Situating Gender and Queer Research in Music and Music Education: An Introduction

Abstract This chapter serves as an introduction to gender and queer studies in music education. It examines the history of the relationship between music, music education, and feminist and LGBTQ advocacy throughout the 20th century. The chapter begins with an exploration of how popular music emerged a vehicle for feminist and LGBTQ artistic expression. It then situates feminist and LGBTQ issues in both historical and contemporary sociopolitical context. It provides an introduction to critical concepts in gender and queer research in music education and includes the book’s editorial approach to terminology. The chapter concludes with a summary of each of the four parts of this volume: Part I, “Gender and Sexual Identities: Historical and Theoretical Perspectives”; Part II, “Claiming Space: Representation and Shifts in Gender and Queer Research in Music Education”; Part III, “Gender and Queer Lenses on Curriculum: Practical Perspectives and Taking Action”; and Part IV, “Beyond Boundaries: Possibilities and Futurities for Gender and LGBTQ Research in Music Education.”