Building Community Choirs in the Twenty-First Century

Re-imagining Identity through Singing in Northern Ireland

Sarah-Jane Gibson (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

175 Seiten

2023
Intellect Books (Verlag)
978-1-78938-796-4 (ISBN)

Artikel merken

This book explores how five diverse community choirs build their collective identity within the complex setting of Northern Ireland. The case studies investigate the ways in which singers engage in their choral practice and demonstrates how this engagement can move beyond sectarian identity constructs. 16 b/w illus.

This book explores how five community choirs construct and imagine collective identity formations in Northern Ireland. Original insight is provided through ethnographic research conducted between 2013-2018. Working with five choirs in disparate locations, with different repertoires and demographics resulted in the creation of an integrated comparison that drew out both diversity and commonalities of approach revealing the malleability of choral practice.

The research is framed through communities of practice, a theory of learning through engaging with other people in a common endeavour. Research findings demonstrate how choirs re-imagine identity through the manner in which they organise, rehearse, and perform. Choirs develop a distinct choral identity and ethos highlighting both the musical and social importance of the community of practice. Research suggests that choirs re-imagine multiple conceptions of identities within their groups, including gender, later age, religious faith, inclusivity and ethnic diversity, that can both influence broader structures of community in the region, and be influenced by them.

Community choral practice in Northern Ireland is under-researched. As such this book provides unique insight into how members of community choirs are attempting to transcend sectarian boundaries through their practice, developing academic understandings of identity formation, community music-making and choral practice.

Sarah-Jane Gibson is a music lecturer at York St John University in York, England where she also works as a research associate within the International Centre for Community Music (ICCM). Her research interest is in intercultural understanding through music-making.

Musical Examples

List of Tables

List of Figures

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations

1. Introduction

2. Conceptualizing ‘The Choir’

3. Organization: The Donaghadee Community Choir

4. Rehearsals: The Nada Choir

5. Performance: The Open Arts Community Choir

6. Sustainability: The Queen’s Island and Victoria Male Choir

7. Ethos: Féile Women’s Singing Group

8. Re-imagining Identity through Singing

Appendix 1: Choirs Located in Northern Ireland in 2016

Appendix 2: Musical Repertoire of the Five Choirs

Bibliography

Index

Erscheinungsdatum	28.04.2023
Reihe/Serie	Music, Community, and Education
Zusatzinfo	2 Tables, black and white; 3 Maps; 11 Halftones, black and white
Sprache	englisch
Maße	170 x 244 mm
Gewicht	513 g
Themenwelt	Kunst / Musik / Theater ► Musik ► Klassik / Oper / Musical
	Kunst / Musik / Theater ► Musik ► Musiktheorie / Musiklehre
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Ethnologie
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Pädagogik
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
ISBN-10	1-78938-796-5 / 1789387965
ISBN-13	978-1-78938-796-4 / 9781789387964
Zustand	Neuware