The purpose of this collective case study was to explore the significance of choral singing for
choristers and conductors participating in a national extra-curricular schools choral singing
programme in South Africa. Understanding the experiences of choristers and conductors can
contribute to principals, administrators of singing programmes, parents and conductors
supporting choral singing activities. The method of inquiry was a qualitative collective case
study with probing semi-structured open-ended questions to better understand the value and
meaning of choral singing. Sampling comprised six purposefully chosen choirs, consisting of
three primary and three secondary schools, portraying the unique socio-economic environment
found in an agricultural rural town in central South Africa. Twenty-five participants were carefully
selected, including 19 choristers and 6 conductors, 9 males and 16 females aged between 10
and 62 years. Eight themes emerged, namely choir singing as a way of living, music-related
experiences, learning, growth, bridging, bonding and belonging, wellbeing, the latter including
resilience, self-worth, positive affect, and singers’ spiritual experiences. Suggestions for further
research include relationships of choral singing with full personhood and spiritual experiences.
Certain physical aspects related to rehearsals, specifically regarding fatigue and back pain after
standing through long rehearsals, could be investigated further. / MA (Musicology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/15371 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Louw, Carin Henrize |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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