ERIC Number: EJ1481679
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1461-3808
EISSN: EISSN-1469-9893
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Expanding Access to Adult Community Choirs: A Scoping Review to Identify Facilitators and Barriers to Choir Membership
Jodie Bloska1; Lauren Godier-McBard2; Helen Odell-Miller1; Alexander Creamer3; Hannah Merchant1; Matt Fossey2
Music Education Research, v27 n4 p477-492 2025
Choir singing is increasingly recognised for its potential health and wellbeing benefits, with amateur adult community choirs offering accessible opportunities for participation. However, a lack of member diversity highlights the need to identify facilitators and barriers to address equitable access. To do this, we conducted a scoping review of international literature, identifying 24 relevant articles. Previous findings often focused on personal motivations for participation, such as enjoyment of singing and fulfilment of personal, relational and community needs. Factors that affect access despite personal motivation were also identified: facilitators included previous musical experiences, audition-free entry, word-of-mouth recruitment and effective leadership, while barriers included negative relationships and time constraints. Some literature noted a gender imbalance, lack of ethnic diversity and generally older membership, indicating broader access issues; however, specific factors for underrepresented groups were not identified. The literature indicates important considerations for increasing access, engagement and retention in amateur adult community choirs, but further research is needed to address barriers for underrepresented groups.
Descriptors: Singing, Adults, Diversity, Community Organizations, Group Membership, Barriers, Motivation, Foreign Countries
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Norway; United Kingdom; Iceland; United States; South Africa; Australia; Canada; China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK; 2Veterans and Families Institute for Military Social Research, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, UK; 3Military Wives Choirs, London, UK

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