ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a single multicultural choir developed on a university campus over an eight-year period. Multicultural choir here refers to a group of people, born in different countries, connected to one local area or institution, who learn to sing songs from the cultures of the singers in the group. The specific multicultural choir of interest here is a singing ensemble that encourages the engagement of persons from every cultural group at an institution. The perspective of cognitive psychology points to the greater demands on a multicultural choir than on one that performs music in a familiar language and in a familiar musical style, including a non-native style in which a choir specializes. Facilitators of multicultural choirs must be sensitive to differences in vocalists’ backgrounds and find ways to create common ground and provide opportunities for everyone to experience the joy of the music and to honor the cultural origins of the song.
