Gender, Language, and Genre : Exploring Fluidity in Music Education Contexts

Kurzfassung/Abstract

This paper starts from the premise that queer individuals might be navigating complex challenges in finding their place within the vocal constructs of music education. By questioning the necessity of framing the voice within rigid gender binaries, this study leverages post-structuralist and queer theories of gender performativity to explore how these constructs influence self-expression and identity. The paper examines the artistry of Nuri Harun Ateş, a Turkish countertenor whose eclectic vocal and stylistic choices challenge conventional constructs of genre and gender. Ateş seamlessly navigates Western classical, pop, and nostalgic Turkish music, performing in Turkish, French, Italian, English, and Kurdish. His performances, marked by feminine-coded styling and lyrics that foreground his queerness, invite audiences to question entrenched societal norms about gender and identity. Drawing on media analysis, interviews, and live performance observations, the paper aims to highlight Ateş’s role in challenging traditional binaries and to explore how his approach to fluidity can inspire and inform music education practices. By foregrounding these theoretical perspectives, this paper aims to offer new insights into integrating concepts of gender and genre fluidity within formal, non-formal, and informal music education. While the study is ongoing, this presentation will focus on theoretical implications and their potential applications, providing a foundation for future work in this area.