Giving a voice to boys in the curriculum: What boys need to sing in the secondary music classroom

Perspective Article

Published on: May 19, 2025

Music

6 min read

SAMUEL FOXON, HEAD OF MUSIC, ST BIRINUS SCHOOL, RIDGEWAY EDUCATION TRUST, UK Introduction The reason boys may not be singing is because something is wrong with the music teaching not the boys. Ashley, 2015, p. 190 The inclusion of boys in singing within the secondary music curriculum is an essential yet often overlooked aspect of music education, due to both the social pressures and the male vocal change during adolescence. These changes often render boys’ singing voice unpredictable and difficult to control, leading to heightened self-consciousness and, in some cases, feelings of inadequacy relative to their female peers (Ashley, 2010). The fear of being perceived as less competent than girls in this area is frequently underestimated (Jackson, 2003), making singing one of the most vulnerable domains for boys during this stage of their development (Willis and Kenny, 2008). The Department for Education jointly released a policy paper in 2022 highlighting that singing should be

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