Choral Pedagogy and the Construction of Identity

Abstract

This chapter examines how theories of identity construction can usefully inform choral praxis. It starts with an outline of key concepts in theories of identity and how they can help us understand the processes by which choirs inculcate their members into their particular choral culture. It then examines three areas particularly salient for the choral leader. The first is the phenomenon of “non-singers”: how they emerge as a by-product of western cultural discourses, and what can be done to rehabilitate them. The second is the interpenetration of social and musical identity categories: how elements we may think of as “purely” musical are constructed in terms of wider social categories, including the habitus of the cultural environment, and the implications for how we frame the choral techniques we use. The third is the relationship between individual and group: how an ensemble establishes a corporate, supra-personal identity, and ways to facilitate this.

The development of excellence in high school choirs: a collective case study of three advanced ensembles

“…what Bourdieu (1984) referred to as "fields." A lifestyle sector may be separate from the wider culture in which it is found, but still embedded in it (L. Garnett, 2017).…”

“…If the national or cultural context in which choirs operate is an absolute determinant of excellence, such transfer could only be to other highly developed choral cultures. The already discussed notion of lifestyle sectors (L. Garnett, 2017) suggests that excellence can and will flourish within communities that themselves do not necessarily model choral excellence. Hence, a choir may still thrive and demonstrate high levels of expertise, even if it functions where national culture does not support the existence of a choral culture.…”