ABSTRACT
This chapter contextualizes the Empowering Song approach in the long arc of the history of human musicking, affirming the approach as collectivist and communal. The arguments that are presented declare that the approach is non-hierarchical in nature and fundamentally political. The chapter continues with two extended autoethnographic narratives by both authors. In the first, André de Quadros traces his early encounters with classical music and obedience, moving through countries and continents in search of a home for his work in conducting, music education, and community music. In the second, Emilie Amrein tracks her childhood and engagement with choral music, detailing the tensions between socially engaged work and the academic and classical enterprise.
