Serious musicking: choral pedagogy in ‘low-threshold’ choirs

Abstract

The voice plays a paradoxical role – it is inclusive because everyone has one, and it is exclusive as it is used to falsely separate ‘singers’ and ‘non-singers’. A new choral movement has emerged, with a low threshold for participation and inclusive practices, where one of the early offerings was Everyone Can Sing (ECS) in Norway. As a low-threshold choir, it focused on solid vocal training as well as the advanced features of the music. This study investigates to what extent this blended choral pedagogy is realised and differs from more traditional choirs. A quantitative analysis of ECS singers (N = 495) was done, comparing it with a more experienced choir (N = 81) and elite choirs (N = 106). The results show that a blended approach in low-threshold-choirs is possible and that attention to musical refinement grows with experience. The article positions such low-threshold choirs within key choral pedagogic positions.