COMPLETE SCHOOL PROJECT TOPICS & MATERIALS :
CHAPTERS: Chapter 1-5
|
DOC FORMAT: MS WORD/PDF
|
PRICE: ₦5,000
ABSTRACT
The primary focus of this study is to examine the challenges in choral conducting. Though the development of a “modern conductor” who provides the artistic leadership and direction for music making is a relatively new phenomenon in the course of musical performance, the discussion of musical leadership is as a solution to certain challenges and constraints faced, is not. There is an extensive body of literature both historical and contemporary on conducting and on conducting technique. This study sought to Investigate the leadership characteristics of choral conductors; Examine the relationships among conductors’ perceived leadership characteristics and elements of communication style; Ascertain the relationship among conductors’ perceived leadership skills and their ability to be clear in their conducting gestures; and to Determine the challenges of choral conducting arising from the conductor’s leadership characteristics, skills and communication styles.
The investigation of the current study includes the experimental and quantitative research design, and Conductors were selected because they are at the forefront of the challenges facing choirs assemble and leadership. Findings show that there exists a clear connection between music education, choral conducting, and the leadership studies. Regardless of the type of ensemble, conductors’ display of magnitude, communication skills on and off the podium, and transactional, transformational, and inspirational leadership skills are related. Hence, there is need for conductors to establish proper communication skills, relations and capacities, and the transformational leadership style should be adopted by conductors to reduce working strife and measure attained success.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Music Fifth Edition (2007) by Kennedy and Kennedy defines a choir or chorus as a mixed voice choir (or chorus) which is one of both women and men. A male voice choir is (usually) of men only, but may be of boys and men. A double choir is one arranged in two equal and complete bodies, with a view not merely to singing in eight parts but also to responsive effects. Chorus tends to be used for secular bodies; there may be many exceptions (Kennedy and Kennedy 2007: 145). According to Crowley, his article published in 2012 speculates that;
There is a risk that in using choirs for everything from helping fragmented communities to stress relief, we drag them down to the level of the mundane. Choirs have been with us a long time. They have their origins in Greek Tragedy and the Italian Renaissance. Fifty years ago they were commonplace in our schools, workplaces and social organizations, but until recently most of us had come to associate them with Christmas concerts and village halls.
In addition, he explains that, though they are making a spectacular comeback like the growth of book clubs, debating societies and various specialist interest groups, choirs have benefitted from a renewed interest in communal activities. New choirs are popping up around the country. Friends and workmates are getting together, forming their own groups or joining existing choirs in greater numbers. Organizations and institutions are helping ordinary members of the public find their voice for the first time.
Crowley (2015) in his article continues to argue that, choirs have moral dimension, which involves oneself and others in choral and music societies. This is generally seen as a form of self-improvement, and as a means of keeping the lower orders out of the pub and out of political intrigue. No matter how their social function has changed over the last few hundred years, there has always been a spiritual or metaphysical dimension to choirs. Whether it is reaching up to God, the act of making music for its own sake, or simply the immersive, almost magical experience of singing in harmony with others, choral music has the power to lift us up above our individual, everyday lives.
The concept of the choir system as an institution in Africa gained the publicity in the choral music industry about three decades ago and had since met the admiration and approval of the Africaian populace, particularly the youth. The upsurge of these choirs with its dynamics of processes and development in most instances emanate from power and conflicts, construction of individual and group identities, ownership rights, financial and others are some of the challenges that reared their heads in the existing group as a result of members’ interaction and interrelation. These conflicts and confusions which occur within the groups or choirs end up in the breakaway of some members to join or form new groups.
According to Brewer and Garnett, (2012), a fundamental question in the making of a choir individually and consensus in choral singing is how best to respect the individuality of each of its singers while getting them all to work together for the good of the group as a whole. In this sense, a choir is a microcosm of human social life. The voice is the most personal and individual form of human expression as we can recognize people within seconds by the sound of their voice alone. Yet when people join their voices together in a choir they cannot assert that full individuality without disrupting the communal voice of the collective (Brewer and Garnett 2012: 256).
Every product is defined and identify by its content. A choir is universally admired by its practices and styles during performances. Performance practices/styles of these choirs have seen several changes and innovation vis-à-vis their repertoire, the types of costumes, performance settings, instrumental accompaniment, conducting and their general choral sonority. The uniqueness of each choir is exemplified in the various ways that they operate. Moreover, our works or compositions and performances which affect lives, promote sound societies as well as bring innovations and change in our churches or institutions musical culture remains part of the focus of this study.
Crowley (2015) again submits that, choral singing may have curative qualities but if we recast it as just another healthy lifestyle activity, like going to the gym, then all that is magical, inspiring and elevating about the choral experience might just melt into thin air.
The findings of the survey seriously pointed to the unfriendly attitude of some members of the adult church choristers. They also expressed of the sensation of being uncomfortable, shy and subjugated when they mingle with them. These untoward attitudes of the aging choristers gradually develop a catastrophe and ruin the interest of the youth in the church choir and eventually move them out of the choir. Besides, the attempt of compulsorily migrating members of junior choirs into the adult choir against their will in some traditional churches is another factor that exterminates their interest and disperses them from the church choirs. Nonetheless, in the quest for satisfying their desires and longing to express their gifts of music through singing, due to the above reasons, they end up finding a solace somewhere else by joining or forming a choir outside the church.
Aside of this, the proliferation of these choirs in other perspective is characterized by impatience behaviour of some young unprofessional nomadic musicians who are bent on forming their choirs regardless of its technicalities and challenges. However, whether all members in these choirs can really be described as ‘youth’ or otherwise is another mystery to unearthed.
In some circumstances, some individuals in the choirs are conspicuously adults but are still there with their reasons known to them alone. Apparently, these choirs currently operate as a business enterprises or companies to acquire wealth, so less can be complained or questioned about it. They organise concerts and other events and for social construction (identity) for themselves and the group.
Unquestionably, conflicts cannot be exterminated when and wherever human beings congregate. Conflict situations are inevitable and important aspect of any social institution due to human interactions and inter-relations of which the choir is no exception. Power, role conflict and ambiguity, age differential gap, technology, individual recognition (identity), ownership rights, financial and other contributing factors militate against the development of these choirs, hence, old groups are shunned and new ones embraced.
As a Director of Music in this industry, my experiences with some of these choirs offers me the power to reveal the incessant upsurge of the choirs which is quite a ‘virgin spot’ as far as the development of choirs in Africa is concerned. Juxtaposing these to the earlier statements, there is a clear need to explore into this phenomenon. The researcher therefore has the ethical will and the grounds based on these premise to investigate into their operations in order to unravel the factors that have necessitated the rapid spread of the development of this new paradigm across the length and breadth of the country.
1.2 Statement of the problem
The proliferation of choirs over the last three decades in Africa is overwhelming and its luring power among the individuals between the ages of thirteen (13) and forty five (45) is quite phenomenal. The provision of an avenue for both professional and non-professional musicians to explore and its development has also taken a new dimension from the earlier church system in relation to the motivational functions and development.
Today, these choirs have sprung all over the country and in every community and are spearheading the revival of the performances of choral music in Africa through concerts. It is relevant to know the challenges encountered in conducting these choirs, the consequence of the breakaways, as well as the changes and innovations it has brought into the music industry. This area of research is quite a ‘virgin spot’ as far as the development of choirs in Africa is concerned. Juxtaposing these to the earlier statements, there is a clear need to explore this phenomenon.
1.3 Justification for the Study
Choirs perform a vital role in Christian worship not only in leading congregations in their singing but in preserving great music of the church’s heritage and in introducing contemporary music to the Body of Christ. According to Ampiaw (2012), if Christian liturgy is alive and dynamic, the choirs make a significant contribution to its vitality. The work of the choir is to provide musical offerings to inspire and uplift the people in their worship and to support and lead people in their singing.
To our dismay, gradually, most of our church choirs are under performing. This is due to the waning interest in the choirs’ resulting in the inefficiencies of some aging members, and leadership. Some untoward attitudes of most Clergymen who find the role of the church choirs insignificant by the advent of the church bands also contributes to this anomy. These have warranted an alternative approach to arrest the collapse or the fall of these church choirs as well as to sustain and promote church music and choral music as a whole. The choir system in Africa now serves as an antidote and has brought a whole revival into the choir system upon which choral music treads on.
In our churches today, performances and renditions of anthems and other choral pieces during worship services and have been sacrificed for the sake of time. The few potential youth or young people who have very strong desires for choral music have no favourable environment to interact, hence, had to find their ways into the new paradigm of choirs formed outside the normal church context or system. Inspired by these, I sought to investigate into this new phenomenon which is steadily creeping into the fabric of our society and the change and innovations they bring into the music industry regarding their development, performance practices/styles and their contributions to choral art music in Africa.