Participants
Cavan Singers is a voluntary and not-for-profit community group, based in Cavan town. Four of the founding members are still active in the choir.
An intergenerational, mixed voices SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) choir, it is open to anyone who wishes to join.
Survey participants were all current and former members of Cavan Singers.
Aims
Cavan Singers aims to promote and encourage choral singing in the community and to offer public performances and recitals, alone and in collaboration with other musical groups.
The survey aimed to achieve a record, and snapshot, of what it means to individuals to be members of a community choir.
The external results of choir membership are visible to all who hear our performances; the survey investigated the less visible meanings, the internal effects, the personal views. It asked members to stop for a moment to reflect on being part of something that has become part of one’s life.
Methods
Cavan Singers rehearse and perform choral works. Members are self-selecting; there is no formal audition, and no necessity to be a music reader. We are guided by our constitution, written by our founding members in 1984.
We follow the school year and rehearse every Tuesday night, led by a Musical Director (currently Eileen Tackney).
Over the past four decades, the choir has explored a diverse range of genres, including classical masterpieces, contemporary hits, sacred hymns, moving ballads and jazz standards.
We are a member of the Cavan Public Participation Network. Through our choir membership we have developed informal links with the health / social care sector over the past four decades. For example, we hold an annual service with the staff, patients, families and friends of Cavan General Hospital Oncology Unit. At our annual ‘proms’ concerts, we make arrangements for residents of local care homes and their carers to attend.
We sing annually with the choirs from the four second-level schools in Cavan town; this is a wonderful mix of young and old voices (and some of the young people have subsequently joined Cavan Singers). We also sing in aid of a number of charitable organisations, including SVP, Good Morning Positive Age, and the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. In 2014, Cavan County Council awarded us a civic reception in recognition of our then 30-year contribution to the community.
In forty years, we have had many collaborations across the country with other choirs, orchestras and musical groups e.g. Fermanagh, Carrickmacross, Maynooth, Gloria LGBT+. We spent 2015-2016 preparing for our participation in the RTE broadcast of the 1916 centenary 100 Years a Nation, and subsequently we ourselves organised a concert for the centenary of Armistice Day in 2018.
We perform abroad, both competitively and non-competitively. In the early days, all choral festivals were competitive; in recent years, there has been a move to more collaborative concerts, with choirs from different countries singing together. This model has become our preference. Most recently, Cavan Singers represented Ireland at the 2024 Lisbon Sings! choral festival in Portugal.
Artistic Outputs
To celebrate our 40th anniversary we hosted a number of events:
- Cavan Singers Proms 2024 “40 Years of Singing All That Jazz” at Farnham Estate.
- Two exhibitions presented findings from the membership survey, with graphic posters designed by choir member and graphic designer Carrie Lewis. The first exhibition was held at Johnston Central Library, Cavan Town, in February 2024, followed by a second exhibition at Farnham Estate Hotel in May 2024.
- During an open event in the library exhibition space, we told the story of the choir, presented the results of our survey, opened an exhibition of posters, music, artefacts, and hosted a performance of poetry and song.
- The open library event was filmed and edited by the late Brian Daly of Drumlin TV: https://vimeo.com/916443571
Evaluation Methodology
Participatory Research Project
A community-based participatory research project was proposed by the committee as a way to invite each member of the choir to contribute to our celebration of 40 years singing; adding our inner voices to our singing voices.
The idea for the project was discussed at rehearsal, and it was agreed we would undertake a simple survey within the choir. We would present the analysis and findings to the wider community, and also preserve them as part of the choir archive.
Survey – This was kept as simple as possible. It was anonymous. It was voluntary. It was available as an online form or a printed page. Only one person saw the returns (one member of the choir with experience in qualitative analysis). There were three direct questions, and space was provided to add a comment.
Q1. Write three words you would use to describe the experience of being in Cavan Singers.
Q2. Name two favourite pieces you have sung with Cavan Singers.
Q3. For you, what does it mean to be part of Cavan Singers?
Analysis – Questions 1 & 2 were analysed using simple descriptive statistics; question 3 was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) which is a sensemaking method used to determine collective meaning across individual cases.
Findings – Three main themes were generated. The first centered on the learning and performing of the music our directors bring us; the second on the feelings of friendships that develop in being part of choir community; and the third brought out the deep positive effects on the inner self that have resulted from being a member of the choir.
Presentation – A summary text document was presented to report the findings as a whole. A series of posters was designed by a choir member to represent the findings graphically for exhibition.
Evaluation Outcomes
The survey analysis revealed three experiential themes:
- A deep love for and appreciation of the music;
- The delight of being in a community choir together;
- The combination of the first two themes has a positive effect on the inner health of the self.
Love for the Music
Choir members expressed gratitude for the experience of learning, singing and performing choral music:
- HARD FUN – love of learning the music, facing goals and challenges together, appreciating that effort will make it worthwhile.
- JOY in MUSIC – feelings of excitement and anticipation as we begin a new piece and begin to sing it together; feelings which deepen when we sing it for an audience.
- APPRECIATION of MUSICAL DIRECTORS and ACCOMPANISTS for their teaching, guidance and inspiration.
We Are Family
Singing and socialising together has brought us closer to each other…
- SOFT FUN – If group theme A had the ‘hard’ fun of learning together, this is the soft fun of being together, home and away.
- FRIENDSHIP & FAMILY – People feel welcomed, friendships are formed, support in good times and sad.
Me, Myself, I
Many members reflected on how being in the choir had a positive effect on their being …
- TUESDAY NIGHT IS ALL RIGHT – The weekly Tuesday rehearsal is a constant fixture; time is bracketed away from the wider world, “90 minutes of my week where I think about nothing else“.
- POSITIVE EFFECT ON THE SELF – Musical self-improvement and learning, creativity which is life-enhancing, a confidence booster, a mood enhancer, “a comfort and escape when things have been tough…”, “no matter how tired I go in, I come out uplifted.”
- MOMENTS IN TIME – Special memories across 40 years were mentioned by individuals; “proud to see the group blossom from a tiny seed planted 40 years ago.”
Our stories of 40 years singing together are filled with appreciation for the fun and friendship we share in the choir, deep love for the uplifting effect of learning and performing together; the joy brought to us by the music we have experienced with our musical directors; and how we consider our practice as a choir member to be part of our self-care. Our combined stories manifest the wellbeing and happiness that singing together can bring to individuals in communities.
Documentation and Dissemination
We presented the results of our participatory research project in the following ways:
- A short oral report of the findings was read to those gathered at the opening of our 40th anniversary exhibition in the local library;
- A selection of posters summarizing the research were designed, printed, and presented as part of our celebratory exhibition;
- A summary of the research findings was presented in our celebratory concert programme;
- A summary of the research findings was published on our blog site.
