Perspectives on Males and Singing, 2012
Landscapes: the Arts, Aesthetics, and Education Series, Vol. 10

?Since singing is so good a thing,I wish all men would learne to sing? (William Byrd, 1588)

Over the centuries, there has been reluctance among boys and men to become involved in some forms of singing. Perspectives on Males and Singing tackles this conundrum head-on as the first academic volume to bring together leading thinkers and practitioners who share their insights on the involvement of males in singing. The authors share research that analyzes the axiomatic male disinclination to sing, and give strategies designed to engage males more successfully in performing vocal music emphasizing the many positive effects it can have on their lives.

Inspired by a meeting at the Australian symposium ?Boys and Voices?, which focused on the engagement of boys in singing, the volume includes contributions from leading authorities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States and Europe.

I OVERVIEW . Chapter 1 Men, Boys and Singing by Scott D Harrison, Graham F Welch, Adam Adler . Chapter 2 From Boys to Men: Male Choral Singing in the United States by Patrick K. Freer . Chapter 3 Sex, gender and singing development: Making a positive difference to boys’ singing through a national programme in England by Graham Welch, Jo Saunders, Ioulia Papageorgi, Evangelos Himonides . Chapter 4 Male Choral Singing in Canada: A waning culture by Adam Adler . Chapter 5 Singing, men and Australian Culture by Scott D Harrison .- II SNGING IN FORMAL CONTEXTS . Chapter 6 Changing Voices—Voices of Change: Young Men in Middle School Choirs by Frank Abrahams . Chapter 7 Creating a culture for teenagers to sing in high school by Anita Collins . Chapter 8 Male Singing in the University Choir Context by Colin Durrant . Chapter 9 Cathedral Choirs in the United Kingdom: The professional boy chorister by Jenevora Williams . Chapter 10 Singing in Church: The role of men in contemporary worship singing by Scott D Harrison and Daniel K Robinson .- III SINGING IN INFORMAL AND COMMUNITY CONTEXTS Chapter 11 Mutuality, belonging, and meaning-making: Pathways to developing young boys’ competence and creativity in singing and song-making by Margaret S Barrett . Chapter 12 Communities of Singing Practice in the Fiji Islands by Joan Russell . Chapter 13 The Sounds of Gender: Textualizing Barbershop Performance by Richard Mook . Chapter 14 Icelandic Men, Male Voice Choirs and Masculine Identity by Robert Faulkner . Chapter 15 Singing, Wellbeing and Gender: Choristers in Australia, England and Germany by Stephen Clift, Grenville Hancox and Ian Morrison .- IV SINGING IN POPULAR CONTEXTS . Chapter 16 “But I can write songs okay”: Male voices in New Zealand alternative rock by Matthew Bannister . Chapter 17 Southern Masculinity in American Rock Music by Jason T. Eastman . Chapter 18 ‘Let me know you're out there!’ Male rock vocal and audience participation by Andy Bennett .- V PRACTITIONER REFLECTIONS . Chapter 19 Male Singing in Early Years of School by Miriam Allan . Chapter 20 The Courage to Sing: Reflections on Secondary School Sing by Anthony Young . Chapter 21 The Male Voice Choir in the United Kingdom by Peter Davies . Chapter 22 Giving Voices to gifted Antipodean Unicorns by Curtis Bayliss and Robert Stewart . Chapter 23 The foolishness came later: The foundation and development of the Spooky Men’s Chorale by Stephen Taberner

The first book to provide insight into the involvement of males in singing

Contains an extensive collection of articles

Includes the combined perspectives of both researchers and practitioners in understanding male participation in singing