Music Education Research

ISSN: 1461-3808 (Print) 1469-9893 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cmue20

Exploring student experiences of belonging within

an urban high school choral ensemble: an action
research study

Elizabeth Cassidy Parker

To cite this article: Elizabeth Cassidy Parker (2010) Exploring student experiences of belonging
within an urban high school choral ensemble: an action research study, Music Education Research,
12:4, 339-352, DOI: 10.1080/14613808.2010.519379

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2010.519379

Published online: 17 Dec 2010.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 1620

View related articles

Citing articles: 3 View citing articles

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=cmue20
Music Education Research
Vol. 12, No. 4, December 2010, 339
352

Exploring student experiences of belonging within an urban high school

choral ensemble: an action research study
Elizabeth Cassidy Parker*

Interdepartmental Area of Education Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA

(Received 9 January 2009; final version received 15 January 2010)

The purpose of this action research study was to describe adolescent singers’
experiences of belonging within one urban high school choral ensemble. Under-
standing student perspectives on belonging within music ensembles can assist
choral educators, parents and administrators in order to more fully support
adolescent emotional and social development in school. Tenth through twelfth
grade students were selected from one northeastern high school choral programme
in a large city within the USA. Twenty-six participants, in small groups of three to
four students each, were asked to describe their experiences of belonging within the
ensemble. Interview data were open, descriptively and analytically coded. Codes
were gathered into categories. Five themes were developed, including choral
experience as uncompetitive, sectional bonding as social bonding, singing as shared
experience, chorus as safe space and trips as pivotal bonding experiences.
Suggestions for future research include examining student belonging as part of
choral teacher practices, studying school choral participation as stress reduction
and investigating social belonging as embedded within group singing environments.
Keywords: action research; choral music; adolescent belonging; social development;
adolescent bonding; qualitative

Introduction
School communities exist in a variety of contexts. Students build social ties to one
another on sports teams, in clubs and in musical groups. In the performing arts, student
communities live in musical groups and drama clubs. This is the context where students
belong (Osterman 2000). Though experiences of belonging and community are
important to healthy overall development in adolescence (Fredericks and Eccles
2006; Newman, Lohman, and Newman 2007; Newman and Newman 1976), many
youths struggle with alienation and isolation that carry negative consequences (Hall-
Lande et al. 2007). Alienated teenagers have higher incidents of dropping out of school
as well as an increase in psychological and behavioural problems (Altenbaugh, Engel,
and Martin 1995). Furthermore, students drop out of school not because of problems
at home but because of social isolation and academic failure at school (Elliott and Voss
1974). While ‘being part of a supportive network reduces stress . . . being deprived
of stable and supportive relationships has far-reaching negative consequences’
(Osterman 2000). Adolescents with weak peer relationships have higher incidence of
depression and suicide (Hall-Lande et al. 2007; Rutter and Behrendt 2004).

*Email: [email protected]
ISSN 1461-3808 print/ISSN 1469-9893 online
# 2010 Taylor & Francis
DOI: 10.1080/14613808.2010.519379
http://www.informaworld.com
340 E.C. Parker

In this study, social belonging is defined as an individual’s desire to participate

and interact with the community (Hylton 1981). It is important to differentiate
membership and belonging as one can hold membership within an ensemble without
experiencing feelings of belonging (Newman, Lohman, and Newman 2007). In music
ensembles, the belonging that one experiences results in the desire to interact and
participate in music-making with others. Definitions of community encompass
belonging, but include additional aspects. McMillan and Chavis (1986) propose that
community consists of four elements: membership, influence, integration and
fulfilment of needs and a shared emotional connection. Again, it is important to
note here that membership is one piece of their definition. Other aspects that
comprise community include a shared emotional connection as well as the give and
take of relationships between individuals.
Past research on belonging within school communities has focused on caring
communities and schools as places of sanctuary for students (Antrop-Gonzalez 2006;
Doyle and Doyle 2003; Goodenow 1992; Noddings 1992; Wentzel 1997; Ziazi 2004).
Within choral communities, past research is concentrated in three areas: (1) meaning
or what factors of choral experience are significant to participants (Arasi 2006;
Hylton 1981; Vincent 1997; Willingham 2001); (2) motivation, including reasons for
joining and remaining in ensembles (Adderley, Kennedy, and Berz 2003; Coffin 2004;
Neill 1998); and (3) therapeutic benefits of choral singing (Bailey and Davidson 2002,
2005; Haywood 2006; Silber 2005).
Participants in past studies attributed several areas of meaning to their musical
experiences, including development of the self or personal growth, enhanced feelings
of community and desire to work with others, and increased musical skill
development and performance experience (Hylton 1981; Kokotsaki and Hallam
2007; Tyler-Bynum 2002; Willingham 2001). While these studies focused on different
populations including adolescents (Hylton 1981; Tyler-Bynum 2002), college
students (Kokotsaki and Hallam 2007) and adults (Willingham 2001), results
indicated great similarities in the meaning attributed to musical experiences.
Important to note is Adderley, Kennedy, and Berz (2003) who found adolescents
most commonly discussed relationships and social benefits of high school ensembles.
Psychological benefits were also discussed, in areas such as responsibility, persever-
ance and growth in self-esteem. Similarly, Arasi’s (2006) study focusing on adults’
remembered musical experiences indicated that extra-musical experiences outweigh
musical experiences. Adults stated that they built self-confidence and developed
critical thinking skills through high school music participation.
Adolescents engaged several motivations to participate in music ensembles
including the desire to sing, the desire to perform and social affiliation (Neill 1998).
Adderley, Kennedy, and Berz (2003) discussed family influences, liking music and
earlier experiences in music, music ensemble as a point of balance in an academic
schedule and social benefits as motivating factors towards participation. Interest-
ingly, adult motivations in an all women’s barbershop included social reasons as the
primary motivation to join (Coffin 2004).
Choral singing has therapeutic benefits for its adult members (Bailey and
Davidson 2002; Coffin 2004). Participants use their singing experiences as a vehicle
for personal growth and to increase their musical skills (Bailey and Davidson 2002;
Silber 2005). Clinical benefits included releasing feelings and experiencing feelings of
purpose (Bailey and Davidson 2002, 2005). Haywood’s (2006) case study of Debra
 Music Education Research 341

related the choral experience as transporting one exceptional high school student
from exclusion to inclusion.
Past studies on meaning, motivation and therapeutic benefit are extremely
valuable in discussing the variety of factors that comprise students’ approach to
ensemble music making and membership. At the same time, belonging has remained
continuously in a supportive role to meaning, motivation or therapeutic benefit. We
do not know specifically how students experience belonging in choral ensembles and
what contributes to the experience of belonging. This study places belonging in the
forefront so that it can be explored fully as the central phenomenon.
A need exists to study student experiences of belonging in order to combat
student isolation. The purpose of this action research study was to explore social
belonging among choral singers enrolled in a mid-sized, northeastern high school
chorus in the USA. Specifically, this study asked the following questions: (1) How do
high school students define social belonging? and (2) What factors of chorus
membership contribute to the experience of belonging?
This study can contribute to a knowledge base in adolescent belonging. Such
insight might ultimately help choral teachers to address social belonging as well as
encourage is as a worthy topic of observation and assessment. Furthermore, teachers
and administrators can benefit by better understanding how teachers support
student belonging in order to identify best teaching practices. A qualitative study of a
high school choral ensemble can add to the body of knowledge.

Methodology
Action research provides the practitioner an opportunity to reflect upon her teaching
practice by seeking solutions to issues in the classroom (Creswell 2008). This study
represents an initial stage of one practitioner’s action reflection cycle (McNiff and
Whitehead 2005). At the time of this research study, I had been the choral teacher for
three years at the City School (a pseudonym has been created to protect the site and
participants’ identities). While teaching at City School, students would approach me
and discuss their experience of bonding with other chorus members at the school.
This happened quite frequently during my second year while students were in regular
rehearsal for an upcoming trip. I became intrigued with the stories that students were
telling me and wanted to know more about their experiences. Being a teacher for over
10 years, I had seen at first hand the social difficulties that many adolescents had
faced and wanted to help find solutions to student isolation.
Using action research allowed me to engage students in dialogue about social
belonging in chorus. Students discussed social belonging beyond the data collection
stage and the conversations had a ripple effect around the school community. In
action research, this is the interactive spiral of look, act and think that continues on
and on (Stringer 1999). In this case, it was continual dialogue, reflection, followed by
more dialogue. Social belonging became a discussion lasting over several months
with considerable depth and clarity.
The goal was to allow the action reflection cycle to inform future work with
adolescents, hence develop my own teaching practice (Whitehead and McNiff 2006).
I wanted to know how to support students’ experiences of belonging at school.
Action research allowed me to engage the school community, particularly the
342 E.C. Parker

students, in identifying and reflecting upon practices that were working well
(Conway and Borst 2001).

Site and participant selection

This was an action research study involving 26 high school students in a pre-K
through twelfth grade independent school, with fewer than 1000 students located in a
large northeastern city of the USA. Seventeen girls, including eight sophomores, five
juniors and four seniors, and nine boys, including two sophomores, four juniors and
three seniors, participated. Data were collected in the spring of 2007. Ten through
twelfth grade students, ages 15
18, enrolled in the high school chorus were eligible to
participate in this study. The chorus consisted of 59 total students.
The participant sampling method for this study was purposive, which allows the
investigator to select information-rich cases (Patton 2002). It is important to note
that this research study was instituted because many students were already sharing
stories of belonging in the choral programme. By listening to student stories of
participation in chorus, I knew that many students had rich detail to offer an action
research study. Hence, participants were chosen by two methods, intensity and
purposeful random sampling. First, I encouraged students who manifested belong-
ing strongly to participate in the study (Patton 2002). They comprised the intensity
sample. Secondly, during two distinct junctures in choral rehearsals, I invited all
singers to participate. As a result, I had a mix of intense cases and those that chose to
participate randomly. It is important to note that the random sample was also
purposive as students were all members of the same choral ensemble.

Ethical issues
I began considering potential ethical issues by looking at the reasons for wanting to
research an adolescent population. In the USA, conducting a study with high school
students is an ethical consideration because minors under 18 years of age represent a
protected population. Though this study was carefully constructed to sensitively
gather data from tenth to twelfth graders in one high school, it is worth reflecting on
the reasons for conducting this study, who seeks to benefit from it and what potential
risks are for conducting this research (Hatch 2002). I was quickly brought back to
the genesis of this study, which included my own choral singing experiences.
Engaging in singing opportunities with others was important to my own social
development in high school. As an educator, I wanted to more fully understand how
students’ experience belonging in chorus class to support student growth. Under-
standing adolescent perspectives requires adolescent voice. Though this study did not
anticipate any risks to participation, it is my hope that participants benefited from
reflecting upon their own experiences.
I briefly introduced the research project with all choral students two separate
times for approximately five minutes at choral rehearsal. I stated that I was interested
in their experiences of community in this chorus and invited them to participate in a
voluntary discussion at a mutually convenient time. From those two announcements,
approximately 45% of the choral ensemble chose to participate. All students were
told that their identity would be kept strictly confidential. Pseudonyms were assigned
for each student during the transcription process.
 Music Education Research 343

Ethical issues surrounded power in the classroom. Would students feel they had
to participate in this project because I was their teacher? Did I instil enough trust in
them to elicit candid responses? Would they look to me for guidance at all steps in
the process, or would they engage in the work equally?
Through journaling about my position as researcher and teacher, I realised that
in order for this study to go forward, I had to place the same degree of trust in my
students as they had in me. I believed that they participated because they wanted to
share their unique experiences. I invested in their truths as much as they trusted my
position as teacher/researcher. There were times when I became concerned that
students felt compelled to participate or give ‘good answers’. I decided on a daily
basis to view this research as resulting from important student experiences;
experiences that students wanted to share because they also felt they were important.
Because this study was completely voluntary, it was my expectation that students
who elected to participate did so out of interest and not out feelings of pressure.
Furthermore, it was my resolution that participants shared their authentic
experiences in the group for their own benefit and not for their teacher’s benefit.

Data collection
Seven small group interviews, including three to four participants each, were held in
March of 2007 during student lunch periods. Each interview was 40
45 minutes in
length. All interviews were held in the chorus classroom within the school. Though I
used an interview guide, additional questions emerged as they came into the dialogue
(Merriam 1998). Examples of interview questions included: (1) Please tell me about
your experience of membership within this chorus ensemble; (2) Please describe the
experience of belonging with others in this group; (3) Tell me about the kinds of
interactions you have had with others in chorus; and (4) What does it feel like to be a
chorus member at this school?
During and directly after each interview, I took notes including both verbal and
non-verbal interactions as well as physical proximity and body posture between
participants (Conway and Borst 2001). For this study, I was engaged actively in two
types of memoing, analytic and reflective. Analytic memos consisted of questions and
discussions of the emergent data, while self-reflective memos documented personal
reactions with the goals of making ‘implicit thought explicit’ (Creswell 2007, 290). All
interviews were audiotaped and transcribed within two days of recording. Audio
recordings and transcripts were checked for accuracy the day after transcription.

Data analysis and verification procedures

In this study, I used inductive data analysis, which moves from the specific to the
general in order to gather data into larger themes (Hatch 2002). Steps in data
analysis including reading the data over and over again, asking what the data are
telling. In the interviews, I looked at the different words that participants used to
describe belonging and membership within the ensemble. After I looked at the
variety of words and their meanings, I sought to interrelate the data to create
categories of meaning (Conway and Borst 2001). I coded each interview separately as
well as coded all of my analytic and reflective memos. I used three types of coding
including: (1) descriptive codes or codes representing factual knowledge; (2) topic
344 E.C. Parker

codes or codes that were created as categories; and (3) analytic codes or codes
developed as I analysed the data (Richards and Morse 2007).
Verification procedures allow findings and interpretations to yield credibility
(Lincoln and Guba 1985). First, prolonged engagement was one procedure as the
tacit knowledge of my own classroom was important to this process. Because I was
the choral director at the school for three years, I had a base of understanding the
population and challenges in conducting this research. Secondly, triangulation was
attained through the use of multiple sources including interviews and memos.
Thirdly, in the process of collecting and analysing the data, I engaged in member
checking with participants about what data were emerging (Lincoln and Guba 1985).
Participants helped to clarify many of the resulting categories. Finally, I used peer
review, which requires the investigator to discuss method and findings with another
equal status peer, who is not connected to the study in any way, in order to check the
process. Throughout data collection and analysis, I discussed the progress of the
study with a colleague from another school. She and I talked through the process and
the thematic development in order to identify bias and clarify issues that remained
unclear.

Results and discussion

Participants discussed belonging at a variety of levels within the chorus programme
at City School. Five themes were developed from the coded data, including
choral experience as uncompetitive, sectional bonding as social bonding, singing
as shared experience, chorus as safe space and trips as pivotal bonding experiences
(see Figure 1). In the following discussion, each theme will be described in more
detail.

Choral experience as elected and uncompetitive

Participants remarked that while other courses are required, chorus is a class where
everyone elects to participate. Because participants choose to be there, they are open
to relationships with others. Jennie said, ‘Everyone chooses to be there who wants to
be there. It’s not required. I think that makes for a stronger atmosphere because
everyone chooses it’. In addition, participants discussed that they felt pressure to
engage in competitive relationships in traditional academic classes such as science,
mathematics, history, English and world languages. Some felt the need to outdo their
peers because they are competing to gain acceptance into the same colleges. In
contrast, participants expressed that chorus represents an even playing field where
everyone contributes towards the whole. They work in collaboration with one
another to support the larger ensemble.
It is important to note that the high school chorus at City School is designated
for open enrolment where anyone can sign up to participate. Though students are
required to take several art credits during their four years, they have many choices
within the performing and visual arts. As a result, students who enrol in the chorus
are making a clear choice to participate. It is significant that the elective piece of
membership contributes to participant belonging. Jennie’s comment seems indicate a
certain readiness where students are primed to participate with others. It appears the
unique combination of chorus as elected and simultaneously open to all resulted in
 Music Education Research 345

Section bonding as social bonding Singing as shared

Accountability toward one experience
another Becoming the
Vehicle for social growth in instrument
school Common school
Increase inter-grade music repertoire
friendships Chorus as in-group
Taking collective
risks

Social Belonging in High School

Chorus

Chorus as safe space Trip as pivotal bonding experience

Stress release Depending on each other
Relaxed Increased time together
environment
Knowledge of impending trip

Choral experience
as elected and
uncompetitive

Figure 1. Student belonging emergent themes.

participants’ experiences of belonging. Whereas the open enrolment creates a sense

of equality in the classroom, the elective nature of the ensemble contributes to a sense
of group purpose.

Sectional bonding as social bonding

Participants spoke numerous times about the various levels of belonging in chorus
class. The entire group functions as a large machine, while Soprano, Alto, Tenor and
Bass sections contribute to its function. It appears significant that participants did
not discuss belonging within the larger group as often. The recurring theme, rather,
was membership within sections is an integral part to their belonging in the larger
ensemble. Janna stated:

But the bonding within your section, the sectional bonding is important. Because then
your section is a lot stronger when you sing. If you mess up or if you can’t get the right
note, it’s not necessary to be close to the other sections, but to your own, the alto
section. In class, I have a good connection in my section.
A male in the tenor section, Steven, quickly added:
346 E.C. Parker

When we start to get a part wrong, we all know that something’s wrong with it, and we
turn around and try to figure out what’s wrong with the part; not because we are graded
on it, but because we want the song to sound good and the better that John sings, the
better that I want to sing and then the better that someone else wants to sing.
Participants confirmed both, Adderley, Kennedy, and Berz’s (2003) and Coffin’s
(2004) findings. Belonging to a section is significant to musicians’ experiences within
the larger group. The theme of section bonding as social bonding was also present
numerous times in my reflective memos. As the teacher of the chorus, I intentionally
implemented sectional rehearsals to ensure that participants get to know each other
better within the context of smaller group rehearsals. In the winter of 2006,
participants were engaged in many sectional rehearsals as they prepared for a chorus
trip. In the interviews, participants remarked that increased time in sectional
rehearsals helped them to get to know one another better and create a more
cohesive sectional sound. Two singers in particular responded regarding inter-grade
friendships. This also echoes Adderley, Kennedy, and Berz’s (2003) discussion
regarding inter-grade social experiences with musicians in the same section. Janna
said:
I think chorus is good for inter-grade friendships. There are a lot of seniors that I would
never have talked to or met except for chorus and I consider them good friends. I think
that’s a great thing. You are still in a class but you get to bond with them.
Alan stated:
As a freshman, I really benefited from inter-grade friendships. I was a very quiet and
shutdown person and being able to talk with seniors and upperclassmen was very
helpful. I remember in one song, I was having difficulty and one senior, Eric, would turn
and sing it right to me. We rely on each other.
Sectional bonding has similarities to individuals functioning as a team. Steven
remarked about depending on one another, ‘And you always know when someone is
missing from chorus. Oh, I really miss that person today’. Adam’s comments
discussing friendships liken chorus to teamwork. He states:
I think it’s because we sing together and we have to be together in order to sound good,
that it causes the individuals to be more open to having friendships with others . . . it
gives them a place to know people differently.

Singing as shared experience

Similar to Hylton’s (1981) study stating that participation in chorus is socially
integrative for its members, a pivotal moment in each interview surrounded chorus
participation as belonging. Silvie stated:

In English class the other day, we were reading Beloved and a character said, ‘Oh my
Jesus’. The rest of the chorus kids in the class broke into song [at that time in chorus
class, students were rehearsing Moses Hogan’s I’m gonna sing ‘til the spirit which
includes several ‘Oh my Jesus’ within it]. We always have that class right after chorus
and so many chorus people are in it. It occurred to me after that experience that maybe
other people don’t get it.
Silvie echoed a common chorus experience. To many in the interviews, what happens
in chorus belongs to those who participate in the ensemble. They own their
 Music Education Research 347

experiences and differentiate themselves from others through their choral member-
ship.
To Ana, however, participating in chorus is not limited to the common ground
with that particular chorus group, but to everyone who participates in choral music.
She suggests that choral experiences are universal and not limited to any one group
experience. This echoes research suggesting there is a common repertoire for school
music programmes (Campbell 1998). Ana said:
I think I have things in common with others who participate in their school choruses in
general. I have these friends at camp and their chorus went to Italy last year while we
went to Spain. We would listen to our own recordings and some of the songs were the
same. We would walk around and sing together. I definitely identify with chorus people.

For Gabby, the shared experience was an example of belonging to an in-group:

I notice differences between my friends who are in chorus and my friends who are not in
chorus. Maybe it’s because in chorus we are exposed to many different cultures through
songs, but I think that people in chorus are much more willing to take risks and be more
accepting people in general.
Gabby’s experiences suggest that chorus singers comprise an in-group, one where
students understand one another and the world with clearer eyes than their non-
singing peers. It is interesting that Gabby discussed the duality of being more
accepting of others while simultaneously describing group exclusivity. Gabby’s
comments reflect Tajfel’s (1978, 1981) social identity theory. Tajfel’s (1978, 1981)
premise is that in order for one to have strong identification with an in-group, s/he
must necessarily exclude others. This is similar to the anthropological emic
perspective as Gabby is a member of the group looking in to what makes it unique,
while looking outside to what may differentiate it from others. To Folkestad (2002),
Gabby’s interpretation serves to strengthen her feelings of belonging within the in-
group.
Here again, my own analytic memos helped to contextualise what participants
were saying. I wrote at length about the role of chorus as an in-group. Student
membership in chorus likely acts as a badge in the larger school environment
(Adderley, Kennedy, and Berz 2003). When members wear their badge, they are
recognised not only from the inside of the group as a member, but also from those
who reside on the outside. Both the in-group and out-group recognise singers as
belonging to something important to the larger community. In reference to Gabby’s
comment above, I thought about chorus and its potential for inviting open-minded
students. Was it the choral experience that invited a particular like-minded student or
did the choral experience act as a transformative experience to its membership?
Though the chorus programme at the school performs very diverse repertoire and
students sing in different languages and styles, I wondered what role repertoire and
performance practices had in her statement.
Select students also remarked about the role of singing as belonging. Margie says:

But when you hear someone singing it’s their voice, but it’s also a different way of seeing
someone. We are using ourselves. We become the instrument when we work together.
When you are singing, you are making yourself vulnerable. You want to make
friendships with those people because you are already opening yourself up to them by
singing.
348 E.C. Parker

Approximately 10 minutes later, Gabby responded, ‘Maybe it is the fact that when
you are singing in a group, you have a collective insecurity and are taking a collective
risk. We are breathing together, collectively taking a risk’. Both comments indicate
the particular relationship of singing and belonging. When students effectively
breakdown barriers between each other by sharing voices, they are collectively
opening up. Gabby’s comment portrays the shared nature of risk-taking in the larger
choral ensemble.
Singing as shared experience has great potential for future research in choral
ensembles. The shared experience of singing connects emotionally to student
members. A research study investigating the role of group singing in students’
experience of belonging has great potential for the field. Further, examining school
music participation and social identity formation would help educators to under-
stand what happens socially to those engaged in school music programmes.

Chorus as a safe space

Jackie started this line of thought in one interview. She said, ‘If I have had a stressful
day, after walking in here two minutes later, I say, okay, I’m singing, I’m okay’. Many
participants remarked that chorus is a place where they become relaxed and relieved.
It is a place to share friendships and song. Tess confirms by saying, ‘Chorus is a place
that never produces stress. It is a good place to come and say, ‘‘Oh, good I have
chorus’’ . . . it is a good place to let things go’.
To participants, chorus allowed time to work together towards a common goal
using their voices. These data are supported by Antrop-Gonzalez’s (2006) and Ziazi’s
(2004) studies. Ziazi (2004) discusses the concept of a healthy learning context where
students form a strong attachment to teachers and peers while Antrop-Gonzalez
(2006) emphasised the school as sanctuary ideal. In a school as sanctuary, students
feel ready to learn because they are accepted as individuals, and are, as a result, more
successful and relaxed in the classroom climate. Jackie and Tess seem to also indicate
that chorus is a healthy and caring context where they can excel because they
are accepted for who they are as individuals.

Trip as a pivotal bonding experience

Several participants discussed their required time together in preparation for a
10-day choral tour to Spain during the school year, 2006
2007. While one
participant in particular spoke about the time spent together, another remarked
that it was not the time spent together, but the mere presence of an impending trip
that increased student belonging. A strong statement of togetherness leading to
increased artistry followed from Jackie:
When we were sightseeing with our group, we actually had to depend on one another.
We were in a foreign country. Besides bonding with another, you had to trust everyone
you were with . . . and that was a really important part of making us sound better. I feel
the more that we know each other, the better that we will sound because you want to do
that for your group.
 Music Education Research 349

Jackie’s words that being together changes the vocal sound of the ensemble hold
implications for future research. How do participant experiences of belonging relate
to their perception of choral excellence and choral blend?

Researcher reflections
In the process of reviewing literature, collecting and analysing data for this study, I
became acutely aware of my role as teacher of the choral ensemble. I considered
many aspects of daily work with students and the routine of practice in the context of
student belonging (see Figure 2). First, as many choral ensembles do, the chorus
engages in stretching and limbering exercises at the beginning of rehearsal. This
tends to be a social time when students talk freely as they warm up their bodies.
During this time in rehearsal, I make an intentional effort to speak with as many
members as possible. I assess the group’s mood and pay special attention to students
that may be having a difficult day. Though these are common practices for many
teachers, the literature substantiates the importance of teachers as caring models
(Doyle and Doyle 2003; Noddings 1992; Ziazi 2004).
Secondly, the classroom is a place of student voice. Students are encouraged to
work out their own challenges with the repertoire. The free exchange encourages
spontaneity of learning and heightens the curiosity of students (Bruner 1966;
Vygotsky 1978). Over several years of participation, students observe older students
taking on informal leadership roles. Veteran members work as mentors to newer
members, helping them with difficult parts, sitting next to them in rehearsal and
engaging them in social conversation. As students rise in age and membership, they
assume the mentorship roles that others have held. Active student mentorship is one
example of the chorus promoting teamwork, which heightens social integration
among its members (Tyler-Bynum 2002). The classroom climate may also support
inter-grade friendships because students actively care about one another through
their work together in the rehearsal context. Students of different grades share the
common experience of singing the same voice part and work through continual
challenges in close proximity for several months or years.
An integral piece of this class is the singing that occurs day in and day out. As
Margie’s comment suggests, perhaps the shared vulnerability of singing helps to
create the climate of openness in the classroom. The fact that students are arriving to
freely give their voices to be a part of the larger group sound leads to their experience

Teacher Classroom
as caring as place for
model Singing student
voice

Student to student
mentorship

Figure 2. Researcher reflections.

350 E.C. Parker

of belonging. The caring classroom climate continues the evolution of belonging,

further encouraging students to share vulnerabilities with each other through the act
of singing.

Implications and suggestions for future study

First, it is important to note that because this student took place in an independent
school, factors of cultural homogeneity, based around class rather than on race, may
have been significant to the findings. Participant experiences reflect their similarities
and could influence feelings of belonging in high school chorus. Second, the choral
traditions of American high schools should be noted. Beginning in most American
middle schools (typically Grade 6, age 11), students are asked to choose between
instrumental music and choral music classes. General music classes are not offered as
a common practice. Students are then groomed over several years to become part of
high school choruses, bands or orchestras, many of which participate in district and
state choral festivals. It is therefore possible that students begin affiliating themselves
with chorus as a larger tradition and institution within their school district. Several
years of membership in a chorus programme could heighten participants’
experiences of belonging.
Given these factors, it appears that regular and consistent interaction as well as
participation in special events, such as trips, contributes substantively to the
experience of belonging. Results also suggest that the unique combination of regular
interaction plus the shared act of singing bridges emotional worlds and brings
participants together. It is therefore important to consider the role of singing within
student belonging. A future study investigating the relationship of singing and
belonging is needed to more fully explicate this area.
The results in this study also suggest that student belonging can be facilitated
through specific steps taken by the choral director. Whether investing in social
events, taking students away from school for performances, or staying in the school
environment, choral directors have a direct hand in assisting student belonging in
choral ensembles. A future study looking directly at teacher behaviours that
encourage student belonging is warranted.
Finally, the theme of chorus as safe space suggests that the psychological benefits
of choral singing in schools have potential for significant stress reduction. Since
countless students are feeling the pressure to compete in today’s academic world in
order to gain successful entry into a college or university, a study examining stress
reduction and school music participation would shed light on the benefits of school
music ensembles.
In the spring of 2007, after data were collected and analysed, the entire
community of chorus students and I engaged in discussion about what we could
take away from this experience. Students voiced that they unanimously wanted to
continue travelling together as trips were important to their feelings of belonging.
They echoed that though sectional rehearsals were difficult because they were held
early in the morning, they appreciated the increased time together in preparation for
concerts and trips. Finally, students wanted to make sure that chorus class remained
open so that all students could choose to participate. We finished our discussion by
talking about how the larger school community could benefit from this study.
Students suggested that many of the themes could be instituted in the larger
 Music Education Research 351

community including grade-based trips to facilitate togetherness, smaller group

meetings to connect new or continuing students and student-to-student invitations to
become involved in clubs and extra-curricular activities.

Notes on contributor
Elizabeth Cassidy Parker is an assistant professor of vocal music education at the Schwob
School of Music, Columbus State University in Columbus, GA. Previous to her university
work, Elizabeth taught in New York City schools for 12 years as a general music teacher and
choral director. She holds bachelor and master of music education degrees from Oberlin
Conservatory and a PhD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

References
Adderley, C., M. Kennedy, and W. Berz. 2003. ‘‘A home away from home’’: The world of the
high school music classroom. Journal of Research in Music Education 51, no. 3: 190
205.
Altenbaugh, R., D. Engel, and D. Martin. 1995. Caring for kids: A critical study of urban
school leavers. Bristol, PA: Falmer.
Antrop-Gonzalez, R. 2006. Toward the school as sanctuary concept in multicultural urban
education: Implications for small high school reform. The Ontario Institute for Studies in
Education of the University of Toronto 36, no. 3: 273
300.
Arasi, M.T. 2006. Adult reflections on a high school choral music program: Perceptions of
meaning and lifelong influence. PhD diss., Georgia State Univ.
Bailey, B.A., and J.W. Davidson 2002. Emotional, social, and cognitive enrichment through
participation in group singing: Interviews with members of a choir for homeless men. In
Sharing the voices: The phenomenon of singing III, ed. A. Rose and K. Adams, 24
32.
Newfoundland: Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Bailey, B.A., and J.W. Davidson. 2005. Effects of group singing and performance for
marginalized and middle-class singers. Psychology of Music 33, no. 3: 269
303.
Bruner, J. 1966. Toward a theory of instruction. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Campbell, P. 1998. Songs in their heads. New York City, NY: Oxford University Press.
Coffin, J.D. 2004. Why did we join? Why have we stayed? Membership in a women’s
barbershop chorus: A narrative inquiry into leadership, learning and the development of
voice through singing. Masters thesis, Univ. of Prince Edward Island (Canada).
Conway, C.M., and J. Borst. 2001. Action research in music education. UPDATE:
Applications of Research in Music Education 19, no. 3: 3
8.
Creswell, J. 2007. Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. 2nd
ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Creswell, J. 2008. Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and
qualitative research. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Doyle, L.H., and P.M. Doyle. 2003. Building schools as caring communities, why, what and
how? The Clearing House 76, no. 5: 259
61.
Elliott, D.S., and H.L. Voss. 1974. Delinquency and dropout. Lexington, MA: Lexington
Books.
Folkestad, G. 2002. National identity in music. In Musical identities, ed. R.A. Macdonald,
D.J. Hargreaves, and D. Miell, 151
62. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fredericks, J.A., and J.S. Eccles. 2006. Extracurricular involvement and adolescent adjust-
ment: Impact of duration, number of activities, and breadth of participation. Applied
Developmental Science 10, no. 3: 132
46.
Goodenow, C. 1992. School motivation, engagement, and sense of belonging among urban
adolescent students. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational
Research Association, April 20
24, in San Francisco, CA.
Hall-Lande, J.A., M.E. Eisenberg, S.L. Christenson, and D. Neumark-Sztainer. 2007. Social
isolation, psychological health, and protective factors in adolescence. Adolescence 42, no.
166: 265
86.
352 E.C. Parker

Hatch, J.A. 2002. Doing qualitative research in education settings. Albany, NY: State University
of New York Press.
Haywood, J. 2006. You can’t be in my choir if you can’t stand up: One journey toward
inclusion. Music Education Research 8, no. 3: 407
16.
Hylton, J.B. 1981. Dimensionality in high school student participants’ perceptions of the
meaning of choral singing experience. Journal of Research in Music Education 29, no. 4:
287
303.
Kokotsaki, D., and S. Hallam. 2007. Higher education music students’ perceptions of the
benefits of participative music making. Music Education Research 9, no. 1: 93
109.
Lincoln, Y., and E. Guba. 1985. Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
McMillan, D.W., and D.M. Chavis. 1986. Sense of community: A definition and theory.
Journal of Community Psychology 14, no. 1: 6
23.
McNiff, J., and J. Whitehead. 2005. Action research for teachers: A practical guide. New York:
David Fulton.
Merriam, S. 1998. Qualitative research and case study applications in education. San Francisco,
CA: Jossey-Bass.
Neill, S.L.1998. Motivating factors for student participation in high school choral programs
and vocal enrichment activities. PhD diss., Univ. of Missouri.
Newman, B.M., B.J. Lohman, and P.R. Newman. 2007. Peer group membership and a sense of
belonging: Their relationship to adolescent behavior problems. Adolescence 42, no. 166:
241
63.
Newman, P.R., and B.M. Newman. 1976. Early adolescence and its conflict: Group identity
versus alienation. Adolescence 11, no. 42: 261
74.
Noddings, N. 1992. The challenge to care in schools: An alternative approach to education. New
York: Teachers College Press.
Osterman, K.F. 2000. Students’ need for belonging in the school community. Review of
Educational Research 70, no. 3: 323
67.
Patton, M.Q. 2002. Qualitative research & evaluation methods. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
Richards, L., and J. Morse. 2007. README FIRST for a user’s guide to qualitative methods.
2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Rutter, P.A., and A.E. Behrendt. 2004. Adolescent suicide risk: Four psychosocial factors.
Adolescence 39, no. 154: 295
302.
Silber, L. 2005. Bars behind bars; the impact of a women’s prison choir on social harmony.
Music Education Research 7, no. 2: 251
71.
Stringer, E. 1999. Action research. vol. 2. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Tajfel, H., ed. 1978. Social categorization, social identity and social comparison. In
Differentiation between social groups, 61
7. London: Academic Press.
Tajfel, H. 1981. Human groups and social categories. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tyler-Bynum, A.Y. 2002. Music background experiences of grade eight choral students. EdD
diss., Univ. of Central Florida.
Vincent, P.M. 1997. A study of community choruses in Kentucky and implications for music
educators. PhD diss., Univ. of Kentucky.
Vygotsky, L. 1978. Mind in society. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Wentzel, K.R. 1997. Student motivation in middle school: The role of perceived pedagogical
caring. Journal of Educational Psychology 89, no. 3: 411
9.
Whitehead, J., and J. McNiff. 2006. Action research living theory. London: Sage.
Willingham, T.L. 2001. A community of voices: A qualitative study of the effects of being a
member of the Bell’Arte Singers. PhD diss., Univ. of Toronto.
Ziazi, Z.R. 2004. Adolescents bonding to school: Impact of perceived school climate. PhD
diss., Michigan State Univ.