International Journal of Community Music - Volume 9, Issue 2, 2016

This article puts forward a reimagining of the concept of community in an immigration detention centre that emerged from the creation of cultural and performative spaces. It is argued that conceptualizing immigration detention centres as accidental communities can contribute to an understanding of the impact of participatory music-making activities in these spaces on the well-being of detainees. The research is based on the analysis of music facilitators’ narratives of their experience in an Australian detention centre in 2012. Accidental communities are defined as those in which people are connected not through common culture or region, but who have been brought together by circumstance, and whose shared experience therefore forms the basis of their relationships within the community. It is proposed that participation in music-making activities in an accidental community informs a cultural space on the basis of expression of that experience rather than cross-cultural sharing and that the resultant politics of inclusion have a positive impact on the well-being of the detainees.

Although community music activities can take many forms, a ‘participatory ethos’ is central to most community music endeavours. Karaoke singing, the practice of public singing to an accompaniment track, which on the surface appears to emphasize solo performance, has the potential to provide a communal flow experience that could be described as community music within certain contexts. Karaoke singing has become a musical practice and form of entertainment around the world and in many types of settings. The case study used for this investigation is a karaoke culture at an LGBT establishment in a city on the American west coast. This study focuses on the formation of community as well as identity through karaoke performance. Additionally, the application of Turino’s framework of participatory and presentational performance was used to examine how musical behaviours may encourage the formation of community and identity. Findings within this case study reveal the importance of the roles of the participants, the role of the facilitator, the agency of the individual, the fixity of musical forms, and musical texture to promote participatory experiences.

As the baby-boomer generation ages, attention to maintaining quality of life is receiving renewed attention. Involvement in social activity, including the performing arts, is increasingly seen as offering opportunities for meaningful social engagement as well as promoting physical and emotional health. This article examines the role of musical activity for older adults in a small town in Ohio, exploring what musicians value about their musical activities and how they believe their involvement in music contributes to their quality of life. Respondents affirm that music confers benefits of enjoyment, intellectual and physical stimulation, and meaningful engagement in their community. These findings are consistent with factors previously identified as essential to the quality of life of older individuals, and are strengthened by their similarity to an earlier, much larger study of benefits perceived by older musicians participating in New Horizons ensembles.

According to Higgins, hospitality is the central characteristic of community music. This article discusses how hospitality is expressed in so-called ‘multicultural choirs’ – which exist in several Norwegian cities – and the impact, if any, such hospitable musical and social environments have on members with a refugee background. Based on a case study of KIA Multicultural Gospel Choir in Kristiansand, Norway, using collection techniques such as participant observation and qualitative research interviews, various aspects of this specific form of community music are discussed. The analysis is illuminated by theoretical perspectives drawn from the fields of community music, music therapy, social psychology and the social sciences. The results show that the choral practice contributes to community, empowerment and respect, integration and meaning in the refugees’ lives. The purpose of the article is to deepen insights into a practice model such as is found in these multicultural choirs. The results have implications for social welfare politics and for the community music and music education fields.

The aim of this project was to investigate the motivations of older people who regularly attend community singing groups in Australia. Four focus group interviews were conducted with 64 participants belonging to three community singing groups. Participants explained their motivation to attend and sing with others in the groups. A total of eight motivating factors were identified via an inductive thematic analysis, including (1) the importance of singing in my life; (2) enormous pleasure of singing with little pressure; (3) challenge and achievement; (4) spiritual and uplifting emotions; (5) strength in overcoming my age, disease and hardship; (6) good leadership; (7) fellowship with others; and (8) purpose and meaning of group singing. The themes were discussed from various perspectives including positive psychology and the PERMA well-being model. The findings suggest that the older participants seem to experience different motivation factors while at different stages of their engagement in the groups.

Debbie Rohwer started the Denton New Horizons Band in 1998 and over the years she has reflected on adult music education, and also completed research studies about which instructional techniques might work best for adult learners. The following article is a description of some of the techniques that have worked well in her setting, and the ideas are presented with the hope that directors can envision new, contextual, beneficial techniques to use in their own community settings.