Washington Initiative for Boys and Men believes that improving society’s opinion of and appreciation for our male population requires deepening our understanding of and empathy for males. Where people understand and empathize with boys and men, they feel compelled to take their struggles seriously, with less judgment, and less condemnation.
That may seem like a strange introduction to our video about boys in choirs, but it is our desire to increase people’s empathy for males that motivated us to produce this piece. We’re grateful to have interviewed Scott Dean, Tom Reich, and Brennan Michaels, who collectively have several decades of experience directing youth choirs in Bellevue and Kirkland. In this video they share fascinating insights like:
- What exactly happens to a boy’s singing voice as a result of puberty
- Reasons why boys drop out of choirs during their teen years
- Techniques for accommodating, instructing, and encouraging boys in choirs
- Reasons girls might want more boys in their choirs
- The discomfort boys feel when their voices crack, or their voices are slower to change than their peers
- The importance of choir directors guiding boys through their period of vocal change
For further insights on this topic, watch “How a Boys’ Choir Handles Puberty,” in which members of the Stockholm Boys’ Choir “reveal their most intimate hopes, fears, and desires, as they inhabit the liminal space between boyhood and manhood.”
See also: This aviation-focused high school in Tukwila is one school where boys WANT to be