Developing Engagement and Participation in a Community Choir: A Music Education Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/4fhnee56Keywords:
Community choir, adult learning, rehearsal design, practice-as-research, engagement, Singapore.Abstract
This study looks at how teaching strategies and rehearsal structures in adult community choirs within Singapore's multicultural socio-cultural context shape participant engagement, learning motivation and sense of belonging. A Practice-as-Research (PaR) framework is used, with a focus on a four-week adult community choir project built around the Cantonese pop song Hong Ri, ending in a large-scale Buddhist community performance. Data were gathered through rehearsal observations, video recordings, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews with 20 choir members and expert practitioner interviews, all reviewed through thematic cross-referencing. It was found that rehearsal designs bringing together psychological safety, graduated skill demand and collaborative participation can support growth in musical ability, performance confidence and social connection among adult choral singers. The study adds to growing practice-based knowledge in community music pedagogy and can offer transferable insights for educators working in inclusive adult learning environments.
Downloads
References
[1] Higgins, L. (2012). Community music: In theory and in practice. Oxford University Press.
[2] Balsnes, A. N. (2016). Singing in community: Identity and belonging in choral participation. International Journal of Community Music, 9(3), 225–240. https://doi.org/10.1386/ijcm.9.3.225_1
[3] Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The what and why of goal pursuits: Human needs and self-determination. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
[4] Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row.
[5] Brookfield, S. D. (2013). Powerful techniques for teaching adults. Jossey-Bass.
[6] Clift, S., & Hancox, G. (2010). The significance of choral singing for sustaining psychological wellbeing: Findings from a survey of choristers in England, Australia and Germany. Music Performance Research, 3, 79–96.
[7] Jorgensen, E. R. (2008). The art of teaching music. Indiana University Press.
[8] Elliott, D. J., & Silverman, M. (2015). Music matters: A philosophy of music education (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
[9] Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1006/cedp.1999.1020
[10] Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.
[11] Nelson, R. (2013). Practice as research in the arts: Principles, protocols, pedagogies, resistances. Palgrave Macmillan.
[12] Smith, H., & Dean, R. (2009). Practice-led research, research-led practice in the creative arts. Edinburgh University Press.
[13] Hallam, S. (2015). The power of music: A research synthesis of the impact of actively making music on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. UCL Institute of Education.
[14] Weinstein, D., Launay, J., Pearce, E., Dunbar, R. I. M., & Stewart, L. (2016). Singing and social bonding: Changes in connectivity and pain threshold as a function of group size. Evolution and Human Behavior, 37(2), 152–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2015.10.004
[15] Nolen, S. B., Horn, I. S., & Ward, C. J. (2015). Situating motivation. Educational Psychologist, 50(3), 234–247. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2015.1039237
[16] Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
[17] National Arts Council (NAC). (2023). Population survey on the arts. National Arts Council, Singapore.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Academic Journal of Management and Social Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
