Aim of the research: This essay describes what can happen between the singers in a choral voice and how the individuals differ in taking initiative and acting in leading roles. Method: I have done qualitative interview studies with conductors and singers, and also recording studies. The recording sessions have been done in following choir rehearsals in a Swedish upper secondary school, and with a simultaneous video recording to be able to also take notice on eventual visual signs between the singers. With close up headworn microphones and by multi track recordings it have been possible through an analyzing program to watch graphically exactly how each individual sings and to compare the singers with each other. The recordings and analyses have been done using Cubase5 and Variaudio with printouts of the same sequence of the music the single voices in the same choral voice. Results: My informants all speak of formal and informal leaders in the choral voice. Many of them also talk about these leaders as leading the choral voice and also with their personal voice and timbre, give color to others. It is possible to graphically view differences in attacks and intonation, and also to notice when someone is ahead and “pulling” others to follow. This leading role can be both positive and negative, a confident but not so good singer can unfortunately bring along other singers to take wrong steps in the music.

This research concerns the design of a multiple-media study package for sight-singing and how national standards for sight-singing can be realised by using this study package. Sight-singing is a skill which can be of great value for singers, choristers and other musicians. Unfortunately this skill has been sadly neglected in South African schools. The result is that a great percentage of society (and in particular, choristers) is not able to read music and then sing it. The researchers is responsible for sight-singing tuition at the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir School, which is the only choir school in South Africa. The ages of new choristers vary from 9 to 13 years and there is a considerable variation in their music backgrounds. It is therefore essential that every learner can work at his own pace to master sight-singing. The author did research on this subject to compile a sight-singing programme which will enable learners to reach a high standard of sight-singing while progressing at their own pace. By making a study of relevant literature, the author gathered information on sight-singing, reading, communication, educational media as well as Outcomes-Based Education and instructional design. The author formulated criteria for a sight-singing programme and for the use of educational media in such a programme. These criteria are used to evaluate seven different sight-singing programmes. The evaluation indicated to the researcher how other authors approached the subject. He identified the strong and weak points of every programme. The researcher designed a multiple-media study package for sight-singing according to Dick and Carey’s systems approach model for designing instruction (1996). The study package consists of a workbook, a textbook and two audio CDs. The author did action research by using the study package to teach sight-singing to the new choristers at the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir School. Various problems in the study package became clear while using it for teaching. The study package was amended a number of times to eliminate the shortcomings. This research indicates that sight-singing is not only possible when a competent teacher is present. Students can learn sight-singing independently by using a multiple-media programme. / Thesis (DMus)--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Music / unrestricted

It is a feature of present-day schooling, in South Africa and abroad, that music teachers are expected to organise and direct vocal ensemble activities, for example, yet adequate preparation provided in higher education courses for this role that the school music teacher has to fulfil, seems lacking. The purpose of this study is to compile a knowledge base that will enable the planning and development of a choral conducting curriculum, for use in South African tertiary institutions. The curriculum should be aimed at aspirant teachers in primary and secondary schools and community leaders who are culturally aware and who have a responsibility and interest in the choral field. Choral conducting as a recognised subject of an undergraduate study package is a relatively new academic field in South Africa. The envisaged curriculum needs to enhance the proficiency of choral conducting students within an educational context. The thesis is presented in five chapters of which Chapter 1 represents the background to the study, Chapter 5 summarises the study with recommendations and a conclusion, whilst Chapters 2 – 4 constitute the greater part of the research. Chapter 2 – Towards a definition of an effective conductor, offers a perspective on the various roles of conductors and investigates the nature of the art of choral conducting in order to move towards a definition of an effective conductor. In Chapter 3 – Current choral conducting curricula, the present situation with regards to choral conducting curricula in Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Philippines, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States of America is discussed. Chapter 4 – Choral conducting skills, examines the knowledge and skills that ought to be part of a choral conductor's proficiency. The meaning of each component and its characteristics are discussed. The primary method of research was the review of literature in order to acquire an in-depth understanding of the theme under investigation. The researcher also used the Internet as source of information on national and international choral conducting curricula. / Dissertation (DMus)--University of Pretoria / Music / unrestricted

Esta dissertação trata da formação e atualização de identidades de “descendentes de alemães” católicos (dimensão étnica e religiosa) através/a partir da prática de canto coral na região da encosta da serra gaúcha no Rio Grande do Sul, mais especificamente sobre as pessoas fazendo música e criando significados para a sua prática musical em municípios conhecidos pela história da imigração alemã – Dois Irmãos e Morro Reuter. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi estudar a construção destas práticas musicais a partir do entendimento de seus atores sociais e da experiência do encontro etnográfico, tendo como problema de pesquisa compreender como estes constroem e agenciam a sua prática musical em diferentes espaços de circulação. Através de uma etnografia da música, esta pesquisa desconstrói a ideia de senso comum de que somente os luteranos seriam teutos autênticos e evidencia que são possíveis outras configurações e combinações. “Coralistas católicos” também acionam uma identidade étnica teuto-brasileira na relação com “o outro” e destacam traços de etnicidade através de sua prática musical e de seus repertórios e discursos. Contudo, neste universo onde esses grupos de “descendentes de alemães” interagem com instituições onde são acionadas “estratégias” e “táticas” eles nem sempre são considerados parceiros ou colaboradores dentro das políticas voltadas ao turismo do projeto da “encantadora tradição germânica”. / This paper deals with the formation and updating of identities "descendants of Germans" Catholics (ethnic dimension and religious dimension) through / from the practice of choral singing in Encosta da Serra Gaúcha region in Rio Grande do Sul, more specifically about people making music and creating meanings for their musical practice in cities known for their history of German immigration – Dois Irmãos and Morro Reuter. The objective of this research is to study the construction of these musical practices from understanding their social actors and the experience of ethnographic encounter, having as research problem to understand how they construct and manage their musical practice in different areas of circulation. Through ethnography of music, this research deconstructs the common sense idea that only Lutherans would be authentic Teutons, and evidences that other configurations and combinations are possible. "Catholic Choristers" also trigger German-Brazilian ethnic identity in relation to "the other" and highlight traces of ethnicity through their musical practice and their repertoires and discourses. However, in such universe where these "descendants of Germans" groups interact with institutions in which are driven "strategies" and "tactics" they are not always considered partners or contributors within the policies aimed to the "Charming German Tradition" tourism project.

Singing in choirs is one of the most common hobbies in Sweden and different sorts of choral singing has been organized in Sweden for over 200 years. The tradition of choral singing stems from church, school, universities, communities and different sorts of movements, but like every society and all music, the Swedish culture of choral singing has been through a lot of changes due to social, economic, political and technological changes in both the Swedish society, Western Europe and the world as a whole. Swedish choral singing today consists of a wide spread of different sorts of choirs focusing on different music and genres but also on different purposes. Except for being a music activity, choir singing is a way to meet new people, be part of something and also a resource for happiness and wellbeing. This has given ground to new types of choirs that want to use the communal feeling of making music together as a way to bring together people that might not had met otherwise. Since the 1970s, Sweden has been an immigration land and in the so called refugee crisis in 2015 over 160,000 people sought for asylum permits due to having to leave their countries because of war, political conflicts and poverty. This, and the long history of accepting refugees, has turned Sweden into a country characterized by multiculturalism. In order to help with integration, different project has started to create places where immigrants can meet other swedes. Some of these projects are the integration choirs that seeks to create a place where immigrants and swedes meet through singing, and the singing also becomes a way to learn the Swedish language and about Swedish culture. In this study I seek to find how the choral singing can help people integrate and what function the music has for that purpose. I look to four different choirs, where two are coined integration choirs and two represent choirs in the pop music spectra. I study how the choral singing becomes integrating and what happens with the Swedish choral tradition in the meeting of new cultures. I take an ethnomusicologic approach and follow out a music culture analysis by using participant observations and interviews to find answers. The results show that choral singing can help with integration, not only by being a way to learn the language, but more importantly because of musics power to bring people together, and this way of using choral singing is actually not something new. But there is a new society that needs it. The result also presents an opportunity for future research and gives a starting point for how this sort of knowledge could be applied in more choirs to help with issues of integration and segregation.

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In the world today, Concert Halls for Symphony Orchestra and Choir are generally â enclosed performance spacesâ that are completely cut-off from the outside: Whether itâ s a time of daylight or moonlight, rain or shine, summer or winter, spring or autumn, the environment within remains the same all the time. I asked the question: â What if a concert hall offers views outside?â To be more specific, the question is: â What if a concert hall offers views outside through the use of glass, along with other building materials, despite the fact that glass offers lower reflectivity and lower transmission loss for lower frequencies of sound, compared to certain other materials?â Hence the title: Interaction of Low Frequency Sound with Glass and other Building Materials in the Design of a Concert Hall for Symphony Orchestra and Choir. / Master of Architecture