«Jeg kan ikke bli musikklærer hvis jeg ikke kan synge foran klassen min»: Korsang i lærerutdanningen og utvikling av individuell sangtrygghet

«Det finnes en sang for alt!» Ansattes begrunnelser for sang i barnehage og skole – en empirisk studie.

This chapter is based on two studies which aim to provide knowledge about the position of singing in Norwegian kindergartens and schools: (a) a national quantitative cross-sectional survey with kindergarten teachers and primary school/lower secondary school teachers, and (b) case studies in selected kindergartens and schools, where the data collection consisted of participatory observation and interviews with leaders and teachers. The chapter presents an attempt to incorporate both studies into a triangulation design where different types of data material and different analysis methods (quantitative and qualitative) are combined to investigate the question “why sing?” – that is, how singing…

Turning points in shaping choral conducting practice: six tales of Norwegian conductors’ professional development

Based on narratives on six choral conductors’ unfolding careers, the article investigates significant moments in professional trajectories – turning points – and how these shaped ongoing practices. The empirical material comprises interviews with conductors that represent different pre-conducting platforms – musicologist, music therapist, music educator, instrumentalist, singer, and church musician. Narratives present both an ontological view of experience – lived life is told life – and a methodology where the narrative analysis is the researchers’ integral retelling of fragments and episodes provided by the informants. The article draws on sensemaking theory to understand how the conducto…

Dilemmaer i skandinavisk korlederutdanning

Within higher education, programmes in choral conducting are offered of varying kinds and at different levels, from dedicated programmes to single courses that are embedded in other music programmes. The choral practice field is varied; choral leadership is partly a generic music competence and partly a profession. The variety and social reach of the choral movement suggest that the educational offering in choral conducting should be manifold in type and quantity in order to supply the practice field with qualified conductors. n this chapter we take a renewed look at material from three previous studies: (1) a mapping of Scandinavian choral leader education, based on document analysis and i…

Godhetsdiskursen om sang i barnehage og skole

Vinn-vinn? En studie av "Sentrum-prosjektet" – et samarbeid mellom grunnskole og kulturskole

Collaboration between grunnskole (primary schools) and kulturskole (culture schools) has been promoted in policy documents since the 1980s. In several municipalities, different models for cooperation are being tested. This chapter is based on a study of a specific collaborative project, called “Sentrums-prosjektet”. The purpose of the study was to provide more knowledge about such collaborations. The investigation had a case study design and the data consisted of interviews and participatory observation. The collaborative project is described and understood in light of the various schools’ curriculum and previous research. We investigate whether this is a “win-win collaboration” or an “aid …

Choral conducting education: The lifelong entanglement of competence, identity and meaning

Choral singing is one of the most widespread musical activities, and choral conductors work in a variety of social settings that involve every imaginable type of choir and musical genre. The conductor role draws on a number of skills and competencies that are partly acquired through education but, equally importantly, through experience. Choral conductors shape their practice in highly individual fashions as amalgamations of background, formal education, career development and working situation. The present qualitative study seeks to uncover how choral conductor practices arise and unfold, by using Etienne Wenger’s theory of communities of practice and situated learning as the key analytic…

The choral conductor's competence, education, and practice – an emerging meta-theory

Korsang har en fremtredende posisjon i Skandinavia. Alle de ulike korene som finnes – fra barnekor til seniorkor, fra hygge-kor til profesjonelle kor – trenger korledere. Korlederen må mestre et omfattende kompetansesett i det hun eller han virker som både musiker, leder og pedagog. Forfatterne har de siste årene gjennomført en rekke studier av korlederes utdanning og praksis, som involverer varierte tilnærminger både når det gjelder metoder og materiale. På grunn av begrensningene i det klassiske vitenskapelige artikkelformatet har resultatene fra disse studiene så langt ikke blitt diskutert i sin helhet. I denne artikkelen tar vi et overordnet blikk og utøver en «kvalitativ meta-analyse» …