Community and Church Choirs: Singing, Worship, and Connection

Alabama ACDA * July 14, 2025
Jane M. Kuehne, Ph.D.

Director of Music, St. Michael's Catholic Parish

Associate Professor of Music Education
Graduate Program Officer
Auburn University, Alabama

Reference List * Weep No More * Soul of Christ * It is Well With My Soul

Why This Topic?

I teach people who want to teach music.
We don't just teach music in schools. Schools are the starting point where the love of music starts, is developed, cultivated.
Then, we "turn people loose" after HS and/or College and they have to find music for themselves. Church and Community choirs (and instrumental ensembles) often are the places people land.

I also teach adult singers whose ages range from 20s to 90s.
What am I doing to learn more about how to help my "older" singers continue to develop and maintain their singing voices?
What other benefits does singing have for "older" people?
My own voice is going to get "older," I need to know how to maintain it as long as possible.

Singing

Peacefulness

Singing in Choral Group helps members:

manage personal challenges through singing with others.
develop friendships that transcend the choir.
manage moving away from home to new living situations singing with others who have the same experiences.
(Heo et al, 2022)

Well-Being

Interpersonal relationships and social connections (Moss et al, 2022; Petrovsky et al, 2020)
Maintaining mental and physical health (Allison et al, 2020; Heo et al, 2022; Moss et al, 2022)
Decreased loneliness (Allison et al, 2020; Johson et al, 2020)
Something we love to do (Petrovsky et al, 2020)

Identity

singing in a group with those who share the same cultural beliefs or backgrounds enhances the cultural identity and belonging
singing with people who share different cultural beliefs or backgrounds enhances appreciation of different cultures

(Allison et al, 2020)

singing in groups helps us build new social identities because we continually learn (Heo et al, 2022)

Musical Skill, Singing

Singing accurately is a learned motor skill. Continued singing throughout life, through "old age," can maintain this accuracy (Pfordresher, 2022)
Voice production changes, but amplitude abilities (volume) can be maintained, though anxiety about vocal quality strongly affects self-assessment of voices (Lortie et al, 2015)

Physical Functions for Life

Using deep breathing as part of a choral singing program with older participants (and younger ones too) may help with respiratory function (Alzamani et al, 2022; Moon et al, 2022; Musetta et al, 2018)
Memory function may be promoted by continuing to learn songs (Galinha et al, 2021; Musetta et al, 2018)

Music and Medicine

Those who experience memory loss return to earlier times in their lives (Northwestern Medicine, 2022, University of Utah Health, 2018).

“When we use musical intervention, we’re looking for areas and networks in the brain that are intact to serve as bridges and help the areas that are not working well,” says Dr. Bonakdarpour. “Singing, for example, can be a bridge to communicating better through language. The rhythmic nature of music can help people walk better.”

The Voice and Aging

These areas can affect vocal production as we age:

Muscle atrophy (throughout body)
Mucosal membrane thinning, connective tissue stiffening
Loss of laryngeal flexibility
Physical body changes can affect breathing
Confidence changes (Lortie et al, 2015)
Overall health decline due to medical issues
(Cleveland Clinic, 2022; Sataloff and Kost, 2020a; UT Southwestern, 2022)
Salivary function, tongue strength, decreases (Sataloff and Kost, 2022a)

Helping the Aging Voice Maintain Function

Daily Voice Exercises help strengthen production
- Give your singers something to practice each day (make recordings, teach in rehearsal)
Encourage Hydration
- If part of getting older is loss of salivary function, more water is important
- Water is important for maintaining good overall health, and can help with moisture in the vocal cords
- Get them a "group logo water bottle" and encourage them to use it in rehearsals (and performances)
Be encouraging, not discouraging
- If older people are singing as part of their mental, physical, and social well-being, encourage them.
- Avoid being the "temperamental musician." It's not all about "perfect quality"

Modifications for Aging Persons

music content must be person-centered and changeable
larger print is important
social interaction is a key part of the singing experience
(Moss et al, 2022)

Worship

See notes from my Music and Musical Prayer presentation (these are just notes, not presentation slides)

In my religion (Roman Catholic) music plays a vital role in the liturgy of the mass through Hymns, Meditation Music, Mass Settings.

The purpose of singing/playing is to contribute to the liturgy, to lead ourselves and parishioners to the purpose. In my case, it's to understanding more about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Trinity), and Christ's teachings.

The purpose is to make music as beautifully as possible. Bad music is distracting from the messages and worship in the mass.

The purpose is to get people involved in actively raising their voices in song during mass either in a choir or from the pews.

Let's look at some music and walk through our purpose.

Words Matter - that's it. When we sing hymns, the text is as important as the melodies and harmonies.

Connection

What is connection? How do we develop connection?

We work hard in all kinds of music-making settings to have the connection with music, with co-music-makers, with congregations and/or audiences, and with our own selves.
How many of you who teach community or church choirs have members who joined because they never had the MS/HS choral experience? I know I'm preaching to the choir when I say kids are told to take "academics" (like music isn't academic, sarcasm) and forgo the arts?
- Now they're adults who want that musical connection. They're making their own choices.

Connection. It's is what keeps them coming back once they make the step to join.

Recruitment. There's a fine line between inviting, pushy, desperate, and creepy.

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