Music Versus Sport: What’s the Score

Abstract

Australian schools perpetuate systems that support hegemonic masculinity by which women and nontraditional males are dis-empowered and subordinated. This is often achieved through the rewarding of success in sports and traditionally masculine academic areas such as maths and sciences. Simultaneously, success in the arts is often marginalized. For boys, particularly those in the middle schooling years (ages 11 to 13), this can have an effect on whether boys participate in music at all. For those who do participate, the range of activities can be limited by the social acceptability of their instrument or preferred musical style. In many schools, there is an unhealthy divide between music and sport. This article examines the relationship between sport and music and offers some insights based on recent research.