Spaces and Facets of Trust for Secondary School LGBTQ+ Music Students

Abstract Trust in schools is an important element of student achievement, academic growth, and willingness to take educational risks. For music teachers to support the needs of all students and promote safe spaces for musical growth, it is critical to understand the ways in which they can foster trusting environments for LGBTQ+ youth. This chapter describes a project that investigated how three LGBTQ+ students’ secondary school music ensemble experiences related to their sense of trust in music class and at school. Aspen, Rey, and Shay lived in different geographical locations of the United States; were enrolled in high school jazz band, choir, orchestra, and/or music theory classes; and self-identified as queer, lesbian, bisexual, and/or transgender. Using Tschannen-Moran’s facets of relational trust as a framework, the authors analyzed student questionnaires, individual and focus group interviews, teacher descriptions of students, and artifacts about their school and community. Emergent themes included (a) contextual levels of trust, (b) prevalence of trust facets, (c) gendered cultural acceptance, (d) student mental health, (e) embodying trust and trustworthiness, and (f) teachers’ approaches to fostering trust. Student trust varied between their music class, school, and community, with trust ratings highest for music classes. The students most frequently cited teacher openness and competence as meaningful facets of trust. Implications include the importance of balancing openness with appropriate student-teacher boundaries, and prioritizing musical trust to build relational trust over time. This chapter provides a framework for investigating ways in which music teachers might foster relational trust among LGBTQ+ students.