Freaks and frauds or beating the odds? Exploring notions of visibility and validation for transgender music teachers

The purpose of this study was to seek insight into the music teaching experiences of transgender music teachers and understand the importance of human connection as it intersected with their perceptions of visibility and validation in the classroom. The study was framed around two research questions that asked how transgender teachers perceived their trans identities as visible in their music classrooms and how those perceptions of visibility and validation impacted their ability to make human connections with those around them. The participants of this study included three music teachers representing many facets of music education. Two of the three participants worked in independent or charter schools while the third taught in an urban setting. They were intentionally selected for their confidence in being out as trans in their school community. Data generation for this study included the use of semi-structured interviews, journals, observations, and participatory conversations through weekly text messages. The data were then analyzed through the writing and re-writing of each person’s chapter and finally through their connections to the research questions. The findings revealed that when these transgender music teachers were seen as human beings, that their abilities to make connections with their students and colleagues saw a marked improvement. Expanding notions of what it means to be a human being requires a questioning and challenging of traditional beliefs and understandings of the “many ways there are to be a human being” (Feinberg, 1998, p. 5). And since humanity is often shaped by the social environment, it was important that the participants made positive human connections with the people with whom they worked.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Music Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2023

Author dc:creator

• Rowland, M.R.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Nichols, Jeananne
• Sweet, Bridget
• Beauchamp, Toby
• Megill, Andrew

• Music Education
• Transgender
• Visibility
• Validation
• Teachers
• Narrative

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2023 M.R. Rowland

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/120113

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F120113