Songs of Resistance: A Singer’s Approach to “The AIDS Quilt Songbook” presents the results of a comprehensive analysis of the music of the 1993 songbook, which I have condensed into a performer’s guide to help undergraduate singers confidently navigate the complicated and beautiful music in the collection. This analysis provides detailed information on the challenging musical and textural elements of each song. In addition, it serves as a tool that expands access to contemporary art songs that tell queer-focused stories. The overall goal of this poster presentation is to increase engagement with the AIDS Quilt Songbook in undergraduate studios.
Acknowledging the musical challenges particular to the contemporary American art song genre, the performer’s guide provides insight into the skills required to successfully prepare and perform each piece. The rubric is structurally derived from the five key factors introduced by Carol Kimball in Song: A Guide to Art Song Style and Literature (2026, Hal Leonard): melody, harmony, rhythm, accompaniment, and text. With undergraduate singers in mind, each of the five factors was evaluated and rated on a scale of 0-100, accompanied by explanations that contextualize the numbers. The category ratings were also averaged to yield an overall accessibility rating for each piece. Songs were broadly grouped into “beginner,” “intermediate,” and “advanced” subgroups to help singers (or their teachers) target their initial engagement with the songbook and quickly identify the pieces best suited to their stage of development.
Exploring the repertoire in the AIDS Quilt Songbook in the undergraduate voice studio promotes diversity in art song repertoire selection, allows for LGBTQ+ singers to feel seen in their repertoire, and is an excellent option for introductory experiences within the contemporary American art song genre. This poster will provide an overview of the rubric and grading system that I created along with detailed musical examples from each of the three broad categories (beginner, intermediate, advanced). The poster will also provide a QR code link to the full performer’s guide so that conference attendees can pursue this topic in further depth following the event.