Music and Gender
Music and Gender
I’ll never forget how one Christmas my parents bought me a really nice drum set. For whatever reason my mom always wanted me to be a drummer, but I never wanted that. As I got a little bit older I remembered how I felt bad about never playing the drums and then justifying it by saying “That's a boy’s instrument anyways.” Oh how I was wrong. Now, looking back I wished I would have learned how to play the drums, in fact I wished I could have learned many more instruments.
Nowadays, although it is not as bad as it used to be, there is still such a negative stigma about the gender identity of things. For example, my senior year of highschool we put on Sister Act the Musical. Around the audition period there was this one guy I knew who was an incredible performer but he was a new to everything. Well since I was a drama kid I desperately wanted him to audition I even offered him $10 to do so but he didn’t. Turns out he wanted to, but his girlfriend said she would have broken up with him and he also didn’t want to get picked on by his friends. I really hated that for him and I really hate that for a lot of people.
While in school I went to a pretty big highschool, it was 5a. Starting from ninth grade all the way up to my senior year I was in chorus class. The number of students in the choir all together each year ranged on average to about 70-90 students each school year. Every year there was probably 20 boys or less it was never an even ratio.
That is why I'm glad things are changing for the better.
Hi Richelle,
ReplyDeleteI agree that drums are/can be more of a male dominating instrument. However, I think that if you want to play the drums, you should totally go for it! I never had an interest in them because I didnt grow up around anyone that played them but I would have definitely tried to learn if I ever had wanted too. Also, being in chorus, I can agree that there were never enough boys. My teacher would always try to encourage more guys to join but they just never seemed interested. I always wonder why this is.
Things are changing for the better. There have always been things that are more male/female dominating but it's good that the ratio is evening out.
ReplyDeleteHayley
DeleteIt's so interesting that your mom wanted you to play the drums! That's really the opposite experience of a lot of young girls. The story you told about the boy you went to school with is so unfortunate. We often think of girls as the only ones suffering from other's ideas about who they should be based on their gender, but it can really take a lot of courage for boys to do things like participate in musicals.
ReplyDeleteThe choir at my school was also mostly female; our director was always trying to recruit more boys, joking that they would get to spend a lot of time with a lot of pretty girls if they joined. Your story about your friend who was bullied out of participating in theater honestly makes me so frustrated; it's such a stupid thing, to judge people for participating in things they love.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, you could definitely make a start on learning some more instruments! You can always find something on the cheap for when you're just starting out and get something nicer if you like playing it.
Wait, did you go to Spartanburg High? We actually went to that Sister Act show! SHS always has a bit of the musical where younger kids from around the district come and do a little song-and-dance number, and Tally and her friend Julia did that that year (they were the oldest kids in the bunch, and the tallest by a long shot). That was a really good show! And it's a shame that your friend's girlfriend didn't want him to audition. That's usually a good sign that that particular relationship isn't a keeper....
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad that the one guy's girlfriend threatened to brake up with him if he did the musical. It's always sad when talented people are held back by the fear if what might happen and rejection.
ReplyDelete