Music & Gender

When contemplating how music and gender intersect, one of the first things I thought of was great- grandad and his connection to music. We called him pap-pap, and he was a WWII POW and veteran. He lived in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, which is located on the Western side of the state near Pittsburgh. Johnstown's main economic power was the steel mill which had since closed. Pap-pap worked in the steel mill after he came home from the war. He led a hard life and had his fair share of struggles, but one thing that he always loved was music. His favorite instrument to play was the harmonica. My mom said that when they would go to his home he would sit on the stairs and play for hours. My great grandfather was Polish and so the music he played had an eastern European flavor to it.

He was the senior member of the family, the fatherly figure, and it was his role to play the music for the family. For him, it was like he was bestowing a gift upon the people he loved the most. As the senior member of the family, he used his music to bring his family members together and bridge the gaps between the generations. We have an old VHS of him playing that I wish I could attach. Instead, I will attach a song that my great grandfather and great grandmother liked to listen to because of the references to the Polish language.

Another aspect of music that intertwines gender is current day rock music. The drummer in most popular rock bands are almost always a man. However, in the Christian rock band Skillet, Jen Ledger, a woman, is the lead drummer. Ledger is originally from Coventry, England and she joined the band at the young age 18 following her passion of drumming and percussion. 

In our society drummers are portrayed as loud and brash, when in reality percussion in other nations is not viewed through this darker lense. Ledger shows her listeners that she can be a successful drummer while embracing the same qualities that male drummers have. She shows other women that they do not have to reduce their energy to fit into the feminine stereotype of female drummers but instead should embrace the power that percussion holds.

I've heard that this drummer stereotype grew from the colonial militia drummers always being men. I find it interesting how stereotypes can alter our perception of a clearly gender-neutral musical instrument and genre. It is interesting and sad to me how a singular stereotype can last for generations. 

Below I have attached a video of Ledger performing and discussing her career!