Vortrag von Beatriz Nunes (Inet-MD and FCT Lisbon, Portugal) am 9. April 2025 um 16.00 Uhr im Palais Meran, Kleiner Saal:
“Gender and Jazz Education: A Study on Students’ Musical Choices, Masculinity and Femininity”
The implementation of jazz education in 2010 within Portugal’s publicsystem marked a significant milestone: the formalization of a curriculum, the recognition of academic degrees by the Ministry of Education, and the provision of free, decentralized access to learning this musical genre.
As jazz at the conservatory negotiates its identity within the context of the pre-existing Western art music tradition in classical programs, several power dynamics emerge. This study highlights issues related to musical style and gender, which influence the participation of male and female students in these programs. While the enrollment of male and female students appears balanced in the classical program, the jazz program reveals a significant gender imbalance, remaining predominantly male. There is also a clear gendered division of musical roles: instrumental practice is mainly associated with male students, while female students are almost exclusively limited to vocal practice. This gender disparity is also reflected in the Portuguese jazz professional scene, particularly in concert and festival programming, where the representation of women and men remains unequal.
Given that music education can serve as a gateway to subsequent representation in the professional and artistic scenes, it is particularly important to understand how gender expectations and dynamics influence the participation of male and female students in music education. Through an ethnographic research conducted within the jazz program at the Music Conservatory of Coimbra, I propose an analysis and reflection on the discourses and perceptions of masculinity and femininity as they relate to the musical practices of male and female students. I explore how these discourses shape students’ choices and influence their performative development.
The relevance of this investigation lies in the need to question how music education can either reproduce or challenge traditional gender roles, contributing to a broader discussion on the promotion of equity, diversity, and inclusion in music education.
Beatriz Nunes (*1988) is a jazz vocalist, educator, composer and researcher based in Lisbon. She is currently a PhD candidate at Inet-MD (Ethnomusicology Institute, FCSH-Nova University) and a research fellow at the Foundation for Science and Technology. Nunes holds a BA degree in jazz and a MA degree in music education (Escola Superior de Música Lisboa). Nunes’ research focuses on jazz studies, music education and feminist critical theory, with publications in Jazz Research Journal and in The Routledge Companion to Jazz and Gender.