Investigating the community choir

  • Elizabeth Slottje

Western Sydney University thesis: Master's thesis

Abstract

Community singing appears to be a modern growing phenomenon (Tattam 2003). This study is interested in the reasons why people choose to join community choirs and why they sing at all. The areas under investigation include the personal, social and educational aspects of community choir activity. Linked to this is the investigation about the level of musical ability which is necessary for a group of people to begin a community choir. It is apparent from the research in this area that this growing trend of musical expression in the Australian population is being activated by a level of musical engagement accessible to all sectors of the community, and that the rewards are more ethereal than easily quantifiable. The personal aspect of belonging to a community choir under scrutiny looks at the play/fun, empowerment, health and spiritual areas of community choir life; the social incorporates community, political and cultural perspectives; and the educational views enquire into issues such as musical training and technical skill development. The study looks into the reasons why people sing, as this is an activity which in modern industrial western societies has largely been relegated to the 'gifted' and all others who engage in this activity are either favourably or otherwise compared to the paragons held up by a consumer culture. The research also aims to reveal more about why people join community choirs, as interest grows in this western cultural form of musical engagement.
Date of Award2004
Original languageEnglish

Keywords

  • choirs
  • community music
  • music
  • social aspects
  • singing

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