Abstract:
Singing is a rich and dynamic part of South African cultural and national
identity. The authors explore the identity of two choirs in the Cape Town
metropole against the background of response to ongoing social change.
The disparate yet similar choirs enhance the well-being of their members
as communities and who sing for community. Community development
as an outcome of community music is understood as process-driven. The
Identity Process Theory serves as a useful integrative framework in which
identity, social action and social change can be collectively examined
with qualitative thematic analysis to code and analyse questionnaire and
interview data (2017–2022). Three overarching themes are discussed,
focusing on the experiences as perceived by research participants from
the two choirs in relation to ‘singing as a music community’, ‘having a
place to belong’ and ‘singing during COVID-19’. The discussion highlights
differences, similarities, challenges and opportunities for these choirs in
relation to community musicians, identity and place. Although generalizations to other choirs cannot necessarily be made, recommendations
are offered, both for further research and of a practical nature. This
paper argues that diverse forms of communal singing continue to play
an important role in South Africa’s group identity for choirs, fostering
hope for communities and their development. Notions of community development and community music should not become narrowly defined,
excluding many choral groups and their contributions to society from the
global conversation.
