PERMANENT SEMINAR OF THE RESEARCH GROUP ON ETHNOMUSICOLOGY AND STUDIES IN POPULAR MUSIC
22.01.2025 | 3:00 PM | NOVA FCSH, Colégio Almada Negreiros, Campolide (Lisbon) | Room 208 - Floor 2 | Zoom Room
“Partir a loiça”: jazz, gender and performance in a Conservatory
Beatriz Nunes | INET-md / NOVA FCSH
The inclusion of jazz education in 2010 within Portugal’s public system marked a significant milestone: the formalization of a curriculum, the recognition of academic degrees by the Ministry of Education, and the provision of free, decentralized access to learning this musical genre. However, these vocational programs reveal a profound gender imbalance, remaining dominantly male. There is also a clear gendered division of musical roles: instrumental practice is predominantly associated with male students, while female students are almost limited to vocal practice. This reality is mirrored in the professional artistic scene, particularly in concert and festival programming, where the representation of women and men remains unequal. Given that music education can serve as a gateway to subsequent representation in the professional and artistic scenes, it is particularly important to understand how gender constructions and dynamics influence the participation of male and female students. Through ethnographic research conducted within the jazz program at the Conservatory of Music in Coimbra, I propose an analysis and reflection on the discourses and perceptions of masculinity and femininity as they relate to the musical practices of male and female students. I aim to explore how these discourses shape students' choices and influence their performative development. The relevance of this investigation lies in the need to question how music education can either reproduce or challenge traditional gender roles, contributing to a broader discussion on the promotion of equity, diversity, and inclusion in music education.
Beatriz Nunes | Born in 1988 in Barreiro, Portugal, is a vocalist, composer, and dedicated academic. She holds a bachelor's degree in Jazz from the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, a master's degree in Music Education from the same institution, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology at Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Her research focuses on jazz, gender, and performance, contributing significantly to academic discourse in these areas. Beatriz has published several scholarly works, including the article "Victims No More: How Women and Non-Binary Musicians Are Collaborating for Gender Justice in Jazz" in the Routledge Companion to Jazz and Gender, and a co-authored study with José Dias titled Festa do Jazz: A Case Study on Gender (Im)balance in Portuguese Jazz, published in the Jazz Research Journal. In parallel to her academic career, Beatriz remains active in the Portuguese jazz scene, performing internationally and contributing to collaborative artistic projects.
