“It’s Much More Collaborative”: Democratic Action in Contemporary Collegiate A Cappella

Abstract

The purpose of this case study was to explore the democratic practices of an all-female contemporary collegiate a cappella ensemble. Due to advances in the Internet and portrayals in popular media, contemporary a cappella participation on collegiate campuses has seen a period of extreme growth. There is interest within music education research to understand the role of democracy in a variety of musical settings, but empirical research connecting democratic action to the everyday practice of music ensembles is relatively sparse. This case study involved documenting and examining 8 hours of observation and 10 hours of group and individual interviews over the course of a 10-week rehearsal and performance sequence. Tan’s (2014) 5 qualities of a democratically run instrumental music ensemble (people, participation, equality, cooperation, and conflict) served as a framework for analysis. Emergent themes included “stepping up,” vulnerability, and transmission. Findings indicate that Tan’s qualities may need reconceptualization in order to apply to a peer-led ensemble working democratically, with equality of opportunity as a primary characteristic. Suggestions for further research and implications for teaching are provided.

Popular, Informal, and Vernacular Music Classrooms: A Review of the Literature

“…However, even within this autonomous group there existed a sense of democracy through leadership roles. This was also evident in Berglin (2015) who looked at an all-female contemporary collegiate a cappella ensemble. The students within this collaborative and autonomous group created somewhat of a hierarchy through electing a president, music directors, treasure, and so forth.…”

“…Students and tutors agreed on important skills such as arranging, improvising, and playing-by-ear. While many of the studies seemed to focus on composition for instrumentalists, researchers have found collegiate a cappella choirs benefited from developing skills that allowed them to arrange and compose their own music (Berglin, 2015; Paparo, 2013).…”

“…Group collaboration can also be valued in other settings, such as choir. Berglin (2015) described how members of a female a cappella choir contributed their individual talents. They encouraged “a system where the women feel comfortable contributing their skills and working toward their development” (p. 64).…”

“…Researchers have addressed collaboration in popular music ensembles involving university students (Berglin, 2015; Isbell, 2016; Pulman, 2014). However, Byo (2018) identified the idea of teamwork and cooperation as common values in his study of a middle school modern rock band.…”

“…Overall, researchers have indicated popular music groups and classrooms practiced some level of autonomy (Berglin, 2015; Byo, 2018; Cremata, 2017; Isbell, 2016; Pulman, 2014; Tobias, 2015). In an initial examination of the research, I attempted to classify the studies from three approaches: (a) a student-centered approach, where the teacher was still the authority; (b) a democratic approach, where the teacher was more a facilitator than a leader; and (c) a completely autonomous approach, where each member participated equally.…”