Musical and personal success - perceptions of Australian males in choir - Sarah J. Powell

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine

This paper investigates musical and personal success through the perspectives of Australian boys and men who participate in choir. Using findings drawn from a larger study, it examines how male notions of success, masculinity, and identity shape choral participation. Participants from four choirs link success to specific criteria that align strongly with Australian male ideology, offering insights for music educators and choral directors about sustaining male involvement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Success as socio-cultural concept

Definitions of musical success

Definitions of personal success

Frontstage vs backstage success

Musical and personal success: perceptions of Australian males in choir Sarah J. Powell University of Western Sydney Abstract This paper investigates musical and personal success from the perspective of Australian boys and men who participate in choir. Findings have been taken from a larger study, which seeks to understand the way in which male notions of success, masculinity and identity influence their choral participation. Participants from four choirs indicated that for them to be in a choir, it must reflect several criteria for success, and these were also strongly linked to the ideology of the Australian male. The research provides valuable insight for music educators and choral directors into how perceptions of success influence male participation, particularly in the context of the Australian male culture. Key words: personal success; musical success; boys; men; choir; music education Australian Journal of Music Education 2013:1, 53-63 Introduction This paper discusses some of the findings surrounding the notion of success in the context of males in choir. The findings have been taken from doctoral research, which has investigated male participation in choir and how it is influenced by perceptions of success, masculinity, and possible selves. Findings show that in an Australian context success is perceived by boys and men in various, but consistent, ways and that a combination of these elements is important for participants to consider it a success. The four choirs involved in the study rangedin age and context. They identified four main areas of success: public, personal, musical and private impact. This paper focuses on musical and personal success. Musical success incorporated technical ability and sound quality, the role of the conductor and working together. Personal success was defined in terms of enjoyment and love of singing, participation, self-confidence and personal expression. The notion of success involves a variety of meanings, which are largely dependent on the values, beliefs and goals held by an individual and their socio-cultural context (Dyke & Murphy, 2006; Jones, 2004; Pitts, 2005; Rosevear, 2010) . Success is frequently depicted in overt ways, such as public performance, earning money, fame and career (Bennett, 2009; Cooper, 2010; Fisher, Pearson, Goolsby & Onken, 2010; Freer & Bennett, 2012; Ginsburgh, 2003; Jones, 2004; Moore, Burland & Davidson, 2003; Strobl & Tucker, 2000) but it is also described according to more individual descriptors, such as personal enjoyment (Dyke & Murphy, 2006; Jones, 2004; Rosevear, 2010) . Dyke and Murphy (2006) suggest that the definition of success for a man is directly linked to a dominant view of masculinity and the extensive work of Australian researcher Scott Harrison supports this. His work has focused on the gendered nature of musical activities and has found that musical genres and instruments have specific associations aligned with either masculinity or femininity. Singing was always considered a feminine activity (Harrison, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009a, 2009b, 2010) . Harrison (2009) argues that, historically, Australian boys are raised to understand and embody masculinity in its dominant form and that part of this ideology is the absence of anything feminine (2009) . Boys who engage in these‘feminine’activities run the risk of serious consequences, such as being bullied and socially isolated or excluded. Because singing and choir appear on the‘feminine’ end of the continuum (Harrison, 2009b), boys are reluctant to participate and music educators continue to be faced with a battle determined by history and permeated by sociocultural underpinnings. Musical success can be described in a variety of ways. Jarvin and Subotnik (2010) proposed that attainment levels in analysing music, creativity in interpretation, practical or technical skill, and musicality should define success. They believed that success was the development of ability into“expe

FAQs

What does the study focus on regarding success in choir?

It examines musical and personal success from the viewpoint of Australian boys and men participating in choir.

How is personal success defined in the paper?

Personal success is defined through enjoyment and love of singing, participation, self-confidence, and personal expression.

Which areas of success are identified by the choirs in the study?

The choirs identify four main areas: public, personal, musical, and private impact; the paper focuses on musical and personal success.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine