Roles of Music Making in the Lives of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth.

People make music for a variety of different reasons. The motivations to make music - and the roles of music making - are as unique and idiosyncratic as are the musicians. There are a number of studies that explore the roles of music making in the lives of young people (Adderley, Kennedy, & Berz, 2003; Campbell, Beegle, & Connell, 2007; Fetter, 2011; Parker, 2010, 2011). However, when examining young people’s perceptions of music making, there is little to no research capturing the voices of youth who do not identify as being heterosexual or cisgender. By illuminating the experiences of sexual and gender minority youth, researchers, music educators, school administrators, policy officials, and other community members can gain a greater understanding of their daily school and music experiences and begin to make changes to ensure a safer, more supportive school and music learning environment. The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to examine the roles of music making in the lives of sexual and gender minority youth. Three research questions guided this inquiry: 1. How did participants describe their past and present music making experiences? 2. How did participants describe their sexual orientation and gender identity? 3. In what ways did participants’ answers to questions 1 and 2 provide information on the roles of music making in the lives of sexual and gender minority youth? Data sets were generated through multiple individual interviews, a focus group interview, video recordings of participant music making, participant supplied artifacts, participant-researcher communications, and researcher journal entries. Music making intersected with sexual orientation and gender identity in multiple ways. Music making allowed participants to explore aspects of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Participants’ music making also helped them express thoughts and feelings they found difficult to express with words. Additionally, for participants who felt disconnected from the queer community, music making in ensembles (e.g. drum corps, choir, quintets, etc.) fulfilled their need for socializing and support, for the time being. Finally, participants were most happy when they experienced an integration of identity and community.PhDMusic: Music EducationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/120873/1/erinhans_1.pd