The Guitar’s Socially Constructed Cues

Previous research has shown that when children choose to play an instrument, their gender and preconceived notions tied to it, has been a big factor. Gender norms have ruled the expectations and choices available for girls. It has also been shown that more often the boys would play instruments and the girls would sing. The guitar is one instrument that has been closely paired with these stereotypes and therefore often unattainable for girls, but what is the situation like today in Sweden? In Sweden musical education is available through your municipality’s “kulturskola”. It is the biggest educational institution in Sweden for kids when it comes to cultural activities, and many kids go there for the purpose of learning an instrument. Sweden’s capital Stockholm is the city which has the largest number of students, spread over 42 establishments, which will be the focus here. This study will research how many girls partake in musical education through the municipalities in Stockholm, focusing on the guitar in particular, by compiling statistics from the schools. It will also try to answer how the girls perceive the guitar by doing an interview study with female guitar students