Dr Kerry Boyle, in the School of Music and Performing Arts and Professor Lynn Revell, Faculty Director of Research for the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Education, are leading the project, and hope to share cultural perspectives across choirs nationally and internationally, which can be used to inform approaches to singing groups, projects and initiatives.

They will also be looking into choir activities during the pandemic and the impact on the experience of singing during this time.

The study involves an online survey in the first phase along with a call for case study volunteers.

Choir networks already involved with the study have been established in Canada, USA, France, Italy, Holland, Germany, Cyprus, Japan, Brazil, Kenya and the UK and the research team have the support of ChoirPlace and the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM), who have distributed the survey internationally.

Dr Kerry Boyle, Sessional Lecturer and musician in the School of Creative Arts and Industries, said: “We are interested to know what motivates people to participate in these activities and to explore the relationship between these motivations and well-being in participants from various cultures.

“The aim of the study is to understand the most important aspects of singing in choirs for those involved and we want to represent those aspects which attract and motivate members of a wide range of singing groups and choirs in countries across the world. Through the case studies, we aim to represent 'choir stories' from various cultures and build an understanding of the meaning and role of choirs in people's lives.”

To take part in the survey click here. S

Academics conduct research to explore international choirs and motivations behind singing