Fever when you kiss me: An examination of the ethical issues surrounding the inclusion of sexualised music repertoire in Australian contemporary singing syllabi

Children's music education in Australia has traditionally been structured around the syllabus offerings of various examination authorities such as the Australian Music Examinations Board. The often-mandated music repertoire presented by these syllabi form the basis of many Australian children's practical music education. The emergence of contemporary popular music as a repertoire focus for some syllabi raises issues related to the exposure of children to sexualised music repertoire. Through an examination of syllabus documentation, analysis of the lyrics, imagery and musical gesture associated with music mandated by said syllabi, and through interviews with examiners, this paper examines the stance taken by the relevant examination authorities with regard to their duty of care over underage students accessing their syllabi; the extent to which sexualised music repertoire is included in selected Australian contemporary singing syllabi; and the intersections between the selection of repertoire and student presentation at examination. This paper concludes by positing the need for an overt ethical framework to inform the provision of syllabi that include sexualised music content where there is a reasonable expectation on the part of examination authorities that said syllabi are routinely used to shape the teaching of singing to children.