In a pursuit where females far outnumber males, concern exists that females are being devalued in choral programs. To investigate this concern, I examined attitudes of high school choral singers and their directors. Attitudes of female choral singers may be negatively affected by neglect as choral educators focus attention on males, the stigma of the treble clef choir as a second-place ensemble, and the gender imbalance that exists in mixed choirs. The purpose of this mixed methods study is to determine student and choral educator perceptions of and their attitudes toward treble clef choral ensembles within the state of Iowa. Several research questions were addressed: (1) What curricular choral ensembles exist in high schools in the state of Iowa? (2) How do girls perceive choral educators' attitudes toward male and female choral students? (3) How does participation in treble clef choir compare to female experiences in mixed choir? (4) How do choral students perceive the challenge and prestige of treble clef choir compared to mixed choir? (5) What role, if any, does the status of a treble clef ensemble as auditioned or non-auditioned play in attitude formation? (6) How do choral educators' perceptions of and interactions with their treble clef ensembles compare to those of the mixed choir?

A survey of choral educators in high school choral programs in the state of Iowa was conducted to determine what types choirs comprise their curricular offerings. Each was asked to describe the gender distribution and status as audition or non-auditioned for each of the curricular choirs in their program. One of the survey questions requested continued participation in the study. If willing, choral educators were asked to encourage a volunteer sample of their male and female high school singers to complete online surveys. The survey of students gathered attitudes toward and their perceptions of treble clef choirs.

Four choral educators were contacted to host site visits. At each school, five students and their choral educator(s) were interviewed concerning their perceptions of and attitudes toward the treble clef choir. During these site visits, I also observed rehearsals in order to compare the atmosphere of mixed choir and treble clef choir rehearsals as well as collect data regarding the behaviors directed toward males and females in those rehearsals.

Results supported the existence of a stigma toward treble clef choirs as second-place ensembles. A majority of students surveyed and interviewed chose the mixed choir as their preferred ensemble in which to sing. Auditioned choir members saw the treble clef choir as being even less prestigious than did the non-auditioned choir members. Though almost all girls agreed the competition for females to be members of mixed ensembles is far greater, well over half saw their male counterparts as musical equals. Choral educators and both male and female students agreed there exists a lack of focus and effort from males in the choral rehearsal. Still, no female subjects mentioned feeling ignored or taken for granted. No subjects felt as though choral educators placed higher expectations for behavior and performance on females.