Toward a New Vision of Equality: Perspectives of Male Teachers in the Elementary Music Classroom

Six public school districts were selected by the research team from the areas of New Jersey, New York, and Vermont. Districts were selected according to the physical proximity of each researcher. Data were tabulated using each district’s main website by accessing the “staff/faculty” pages on each individual elementary school webpage. Music teachers were categorized by their names, which clearly reflected their gender identification through a gender-specific first name or a Mr. or Ms./Mrs. designation, and position description.

Only the job description as pertaining to the elementary school was used in the final calculations. In addition, the small number of vocal, also designated as “chorus,” teachers is most likely due to the fact that vocal music is commonly associated with general, or classroom, music. Teachers specifically designated on each webpage as Vocal or Chorus were placed into a separate category as opposed to General Music instructors.

As illustrated in Table 1, a total of 42 elementary music teachers were listed in each respective district’s staff directory. Of those 42, 13 educators were identified as male from their first name or a “Mr.” notated in the directory. Twenty-nine educators were identified as female, constituting 69% of the total sample. Males in the sample accounted for 31%, which is approximately 12% greater than the figures reported in the 2014 Bureau of Labor Statistics for male elementary school teachers. Transgender individuals were not identified by the school websites, so this was not taken into account for the purposes of the study. Race and gender identification were also not notated in each school’s staff directory, so these demographics were also excluded from the data.

Table 1. Male/Female Characteristics According to Job Description.

Table 1. Male/Female Characteristics According to Job Description.

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Specific job descriptions were also categorized under the headings of General Music, Instrumental Music, and Vocal Music. Nineteen of the 42 total elementary music teachers were identified as general music specialists. Of these 19, 15 were female and 4 were male, representing a 79% to 21% difference, respectively. Teachers listed as having an instrumental specialty accounted for a total of 10, 6 male and 4 female. This represents a 60% to 40% difference between male and female elementary band teachers. Three teachers who were documented as vocal specialists were male, while 10 of the total 13 were female. As was the case with the general music teachers, males demonstrate a significant minority in this category with 31% as opposed to the female 69%.

These statistics contribute evidence that the field of elementary music education remains a predominantly female-oriented industry. With the exception of instrumental music, women represent a majority in both general and vocal music in the public schools. Though the data reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics only account for the total amount of elementary school teachers, the figures as pertaining to elementary music educators are comparable as men are still a minority in this field.

Qualitative data were organized into three case studies acquired through interviews of male elementary school music teachers. As illustrated in Table 2, each participant was assigned a pseudonym to protect his identity. All three teachers specialized in teaching Grades K–5 and had a minimum of 20 years of experience in the same field. All three teachers were also above 40 years old; 2 were Caucasian and 1 was African American. Two teachers specialized in general, or classroom, music, while one focused solely on instrumental lessons. One teacher also taught part-time at the high school level, but a concentration on the participant’s elementary school experience was used for the purposes of this study.

Table 2. Demographics of Interview Participants.

Table 2. Demographics of Interview Participants.

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James was a K–5 music teacher specializing in instrumental lessons, band, and orchestra. He taught at two elementary schools within the same district in which he attended the same schedule by beginning at one school and transitioning to the other halfway through the school day. James began his career in music by attending a community college after deciding that music was a place he felt like he belonged. He felt a connection with children through earlier experiences such as babysitting, which sparked an interest in working with young people. James eventually matriculated into a 4-year university and received his bachelor’s in music education with a concentration in trumpet.

James received his first formal music teaching position in a suburban elementary school, where he taught instrumental music to fourth and fifth graders. During this time, James returned to his collegiate alma mater to complete his master’s degree. After 6 years of teaching at his first assignment, James transferred positions to another district due to potential budget cuts. He then began teaching at another elementary school where, at the time of the interview, he is currently employed. His responsibilities include teaching instrumental lessons to fourth and fifth graders in addition to conducting ensembles including band and orchestra.

James recalled that he always wanted to become an elementary teacher, though after 20 years at the same building, he felt that he was “getting kind of bored” and may need a change. A previous conversation with the high school band director of his district resulted in an interesting moment when the director explained to James not to worry, because “someday you’ll get out of the elementary school,” implying that teaching at the elementary level was merely a “stepping stone” and less prestigious than elementary teaching.

James acknowledged that there are significantly fewer male elementary music teachers than females, though he explained that it had never bothered him. In his personal life, he is married to a female police officer, and he mentioned that

In his professional relationships with students and parents, James recalled that he had not felt any adverse effects, though he conceded that young students sometimes regarded him with some apprehension, as if they are expecting him to be more stringent than female teachers. He attributed this to the possibility that these students may not have “a father in the picture” or because they are in financial distress. As such, James recognized that he may have inadvertently become a role model for these children, though he does not perform his duties in any extraneous way to encourage this.

James had in the past been asked, along with other male teachers, to perform stereotypically male duties, such as acting as a disciplinarian during emergency procedures or setting up chairs and equipment for concerts and performances. However, James admitted that he is “kind of blind when it comes to these gender issues.” He continued:

James did not believe that his music teacher colleagues within the district consider gender as a negative issue in their teaching practices either. Teaching in an elementary school is something that he truly enjoys and finds fulfilling. Finally, he illustrated that he is not the only teacher serving in a nontraditional gender role in the district:

Don began his career in accounting before he realized that the industry made him “miserable.” After taking a series of voice lessons in his late teens, he developed an interest in music, eventually deciding that he would rather spend his career performing and teaching. This decision was partially fostered by his family; several members including his mother, father, and uncle were teachers and Don felt this was a large influence on his life. His mother in particular was a music teacher, who Don credits for his primary music education such as the ability to sing and play piano.

Don had initially matriculated into a collegiate accounting major through the INROADS program for minority students, but obtained his music education certification once he became involved with the opera program. On graduating, Don obtained a position as a part-time piano instructor at an all-boys alternative school. He recalled that to foster a rapport with his students, nicknames fashioned after Hostess food items were developed, including “Twinky,” “Cupcake,” and “Cream Puff.” Don himself was nicknamed “King Dong” by the students.

Don taught general music to kindergarten through fifth-grade students in an urban public elementary school. The school had the largest number of non-English first language speakers in the city. Don also taught choir at the district’s high school as well. Don considered being a male elementary music teacher “tricky” because of the significantly low ratio of male teachers compared with female teachers in his building. He explained:

He always has to “think twice” before saying something to a female teacher as opposed to conversing with a male teacher.

He also believed the fact that he is older (48 years at the time of the interview) lent itself to the caution he felt he must take when speaking to a female colleague. Being an older, African American male is, as Don mentioned, a “different dynamic,” and forced him to pay closer attention to his surroundings in everyday situations. However, he acknowledged that he receives positive reactions from parents, colleagues, and administrators when they become familiar with his status as a music teacher.

Don believed that it was imperative that he is perceived as a positive male role model. However, Don’s emphasis is not reflected in his gender, but in his race as an African American:

He exclaimed that often people are surprised when they meet him because they do not necessarily picture a black man as a music teacher. He mentioned that “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, ‘We didn’t know black people did that.’ I say, ‘Well, now you know somebody who does.’”

Though Don spent much time focusing on his role as a male in a predominantly female-oriented environment, he felt that his relationship with the other music teachers of his district had “nothing to do” with gender specificity. Aside from being asked to monitor the boy’s bathroom on occasion, Don had not been asked by his colleagues or administration to perform any male-stereotyped activities or labor. However, the specter of sexual harassment loomed over Don’s professional practices, as he recalled that one of his colleagues was fired for making inappropriate remarks.

Don believed that a major reason that men do not actively pursue elementary teaching positions is because most men do not wish to “deal with” small children, even though he explained that “elementary kids are just like high school kids. You just have to be more planned and more organized.” However, Don believed that it should not matter whether a male or a female is teaching, as long as they focus their efforts on “teaching the kids, not the subject.”

Daniel began studying music as a child through the boys choir in his local YMCA. This became a passion that led him to pursue music education in college with a vocal emphasis. As one of five children in a low socioeconomic demographic, Daniel worked for the college music library to help support his family. After graduating, he worked a variety of jobs, including retail, dry cleaning, and laundry before moving to California and earning his state teaching certificate. At the time of the interview, Daniel taught general, instrumental, and vocal music to kindergarten through sixth grade.

In Daniel’s school, only 3 of 24 total teachers were male, including himself. Daniel did not consider this an issue, however, though he wished there were more in his building. When others questioned him about his position, most are surprised that he was not a middle school or high school teacher, incorrectly assuming that all elementary teachers were female. He did not feel that his female colleagues treated him any differently because of his gender, nor did he recognize any gender bias from his administration.

Daniel attributed his enjoyment of teaching at the elementary level to the enthusiasm and affection he received from his students. He recalled how he could not walk across campus without receiving a hug from a student, which he believed would not occur at the high school level. Watching personalities and strengths develop was also a significant motivation for Daniel to teach at the elementary level. However, Daniel strongly cautioned against being too affectionate, such as avoiding chest-to-chest hugs. Instead, Daniel encouraged his students to use “side hugs, where you grab a hold of their shoulder from the side and they grab your arm from the side, and say ‘sideway hug!’” Daniel also advised the interviewer never to converse with a female student alone, but to “always have them with a friend or leave the door open.”

Though Daniel had never experienced any professional difficulties about gender bias, he remained cautious in his interactions with students, particularly in the area of physical contact. His school mostly contained a demographic of Latino students, which he explained is a “very affectionate culture. The children are holding hands all the time. It is cultural. That touch is cultural and needed.”