Community choir: what motivates people to join, stay, and sing. A mixed method research study

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Wilson_Sarah_MEd_2011.pdf (1.62 MB)

Date

2011-08-24

Authors

Wilson, Sarah

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Abstract

The purpose of this mixed method research study was to gain insight into choir members’ motivation for joining and continuing to participate in a particular British Columbia community choir. The researcher used a specially-developed questionnaire to survey the population of the community choir, and performed case studies of five selected choir members using semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire included four sections: a demographic profile of the community choir singers; musical background and experience; self-evaluation results with respect to musical and choral ability; and a Choral Music Participation Inventory (CMPI). Frequency tables were developed and cross-tabular analysis was performed to further understand the demographic composition of the community choir. The questionnaires revealed a community choir that is 66% female, predominantly older (all over the age of 40 with most being 61-70 years of age), and very highly educated (almost half of the members have completed graduate school). The five semi-structured interviews revolved around the two research questions: “What motivated you to participate in this Community Choir?” and “Why do you continue to participate in this Community Choir?” In addition to the CMPI themes, other emergent themes were identified and coded. Cross-case analysis revealed that the interviewees were motivated to participate due to the influence of past music experience, fun during choir rehearsals and performance, personal values, such as interest in developing music reading and vocal skills, and social interaction opportunities afforded by choir participation. Suggestions for future research are provided based on the key findings of this study.

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Keywords

community, choir, music, education, mixed method, interview, motivation, adult, case study, questionnaire, cross-case analysis

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URI

http://hdl.handle.net/1828/3499

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MEd Projects (Curriculum and Instruction)
 
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