Conductors’ literature selection practices for community children’s choirs in North America

Abstract

This study utilized a mixed methods approach to investigate the particular factors integral to literature selection and the resources conductors utilized to find repertoire for their children’s choirs. Interviews were conducted with successful community children’s choir directors ( n = 6); results were analyzed inductively and coded in order to report findings. Results from the qualitative strand demonstrated four themes regarding literature selection: musical elements, preferences, appropriateness, and finding literature; these themes served as the basis for survey questions with provided groups of questions related to each theme. The survey was emailed/mailed to community children’s choir conductors ( n = 245) in North America; the return rate was 51.0% ( n = 125). Results indicated consistency between the qualitative and quantitative findings, although some differences surfaced as well. Overarching findings included voicing, melody, and text as essential considerations as well as the conductor’s preference for the pieces; additionally to fit repertoire to the choir was important. Conductors used a variety of resources from which to find literature and often relied on their own collections, observations of other choirs, and online resources. Implications for conductors were presented relating to literature selection practices that may be a result of enculturation through choir participation and observation.