What Happens When People Sing? A Community of Voices: An Investigation of the Effects of Belonging to a Choir

Abstract

This is the story of people who come together regularly to sing; a community of singers who partake in a meaningful artmaking experience. Why do people spend time and money on arts activities when current economic and educational values suggest that other pursuits are more worthy? What can be learned about engagement in arts experiences from this group? Literature and research inform us that the arts are a means of knowing and learning; that they contribute to a culture of permanence; and that they are a means of connecting humans to the world beyond. This study is designed to get at the heart of the experience of the individual singer who belongs to a specific choir. Case study, grounded theory, and narrative inquiry methods were employed, using the ethnographic tools of the video and audio recorded field events, the recorded and transcribed interview, recorded and transcribed focus group interviews, field notes, and questionnaires. The individual voices of the participants were captured, studied, and analyzed, and conclusions in the form of hypotheses were introduced. The data presented themselves in a matrix of layers and clusters. The study revealed that participants viewed their participation in the choir as Community, Self-Identity, Means of Restoration and Healing, and Means of Developing Discernment and

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