UQ Voices: Building a Community Choir for International Students Following the Global Pandemic

Abstract

International university students in Australia were among the most marginalised during the COVID-19 pandemic due to travel and physical distancing restrictions, a lack of government financial support, and a rise in xenophobia. Choir singing promotes social connectedness and a sense of belonging, and these effects may be particularly evident among marginalised individuals. There have been some studies of university choirs including multicultural university choirs, but none so far conducted in the context of the pandemic and its aftermath. To address this knowledge gap, this study examined how a choir for international students was developed to promote social connections and build a sense of community for members following the lifting of COVID restrictions and the return of international students to Australian universities. The study used participatory observation by five choir leaders from the disciplines of music education, teaching of English as a second language, an international student, music psychology, and clinical psychology, together with a content analysis of written feedback from 76 choir members (77% female, mean age = 25 years, from 20 countries) about their experiences as they joined the choir. The process of promotion and recruiting members for the choir, principles and musical methods, the digital systems used, and the shared leadership approach were described. The content analysis of feedback about the positives and the challenges revealed four themes: social effects (make new friends, be part of a team, sense of belonging), leadership (creating a great atmosphere, welcoming, the teachers’ qualities), emotional effects (feel relaxed, happy, stress relief, fun) and new learning (English language skills, music/singing skills). Social and emotional effects were more commonly mentioned in the positive feedback while the new learning theme appeared commonly in the challenges (e.g., difficulties following conversations, learning lyrics, learning new songs). The study shows preliminary evidence that choir singing is an innovative way to develop student social and community connections across institutional, cultural and language divides.

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