Choir of the Year Competition 2014 MAY 2015
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Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health Choir of the Year Competition 2014 MAY 2015 By Dr Trish Vella-Burrows and Alistair Bamford An Evaluation of Wellbeing and Health Effects Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health Cover image: Singers Limited from High Wycombe, winner of the Youth Category, Contents Choir of the Year 2014 Summary ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................5 Back cover image: CF1 from Cardiff, winner of Choir of the Year 2014 Key Findings ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................5 1. Background to the Evaluation ..........................................................................................................................................8 1.1. Group singing, wellbeing and health .........................................................................................8 Acknowledgements 1.2. Five ways to wellbeing: a theoretical model ..............................................................................9 1.3. Group singing: a human imperative ........................................................................................10 The authors wish to thank Choir of the Year for commissioning the SDH team 1.4. The fall and rise of community choirs ...................................................................................... 11 to undertake the work and in particular Helen Price and her team and the choir 2. Choir of the Year...................................................................................................................................................................................12 representatives for assisting in planning and conducting the survey and interviews. Choir 2.1. The competition ......................................................................................................................12 of the Year and the authors would like to thank the Peter Sowerby Foundation and Arts 2.2. The choirs in 2014 ..................................................................................................................13 Council England for their support of Choir of the Year 2014 and this evaluation. Grateful 2.3. The performances ...................................................................................................................13 thanks also go to Choir of the Year participants and others for sharing their experiences 2.4. The competition and adjudication process ..............................................................................13 and opinions. 3. The Evaluation ..........................................................................................................................................................................................14 3.1. Methods .................................................................................................................................15 3.2. Analysis of data ......................................................................................................................15 Authors 4. Results ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................19 Trish Vella-Burrows RN, BA (Hons) Music, PhD 4.1. Participants .............................................................................................................................19 4.2. Physical Wellbeing ..................................................................................................................22 Trish is Assistant Director and Principal Research Fellow for the Sidney De Haan Research 4.3. Social Wellbeing .....................................................................................................................24 (SDH) Centre for Arts and Health, Canterbury Christ Church University. She is also 4.4. Mental Wellbeing ...................................................................................................................29 musical director for the Centre’s Singing for Health groups, a lecturer in Arts and Health 4.5. Effects of competitive singing on quality of life .......................................................................31 and a registered nurse. Trish has long-standing experience in arts and health research 4.6. Comparing competitive to non-competitive performances .....................................................32 and in applied practice in singing and health. The focus of her doctoral thesis was 4.7. Lifelong learning .....................................................................................................................33 the practical, emotional, social and physical effect of music and singing in long-stay 4.8. The views of professional choral practitioners .........................................................................34 healthcare settings. 5. Discussion ........................................................................................................................................................................................................37 6. Limitations .......................................................................................................................................................................................................43 Alistair Bamford: Singer and Animateur 7. Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................................................................................43 Alistair has performed as a soloist and with a wide range of professional vocal groups 8. Recommendations ............................................................................................................................................................................44 such as the BBC Singers, Synergy, London Voices, the choruses of the Royal Opera and 9. References ........................................................................................................................................................................................................45 English National Opera, and as a cathedral lay clerk. He teaches singing at Canterbury Christ Church University. As an animateur Alistair has specialised in using improvisation Figures. Boxes and Tables as a way of generating musical and emotional connections with participants. Figure 1. The stages and flow of data collection .............................................................................15 Box 1. Invitation to choir members to take part in the online survey ...........................................17 Box 2. Choir of the Year competitor discusses social connections ................................................26 Publisher: Canterbury Christ Church University Box 3. Choir of the Year competitor discusses reciprocal benefits ...............................................27 ISBN: 978-1-909067-44-8 Table 1. Age-ranges of survey respondents ...................................................................................19 Table 2. Length of membership in competing choirs .....................................................................20 Published May 2015 Table 3. Average number of public performances per year ............................................................21 Table 4. Number of competitions entered .....................................................................................21 Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health, Canterbury Christ Church Table 5. Effect of the competition experiences on singing on physical wellbeing ...........................22 University, 69 Tontine Street, Folkestone, Kent CT20 1JG Table 6. Effect of the competition experience on social wellbeing .................................................24 Table 7. Effect of the competition experience on mental wellbeing ...............................................29 ©Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health Table 8. Quality of life related to singing in competitions versus other performances ....................31 2 3 Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health Summary This report presents the findings of an evaluation of the effects of the Choir of the Year (CotY) 2014 competition on participants’ physical, social and mental wellbeing and health. Given the resources available, it is necessarily a preliminary investigation which provides a cross-sectional snapshot of participants’ perceptions and views. A total of 104 participants (singers, choir directors and professional choral practitioners) contributed to the evaluation. Method triangulation comprised a quantitative online survey with additional sections inviting open comments and face-to-face and telephone interviews. Quantitative data was mapped using the Bristol Online Survey analysis system and qualitative data was thematically categorised. The New Economic Foundation’s ‘five ways to wellbeing’ model was adopted as the theoretical basis for analysing, synthesising and reporting the findings. The model provides five key messages for supporting a flourishing national population: connect, keep active, take notice,