Male adolescents’ narratives about their choral (non)participation in public secondary music schools of Greece

The purpose of the present study was to investigate boys’ views about their participation in
secondary school music ensembles with emphasis on the factors which influenced their decision
whether to join school choirs. To fulfill this aim, the researcher conducted individual semi-structured interviews with 17 boys, students and graduates of two provincial public secondary music schools in Greece. These boys seemed to avoid their school choir, suggesting that enrollment in an instrumental ensemble and playing a musical instrument are activities of a higher social status, in comparison to participation in choirs and singing, respectively. Furthermore, according to their narratives, they seemed to choose music ensembles that (a) balance individuality with teamwork, (b) instill a sense of duty (“to feel needed”), (c) assign distinct individual roles, and (d) provide opportunities for personal expression, as well as (e) opportunities to distinguish themselves. In addition, they preferred ensembles which (f) do not have a mandatory character, (g) possess a high social status, and (h) provide opportunities for interaction with older individuals who are role models. This study aims to contribute to the international discussion about the reasons which prompt boys to avoid choral singing.