OXFORDCHOIRS

Project "OXFORDCHOIRS" data sheet

The following table provides information about the project.

 Partnership

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 Project objective

This project presents an interdisciplinary study on the collective identities and (sometimes contested) cultures of collegiate choirs at University of Oxford (UOXF) and focuses on cultural-political issues and challenges facing the choral/musical tradition in UOXF colleges and halls in the 21st century. This project refers to extra-curricular music activities in the academic context, which relate to the current European Agenda for culture (accessible and inclusive culture and cultural heritage as well as referring to current societal challenges in Europe (social inclusion) whereas the project deals with musical activities in a somewhat elitist community. Drawing predominantly on the Sociology and Psychology of Music, as well as the contemporary history of Music and Cultural Policy, this interdisciplinary study can be divided into two main strands of research: A) Firstly from the perspective of students; to map the demographical background and social structures of members of the collegiate choirs and how the historical tradition affects and shapes the collective identities and individual cultures of the choirs. B) Secondly from the perspectives of staff/administrators; to study the cultural-political issues in ‘governmental’ decision making regarding the future of the collegiate choirs in terms of perspectives like politics of admission, competition for musical talent, forms of musical direction, gender perspectives, financial distribution and inequalities, musical hierarchies and the possible impact of cuts in public funding to musical school activities in general.