Real boys don't sing high.Bedford, Texas Bedford is a suburban city located in northeast Tarrant County, Texas in the "mid-cities" area between Dallas and Fort Worth. The population was 48,390 as of a 2005 census estimate. Bedford is part of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District. , high school senior Mikhael Rawls has earned several distinctions for his singing ability, including first place in the University Interscholastic in·ter·scho·las·tic adj. Existing or conducted between or among schools. in  ter·scho·las League's competition for two consecutive
years. But when music college recruiters come to his school next year,
they won't hear Rawls's soaring vocals.
That's because Rawls, 17, is a natural soprano soprano [Ital.,=above], female voice of highest pitch. The three basic types of solo soprano are coloratura, lyric, and dramatic. The coloratura has a great range and impressive vocal agility; the lyric soprano has a light, pretty voice; and the dramatic soprano has , and the Texas Music Educators Association Texas Music Educators Association, or TMEA, is an organization of over 9,000 Texas school music educators united by common goals. It provides many major music competitions for different levels. prohibits boys from singing in that range. So he can't join the all-state choir. The music association is rejecting Rawls "not because he doesn't sing well," says Riki Wilchins Riki Wilchins is an activist whose work has focused on issues of gender as it impacts many Americans: straight and gay; male, female and transgender; white and of-color; youth and elder. , executive director for the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition. "It's because he is a boy." The association began prohibiting boys from singing alto or soprano and girls from singing tenor or bass about two years ago. Rawls, who sings an octave and a half higher than most boys his age, said he was "strongly disappointed" with the decision but still plans to pursue a college degree in vocal performance. |
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