Exploring Student Learning and Leadership through a University-Community Choral Initiative

Abstract

Within a rapidly changing higher education landscape, there is an increased need for universities to look beyond their ‘ivory towers’ and into their surrounding communities in preparing students for the ‘real world’. Findings from an Irish case study explore a children's choral university-community initiative within an urban area of socio-economic disadvantage. The choral initiative involved 14 student volunteers and 150 children. Qualitative research, carried out over two years, involved student focus group interviews and reflective surveys. The research illuminates the multifaceted nature of the learning experience for students and examines to what extent such an initiative can build choral leadership capacity to work in school and community settings.

Voice of Ireland? Children and music within asylum seeker accommodation

“…They are thrilled to do this in the group. (RL,workshop 2) Fatima singles herself out here as the "other" amongst a choir of 150 children, despite the choir being quite racially and socially diverse (see Kenny, 2018;Kenny, Bourke, & Ní Chonduín, 2016). The asylum seeker identification as "one from Knockalisheen" is thus most striking as is the relief and joy at not being as alone in this association as originally perceived.…”

Secondary choral students’ and preservice music educators’ perceptions of a service-learning experience in the United States: An action research study

“…Preservice music educators (PMEs) have reported that authentic teaching experiences in primary and secondary schools helped prepare them for a career in music education (Teachout, 1997; Conway, 2002; Kenny, 2018) and had lasting positive impacts on their development as teachers (Conway, 2012; Bartolome, 2017). When examining seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grade (aged 12–14 years) band students’ perceptions of an authentic teaching experience with PMEs, Kruse (2012) found that students perceived the experience as generally positive, but they also reported challenges such as ‘instructional clarity and low affect’ (p. 68).…”

“…In music education, researchers have found that PMEs benefited from service-learning experiences (Reynolds & Conway, 2003; Burton & Reynolds, 2009; Bartolome, 2013). For example, PMEs have reported that service-learning experiences improved their ability to: (a) provide student-centred instruction (Sindberg, 2020), (b) build relationships and connect with primary students aged 9–12 years (Kenny, 2018), and (c) identify personal biases and engage with students from cultures and demographics with which they were unfamiliar (Forrester, 2019). Therefore, service-learning experiences might foster the development of teacher/student rapport that are difficult to engender through in-class lectures or peer-teaching exercises (Forrester, 2019; Sindberg, 2020).…”

Musician-Teacher Collaborations: Altering the Chord by Catherina Christophersen & Ailbhe Kenny (Eds.), 2018. Milton, UK: Routledge. 276 pp, Pbk, £37.99, ISBN: 978-1138631601

“…This comprehensive international volume, edited by Catherina Christophersen and Ailbhe Kenny (2018), is essential reading for musicians, teachers and researchers who are working, or wish to work, collaboratively in educational settings.…”

“…As Bresler notes in the opening, this is a burgeoning area of research. Indeed, collaborative practice forms the backdrop in several recent BJME articles (inter alia Viig, 2019;Rodríguez-Sánchez, Odena, & Cabedo-Mas, 2018;Kenny, 2018;Baker, Bull, & Taylor, 2018). This timely volume is divided into three sections: Critical Insights, Crossing Boundaries and Working Towards Partnership, each with an emphasis on theoretical frameworks, challenges around such initiatives and empirical studies, respectively.…”