosen context for this inquiry is Finnish music education, a purportedly gen-der-equal setting. Evaluating the extent to which these stereotypes and any resulting implications manifest in Finnish music classrooms may help guide research on the subject towards creating a more equitable future.

This research is supported by queer theory and girlhood studies. This fusion of theoretical frameworks allowed for the exploration of gender expectations as they apply to music education. Through this lens, the work describes the process of object gendering through communities of practice and explains how music plays a key role in the expression of girlhood. Data for this research was generated through phenomenographic interviews with women who have experienced music education in Finland. Through inductive coding, patterns of gender dis-crimination and their connection to stereotypes of musical instruments and singing are revealed.

Research indicates that gender impacts students’ choice of instrument or choice to sing at a young age. Participants also report that gender differentiation by teachers, peers, and other societal forces often led to their disempowerment. Interviews reveal a connection between the volume of an instrument and its gender stereotype, revealing an alarming bias against girls who take up space and make noise in music.

This thesis is an opportunity for those experiences to be voiced and validated. It is also an opportunity to imagine future research in improving gender equality in education in Finland and abroad.