Confirmation of Candidature - "Sing we Joyous all Together": an Examination of Rehearsal Activities in Adult non-Auditioned Choirs, Through the Lens of Universal Design for Learning

In contemporary Australia, an adult who is singing with a choir as a leisure activity will almost certainly be singing in a non-auditioned choir led by a singing leader (Cooper, 2017). Despite being prevalent, this kind of choir, sometimes termed a community choir, is not well researched in the choral literature. Within the experience of each choir, the majority of time is spent in rehearsals, which also provide the opportunity for the singers' participation, enjoyment, learning and growth. In a non-auditioned choir, there will likely be a diversity of singers with a wide range of musical knowledge, choral experience and singing skills (Bonshor, 2020; Cooper, 2017). The rehearsal strategies and activities, initiated and guided by the singing leader, are therefore of great importance for the singers and the choir as a whole.

My qualitative research will explore the rehearsals of three adult non-auditioned choirs to observe, identify and collate the strategies and activities implemented by the singing leaders, to shine a spotlight on this significant but under-researched area. Given the diverse nature of non-auditioned choirs, a framework specifically created in educational contexts to support diversity, learning and growth will be used to structure data collection and analyse the collected data. This framework, Universal Design for Learning (UDL, CAST, 2018) will provide both an underpinning philosophical stance for the researcher, and an over-arching lens for the research.

For more information, please email the Graduate Research School or phone 4631 1088.