Myles McLean is a PhD student in Ethnomusicology (Gender Studies Cognate) and a Teaching Assistant at the University of North Texas. He earned his Bachelor of Music, Master of Science in Management, and Master of Music in Percussion Performance (Ethnomusicology Cognate) from the University of Florida. During his time at UF, he served as a graduate assistant to Dr. Kenneth Broadway, directing the Guatemalan Marimba Ensemble while assisting Percussion Methods courses and various ensembles. For his Ethnomusicology Cognate under Dr. Larry Crook, Myles explored notions of instrument identity and performance context, focusing on the treatment of the Afro-Brazilian berimbau in concert hall settings. After completing his Master of Music, Myles served as an adjunct professor at Santa Fe College, where he taught Music-Cultures of the World and Music Appreciation courses. While there, he began using research as advocacy for transgender musicians. Emphasizing ethnography to directly amplify trans voices, he has explored career concerns unique to transgender musicians while also developing techniques to relieve gender dysphoria through music performance. He is active in the transgender music research community, recently presenting at Harvard University, the Transgender Voices Festival, and the Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference. In his PhD studies, Myles intends to expand into international advocacy, working with transgender musicians in Cuba and Brazil. With this advocacy, he aims to uncover tacit understandings of gender within various music-cultures.