Choral Singing in Australian Indigenous Christian Contexts and its Implications for Intergenerational Wellbeing 1

An ethnomusicological applied case study with the Lutheran Australian Aboriginal community of Hopevale, Northern Queensland (2004–2005), examines the relationship between Australian Aboriginal Christian choral singing, age and wellbeing. It shows the impact of singer-age and local mission histories on the efficacy of choral singing in promoting wellbeing. Indigenous views on the ability of music to support wellbeing illustrate how role-modeling and intergenerational musical care ensure older choir members enhance their own wellbeing, while perpetuating Indigenous systems of kin-relatedness and the caring and sharing practices embedded in Hopevale and other Indigenous communities.