“Scare Away the Dark”

Abstract

Abstract Inspired by the lyrics of Passenger’s “Scare Away the Dark,” in 2015 the author delivered a lecture for first-year college students that asked the vocational question, “What Brings You Joy?” The author’s answer had two parts: being in community with others and singing. That day the author nervously opened her mouth and led a room of 500 students, faculty, and administrators through a set of “ohs,” made famous in Passenger’s song. That opportunity to lead her academic community in song changed the trajectory of her teaching career. It crystalized the potential of shared song (something she had taken for granted as a life-long musician) as a community builder and powerful pedagogical tool. This chapter investigates how community singing impacts gatherings ranging from large academic assemblies to small classroom lectures in ways that facilitate the skillful teaching of music’s historical and cultural significance and communicates its capacity to bring people together.