Choir is often seen as a safe place for people to be themselves and explore their identities, especially for high school students or young adults. So how do we, as conductors, guarantee that for them?
Right now there is a wonderful shift in the choral community towards gender inclusivity.
For example, we can be accurate in rehearsal and stop saying “men” or “women” when we really mean “basses” or “sopranos”. We can revamp dress codes to give a range of options/guidelines, without tying it to gender or voice parts. We can talk about policies with boards and choir members. We can wear nametags with our pronouns.
These are all wonderful and necessary changes that every choir and conductor should make. But they are internal, and we can do even better.
We need to make sure that a potential member sees that choir is a safe place and that they will be welcome before they even join.
Some ideas of what this outward inclusivity looks like:
Using inclusive/accurate language in the name of the choir: Upper Voices, Lower Voices, Bass Clef Choir, Trebles.
Updating forms and information gathering tools to include a spot for people to put their pronouns, so that from their very first interaction with the choir, we respect who they are.
Being explicitly inclusive in the description of the choir. For example, one of the first things someone reads about my ensemble Winnipeg Upper Voices is: “We welcome women, men, trans, and non-binary singers.”
Using inclusive language at concerts and in programs. This could be by swapping out “ladies and gentlemen” for “everyone” in introductory remarks: “Welcome, everyone, to the big show!” Artist biographies in the program can include pronouns: “Katy Harmer (she/her) is the conductor.”
These changes should be made without fanfare and without it being a big deal. But they will be noticed by the people who need to see them the most.
Being more inclusive benefits everyone, and ensures that our choirs actually are the safe places we strive for them to be.