Name
Projects CanteMus and PCIU!: Building bridges between the community and music education through the choral experience
Date & Time
Wednesday, July 29, 2026, 4:05 PM - 4:35 PM
Description
Singing in a choir is, for many Brazilians, the first contact with musical education, and from this perspective, the choral conductor is the first singing teacher of their choristers (Laureano; Fernandes, 2021). No doubt choral singing “is the oldest way of making music (...), an activity of inestimable artistic and human value” (Garbuio, 2021). However, in our country, we don´t have choirs in most elementary schools and many people have never sung in a choir, despite the fact that choral practice is an accessible way to develop musical abilities and also to develop cognitive, socio-affective, and psychomotor skills - including elements of self-regulation, self-determination, and self-efficacy; and besides, it brings benefits to health (Robens et al., 2024) and well-being (Fishburn, 2015). We can also affirm that choir practice is a channel for emotions, values, motivations, and learning (Llush et al., 2023). Considering these arguments and the idiosyncrasies of choral singing (Molinari; Chevitarese, 2020) related to music education, we might define "chorability" as a tool to be developed. However, people who start singing in a choir in Brazil commonly do not have music reading experience, and need to develop vocal technique, music perception, solfegge, basic music interpretation, and other characteristic abilities of group singing. In the city of Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, we have some amateur choirs working in churches, non-governmental organizations, music schools, some elementary and high schools, artistic and social associations, and some other cultural spaces. In this context, the University also offers the community opportunities to sing in a group, through extension projects PCIU! and CanteMus. These projects are continuous action-research, which might be defined as “the study of a social situation with a view to improving the quality of action within it” (Elliot, 1991). In this research, we are always looking for repertoire (appropriate for each group), exercises and dynamics to develop vocal technique at each age, methods, and learning techniques to develop music education in general. The results of this research reveal that the projects promote inclusion for the children, adults, and elderly people who want to learn how to sing better and be part of an artistic group. Through the weekly rehearsals and some presentations throughout the year, choristers can develop their “chorability”. In this perspective, the choral conductor is, in fact, truly an educator and contributes to building bridges between the community and music education through choral singing.
Location Name
513B
Full Address
Palais des Congres - Montréal Convention Centre
1001, Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle
Montreal QC H2Z 1H2
Canada
Session Type
Paper Presentation
Presenting Author(s)
Ana Lúcia Gaborim Moreira