Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the characteristics of existing choral pedagogical repertoire for early adolescent males, and to place those findings within a broader historical framework. Specifically, the study endeavored to answer the following research questions: (1) what are the vocal classifications (number of parts, names of parts, terminal pitches, ranges, and tessituras) used in choral repertoire for early adolescent males? (2) What are the textual aspects (subject matter, emotion, text sources, language, and complexity) used in choral repertoire for early adolescent males? (3) What are the formal and theoretical aspects of a composition (basic characteristics, pitched aspects, unpitched aspects, and accompaniment) used in choral repertoire for early adolescent males? The methodology involved a descriptive study of a representative sample of pedagogical choral works for early adolescent males (N = 106) collected from honor choir past-programs at the state and national level of the American Choral Director’s Association (ACDA) and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) from 2010–2020, repertoire & resource lists from state and national chapters of ACDA from 2010–2020, large-group performance evaluation repertoire lists from state levels of ACDA & NAfME, and evidence-based repertoire lists for early adolescent males. Each octavo was individually examined and information was recorded on a data collection sheet prepared by the researcher consisting of 90 elements per octavo. Results indicated that the terminal pitches, ranges, and tessituras found within the representative repertoire adequately conformed to the stages of male adolescent voice change proposed by Cooksey, particularly within 3-part octavos. Furthermore, the historical and contemporary re-framing of singing as a masculine activity as a means of choral recruitment appears to have had widespread effects on the subject matters and emotions found within the representative body of repertoire. Finally, while there is now a greater body of vocally-appropriate literature for changing male voices at present than at any previous point in history, the representative body of repertoire was noticeably lacking in diversity, particularly with regard to textual aspects of subject matter, emotion, and language; as well as formal and theoretical aspects of musical composition such as tonality, meter, and musical traditions. By placing the results of this study within a broad framework established by the review of literature, a number of potential best-practices regarding the choral music education of early adolescent males were proposed, including implications for the creation and programming of works for changing male voices, new directions for adolescent music education research, and the potential reframing of singing as a gender-neutral activity. It is hoped that the findings from this study will aid in the selection and cultivation of a wider body of quality pedagogical choral repertoire designed to meet the unique physiological, neurological, and sociological needs of early adolescent males.
