“Everyone Can Sing”

Abstract

Abstract Regular community singing in Danish primary schools has become quite rare, while children’s choirs have become increasingly successful in the context of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Widening disparities in the population’s cultural and social needs make the creation of socially inclusive communities a challenge for Danish public schools. The Danish school choir project Everyone Can Sing, underway since 2018 in a primary school in Albertslund (Copenhagen suburb), is based on the hypothesis that grade 0–3 class choirs have a significant impact on pupils’ ability to bond socially and better integrate as a community. In a co-teaching collaboration between teachers in the primary school and professionally trained children’s choir leaders, children learn how to sing an age-appropriate repertoire, move naturally, and perform in the community. Two weekly lessons take place in the class, and regular performances in and outside the school also contribute to children’s learning. The study follows a mixed methods convergent design, integrating quantitative data from sociometric analyses, selected national tests, and annual Pupil’s Wellbeing surveys. The chapter presents only preliminary qualitative results, especially a detailed description of the intervention prototype that has been developed over four years. Choir leaders’ understanding of ways the choir model might improve children’s social well-being and inclusion is highlighted. Preliminary positive gains include joy of social and academic learning, inclusion, and an estimated reduction in social segregation.