Motivational factors in adult,auditioned community choirs: The power of aesthetic experiences

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to a) identify motivational factors to join and maintain membership in adult, auditioned community choirs; b) examine relationships between music achievement, music aptitude, and selected motivational factors; and c) examine the role of stress and anxiety as factors in choral participation. Participants (N = 135) from four adult, auditioned community choirs participated in this study. Data was collected using measures of musical aptitude, vocal achievement, and a questionnaire relating to the topics of motivation, retention, and stress/anxiety informed by Cusp Catastrophe Theory. Results suggest that aesthetic motivation is a primary factor contributing to enrollment and retention in adult, auditioned community choirs. Experienced choral members perceive little stress or anxiety when learning or performing choral music; however, members believe that some stress may be beneficial to singing. Implications include the need for conductors to consider the importance of perceived aesthetic qualities when selecting choral literature. In addition, the impact of community ensembles on community cohesion, health benefits, and educational benefits may be related to motivational factors influencing continued participation.

Keywords

Choir motivation participation retention Cusp Catastrophe Theory

Motivation can influence participation and retention in adult choral organizations and is an important topic for researchers, directors, psychologists, and music educators. Research indicates that 23.5 million American adults participate weekly in more than 250,000 choral organizations; thereby, making choral participation one of the most popular public arts activities in the United States (Chorus America, 2003). Community choirs represent one type of choral ensemble, attracting adults who wish to continue singing beyond high school or the collegiate years. These choirs draw membership from a community, do not require formal music training, and are not restricted to a single institution or group of people. However, many community choirs in the United States require an audition to participate.

Given rigorous entrance requirements, individuals enrolled in auditioned community choirs may have different reasons for participation. Research suggested that adults who participate in audition-based groups have previous experience singing in choirs at the secondary school level (Bowles, 1991). These experiences contributed to their self-confidence, musical self-efficacy, and positive attitude regarding future music participation. While the majority of studies in this area have focused on motivational factors found in non-auditioned choirs (Ernst, 2003; Faivre Ransom, 2001; Hinkle, 1987; Jutras, 2009; McCoy, 2013; Willingham, 2001; Wilson, 2011), few studies have examined motivational factors in audition-based community choirs (Wilson, 2011). This descriptive research sought to explore the motivational factors for enrollment and retention in an adult auditioned community choir as well as the relationship between musical factors (i.e. vocal achievement and musical aptitude) and psychosocial factors (perceived stress and anxiety) in choral participation.

Motivational factors

There may be as many factors contributing to motivation to join a community choir as there are people who sing in them (McCoy, 2013). Recent literature has identified five broad categories of motivation: aesthetic, educational, emotional, social, and spiritual (McCoy, 2013; Wilson, 2011). Examination of these five categories of motivation will be beneficial in identifying significant motivational factors for choral membership and retention.

Choral singers in non-auditioned groups expressed aesthetic appreciation of the beauty of music as a substantial motivator to participate (Aliapoulis, 1969; Chorus America, 2003; Vincent, 1997). For instance, research examining the perceived benefits by adult choir members found aesthetic benefits to be the highest rated through the inclusion of quality repertoire, musical styles, challenging repertoire, improved discipline, and greater appreciation of the arts (Rensink-Hoff, 2009). These factors contributed to a perceived aesthetic motivation to participate. Other research showed the likelihood of aesthetic motivation based upon aesthetic responses measured with the Continuous Response Digital Interface (Davis, 2003). Davis’ findings revealed that choral members with experience of singing advanced repertoire showed increased aesthetic responses compared to individuals without choral experience. Thus, choral singing experience may enhance the likelihood of the influence of aesthetic motivation, particularly those who are required to audition for admittance.

Spirituality, another motivational factor, has been referred to as the depth and dimension of life or the values at one’s core center (Elkins, Hedstrom, Hughes, Leaf, & Saunders, 1988). Albanese (2001) concludes that spirituality has been linked to artistic creativity and to feelings of separation from society or, by contrast, to feelings of close communion with others. It has also been associated with stillness, silence, and peace. Spirituality in choral music has been defined as a calling to join a choral group, and a deep sense of connection with one another and the audiences. The music itself may heighten sensitivity including the beauty of music and lyrics, which may be described in religious terms resulting in a sense of peace and joy.

Emotions can influence music participation. Cooke (1959), Kivy (1980), and Meyer (2008) and have postulated that music can convey specific emotions, such as happiness, sadness, and anger, through various elements of music that may include tempo, melodic contour, articulation, dynamics, consonance/dissonance, pitch, timbre, and harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic complexity. Emotions of pleasure, joy, and love of singing were revealed to be an important motivational factor for community choir singers (Aliapoulios, 1969; Rensink-Hoff, 2009; Vincent, 1997) as was the enjoyment of the act of performing music (Simmons, 1962; Spell, 1989).

Personal development and education are frequently cited motivational factors for choral participation. Personal development for adults includes learning undertaken throughout life with the aim of improving knowledge, skills, and competences within a personal, civic, social, or employment-related perspective (Jarvis & Parker, 2006). Typical factors in musical personal development and lifelong learning may include the desire to continue a musical education, enjoyment of meeting the educational challenges, and constructive use of leisure time (Aliapoulios, 1969). Choir singers enjoy the challenge in achieving a higher level of musical understanding and the sense of accomplishment which can transfer to overall general wellbeing (Hinkle, 1987; Spell, 1989). For instance, a cross-national study in England, Germany, and Australia found that there were many positive effects of group singing, including the expansion of one’s educational achievement from singing toward the general quality of life (Clift, Hancox, Morrison, Hess, Kreutz, & Stewart, 2010).

Research in adult community choirs suggested that social factors were a strong predictor of enrollment (Simmons, 1962). Data indicated that the presence of a common language among a group of learners may contribute to this finding (Holmquist, 1995). For instance, community choirs share experiences during rehearsals and performances with specialized, goal-oriented language (Belz, 1994; Willingham, 2001). Shared experiences during rehearsals and performances draw the group closer in social understanding of each other. Social contributions to the community were also cited as factors in choir participation in large-scale studies (Chorus America, 2003). Other studies found that a general feeling of social benefit and positive social activity were valuable to community choir members (Aliapoulios, 1969; Hinkle, 1987).

Relationships, stress, and motivation

Stress is defined as an external force directed at an object (Evans, 1984). Adult musicians who are dedicated to achievement push beyond reasonable psychological and physical limits in practice, brought on by high expectations and unrealistic goals which may lead to feelings of musical inadequacy (Orzel, 2011). Hamann and Gordon (2000) conclude, “Although continually striving for a goal can provide a sense of direction and purpose, unrealistic goals and rewards are inherently stressful” (p. 39). The goal of these potential achievements may greatly contribute to stress levels as well as performance anxiety (Cox & Kennedy, 1993; Kirchner, Bloom, & Skutnick-Henley, 2008). Stress can serve as a powerful motivational tool in the process of learning or disrupt learning entirely depending on the application (Bugos & Lee, 2015).

Cusp Catastrophe Theory and motivation

Cusp Catastrophe Theory (Sanders, 1980) may be one explanation for the interaction between physiological arousal and cognitive anxiety. When cognitive anxiety is elevated, physiological arousal heightens up to a point (cusp) where performance will increase. If stress increases past this cusp, performance will undergo a catastrophic drop, only to be elevated again when physiological arousal is significantly lowered (Sanders, 1980). This theory implies that performance would be difficult to sustain and would drastically decline when physiological arousal is too high and too prolonged (Bugos & Lee, 2015).

Cusp Catastrophe Theory contains five key characteristics which include bifurcation, discontinuity, inaccessibility, hysteresis, and divergence (Allen & Carifio, 1995; Bugos & Lee, 2015; Cryer & Elton, 1990). Bifurcation occurs when a small change in a manipulated parameter causes a sudden topological change in the observed behavior (Bugos & Lee, 2015). As cognitive anxiety and physiological arousal increases, performance may increase until a bifurcation point is approached. At this point, performance may experience a sudden drop.

Discontinuity occurs when abrupt changes in behavior are associated with specific circumstances resulting from complex non-linear behaviors and can be modeled by Catastrophe Theory (Bugos & Lee, 2015). Providing challenge could result in advancement in musical learning leading to future music participation. Perception of failure could have undesirable consequences such as attrition or negative associations with music instruction or music performance.

Inaccessibility refers to the middle region between two possible behavior types in which behaviors cannot occur simultaneously. Two opposing behaviors could occur in learning music. For instance, students choose to persevere in learning a challenging piece of music or avoid the challenge through the introduction of less challenging repertoire or reduced practice time.

Hysteresis is a mathematical term meaning, in the present context, under high cognitive-anxiety conditions, performance against physiological arousal follows a different path when physiological arousal is increasing as compared to contexts where physiological arousal is decreasing (Zeeman, 1976). The transition time and the process of going back and forth between opposing behaviors can be referred to as hysteresis (time-based dependence of a system’s output on current and past outputs). For instance, if a student is successful within a challenging piece and is provided a greater challenge with new musical material, the student may be overwhelmed with increased musical challenges. Music learning may be impeded by a lack of anticipated entry-level learning success experienced previously. Consequences may include a delay of practice, withdraw from practice, and a return back to the piece with encouragement. The delay in cycling back to the piece may serve as the transition time essential for learning.

Divergence refers to two similar behaviors which may begin in the same direction, go through the same circumstances, and result in differential outcomes. If an instructor presented a developing musician with two very challenging pieces, depending upon the degree of challenge and perceptions of the repertoire, the musician’s behavior could yield differential outcomes toward each independent piece. The musician could elect to persist and thus experience an increase in learning in one piece and elect to discontinue practice with another piece. The potential for these behaviors to occur simultaneously results in diverging outcomes (Bugos & Lee, 2015). The most important practical implication of the Cusp Catastrophe Theory model is that cognitive anxiety is not always detrimental to performance and may actually enhance it under certain conditions (Eysenck & Calvo, 1992; Hardy & Parfitt, 1991; Hardy, 1996). Knowledge of Cusp Catastrophe Theory may help to better understand factors pertaining to participant motivations related to continued choral participation in an auditioned community choirs.

Method

Participants

Recruitment for this study included (N = 135; 47 male, 88 female) choral members from four adult (age 18+) auditioned choirs in the southeastern United States. Participants in these choirs were composed of adults with a wide range of vocal abilities and choral experience ranging from those with no formal education to those who were highly educated and/or professional musicians as shown in Table 1. Informed written consent was obtained in accordance with the policies of the University of South Florida Institutional Review Board.

Table 1.

Demographic Table.

Variable		N = 135	Percentage
Gender	Male	47	34.8
Gender	Female	88	65.2
Age	18–25	2	1.5
	26–35	5	3.7
	36–45	13	9.6
	46–55	22	16.3
	56–65	48	35.6
	66–75	31	23
	75 and above	14	10
Achieved Level of Education	High School	1	0.7
	Some College	28	20.7
	Bachelor	44	32.6
	Master’s Degree	43	31.9
	Doctoral Degree	19	14.1
Work Status	Retired	49	36.3
	Working, 40 hours or more/week	51	37.8
	Working, 39 hours or less/week	30	22.2
	Student	5	3.7
Years Singing in Adult Chorus	0–10	27	20
	11–20	21	15.6
	21–30	23	17
	31–40	24	17.8
	41–50	25	18.5
	51–60	10	7.4
	61–70	5	3.7

Procedure

Prospective participants were informed about the study during rehearsals. Participants individually completed a motivation questionnaire, measure of vocal ability, and measure of music aptitude for the researcher in a quiet testing room. Administration time for all measures was 35 minutes in one sitting.

A 47-item author-created questionnaire (see Supplementary Materials online) containing demographic and motivational factors was administered to examine aesthetic, educational, emotional, social, and spiritual motivations for joining and/or maintaining membership in the choir based upon the sub-constructs of Cusp Catastrophe Theory (Redman, 2016). Questions consisted of multiple choice, rank, and Likert scales. The Likert responses were on a 5-point scale (strongly agree, disagree, neither agree nor disagree, agree, or strongly agree). All responses were coded for statistical analysis. Participants were instructed to answer all questions reflecting their views to the best of their ability. Completion time was estimated at approximately 10 minutes. Previous use of this questionnaire revealed a highly reliable measure, test–retest reliability (r = .831; Redman, 2016).

After completion of the questionnaire, respondents completed a short measure of vocal ability using Singing Coach software (Franzblau & Franzblau, 2004). Singing Coach is a musical software program designed to help vocalists sing in tune with accurate rhythm. Singing Coach (originally named Carry-a-Tune) uses a computer, a microphone, and the respondent’s voice to yield a score of vocal ability. The software displays a pitch-tracking line that follows the melody in graphic or music notation format and instantaneously indicates if the user is singing in tune. The participants were given verbal instruction on how to navigate the software and record their voice as indicated in the examples.

Raw scores for each of the three vocal selections are generated upon the completion of each song. Possible points earned as reported by the software algorithm reflect accuracy (e.g. pitch accuracy) on the vocal examination. Singing Coach includes many songs; however, we chose to measure the respondent’s vocal production, which includes the components of pitch, rhythm, and intonation on three songs graded easy, medium, and hard. The songs include: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” (easy degree of difficulty); “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” (medium degree of difficulty); and “Over the Rainbow” (hard degree of difficulty). Songs were selected based on familiarity for this age group and levels of difficulty for adult vocalists based upon the range of vocal abilities in this sample.

In addition to vocal achievement, musical aptitude was measured with the Advanced Measures of Music Audiation (AMMA; Gordon, 1989). The AMMA consists of 30 paired melodic phrases which must be identified as the same, tonally different, or rhythmically different. Raw scores range from 0 to 40 for tonal and rhythmic scales and are used to generate composite scores. Although the AMMA is designed primarily for high school students, college music and non-music majors, music aptitude stabilizes after the age of nine (Gordon, 1989). The AMMA was chosen for its high reliability and brevity. The test–retest reliability was r = .81 for the tonal test and r = .82 for the rhythmic test. In addition, AMMA performance is correlated (r = .78) with the Music Aptitude Profile (MAP; Gordon, 1989). Thus, the measure provided a useful tool for examination of music aptitude in older adults.

Results

This study examined three important questions: a) what are the motivational factors to join and maintain membership in adult, auditioned community choirs?; 2) what are the relationships between musical achievement, musical aptitude, and selected motivational factors?; and 3) what is the role of stress and anxiety in choral participation? Analyses were completed to evaluate the musical aptitude, vocal ability and written survey of the study sample. The data were analyzed using measures of central tendency and correlational analyses.

Motivational factors

Motivational factors to enroll and maintain membership were evaluated with a questionnaire. The most frequently reported motivation factor in identifying why one chooses to sing in an adult, auditioned community choir was the aesthetic factor (M = 4.48, SD = 0.65). This was followed by spiritual motivation (M = 3.77, SD = 0.83), and the third most frequent motivation was emotional motivation (M = 3.53, SD = 0.92; Table 2). Educational motivation was the least reported motivation factor (M = 2.83, SD = 0.86). In addition, 96.3% indicated agreeing or strongly agreeing that the level of practice time invested contributed to a greater likelihood for aesthetic experiences while rehearsing or performing.

Table 2.

Composite Scores of Motivation Factors.

Motivation	M	SD
Aesthetic	4.48	0.65
Educational	2.83	0.86
Emotional	3.53	0.92
Social	2.84	1.19
Spiritual	3.77	0.83

Additional questions focused upon the role of motivation in future choral participation. Participants reported upon factors that would contribute to termination of their membership in the choir. Music lacking aesthetic beauty (n = 55, 40.7%) was most frequently recognized as the reason the study participants would quit singing and terminate their membership in the choir. The second most frequent response was there was no reason (n = 29, 21.5%) why they would quit singing in the choir followed by the third most frequent response, spiritual disconnection from the music (n = 23, 17%). Among survey data, we also analyzed relationships between specific responses to items. There was a negative correlation between those who selected aesthetic motivation (on item 30) and the specific reason of why members would no longer choose to sing (lack of aesthetic beauty) in the choir (r = -.572, p < .01).

Music aptitude, vocal achievement, and motivation factors

High musical aptitude scores were found as measured by the AMMA with tonal aptitude (M = 27.88, SD = 4.23), and rhythmic aptitude scores (M = 29.4, SD = 4.08). Results of vocal achievement as measured by the Singing Coach software indicated a mean of 78.87 (SD = 7.59) for “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”; M = 80.25 (SD = 7.78) for “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”; and M = 71.07 (SD = 8.62) for “Over the Rainbow.” The mean of the three songs was 76.83 (SD = 7.18). No participant achieved the perfect score of 100. When comparing the lowest 25% and highest 25% vocal achievement scores to retention, the most frequent response for the lowest 25% (11, 32.4%) was they would quit singing if repertoire was bland and lacked emotional expression. The highest 25% of Singing Coach cumulative raw scores (n = 12, 35.3%) reported that they would quit singing if music never allowed them to experience aesthetic beauty and truth.

In this study, participants most frequently perceived their singing (vocal) achievement as that of a talented amateur (n = 84, 62.2 %). The second most frequent response was semi-professional (n = 26, 19.3%) and the third most frequent response was professional (n = 17, 12.6%). The group that self-identified as talented amateurs most frequently indicated their motivation to sing in the choir as emotional (n = 23). This was followed by aesthetic (n = 21) as the second most frequent motivation factor. All other groups of self-perceived vocal ability, including dabbler, semi-professional, and professional, identified aesthetic motivation as the most frequent motivation for singing in the choir. There was a moderate positive correlation between the composite score of vocal achievement and the self-perceived level of vocal achievement (per ranked levels in item 7 of the questionnaire) of the study sample, r_s = .460, p < .01.

Stress and anxiety in choral participation

The study participants agreed (n = 70, 51.9%) and strongly agreed (n = 24, 17.8%) that some level of stress is beneficial to their choral singing. Additionally, the study population agreed (n = 72, 53.3%) and strongly agreed (n = 45, 33.3%) that stress can be a powerful motivator or disruptive to learning or performance. To further examine relationships between stress and anxiety in learning as a function of Catastrophe Theory, we examined relationships between self-perceived vocal ability and the perceived impact of stress to disrupt learning causing a potential bifurcation. There was a moderate positive correlation between the most frequent response selected by self-perceived vocal ability and levels of agreement in that stress can be a powerful motivator or disruptive to learning or performance (r_s = .476, p < .01). The most frequent response of the study was that participants did not associate stress and anxiety (n = 83, 61.5%) with learning or performing choral music. The second most frequent response indicated the participants did feel stress and anxiety (n = 27, 20%) when learning and performing choral music.

Since Cusp Catastrophe Theory offered a framework with which to examine potential relationships between physiological arousal and performance anxiety, questions were mapped to each sub-construct of bifurcation, discontinuity, inaccessibility, hysteresis, and divergence (Redman, 2016). To examine bifurcation, we asked how a choir member would respond to learning a new choral selection that was beyond their current singing capabilities. The study participants’ most frequent response was that they would do their best on their own (n = 53, 39.3%). The second most frequent response was that they would seek help from a friend (n = 32, 23.7%). The third most frequent response was to seek help from the conductor (n = 36, 26.7%). No respondents reported that they would terminate their membership in the choir if the music was beyond their singing capability. There was a moderate positive correlation, r_s = .348, p < .01, in the study participants’ response to how they would react when choral music is beyond their vocal achievement, as (n = 53, 39.3%) responded that they would do their best individually. Their response when choral music becomes difficult or complex (n = 106, 78.5%) was optimistic in believing they could achieve the desired performance goal.

The study participants agreed (n = 70, 51.9%) that some level of stress is beneficial to their singing. This variable is linked to discontinuity in Catastrophe Theory. The second most frequent response was that they strongly agreed (n = 24, 17.8%). The third most frequent response of neither agree or disagree (n = 22, 16.3%). The study participants expressed excitement (n = 59, 43.7%) at singing any level of musical complexity and that some level of stress (n = 70, 51.9%) is beneficial to their singing showing a moderate positive correlation, r_s = .430, p <.01, between these two questions. In addition, there was a moderate positive correlation that stress can be a powerful motivator or disruptive to learning and, or, performance compared to stress can reinforce or impede learning and retention, r_s = .578, p <.01.

For inaccessibility, 64.4% of the participants reported that it is not important to sing complex, challenging choral selections. According to 94% of participants, stress involved in learning a choral selection is worth the outcome. When the study participants were asked of their outlook perception when choral music becomes difficult or complex (hysteresis), the most frequent response was optimistic (n = 108, 78.5%) that they could sing their part with practice. The second most frequent response was confident (n = 25, 18.5%) that they could sing their part with no hesitation. The sum of discouraged and frustrated study participants’ responses when the music becomes difficult or complex was (n = 3, 2.1%). The study participants agreed (n = 60, 44.4%) and strongly agreed (n = 37, 27.4%) that rehearsing and performing choral music is seldom a stressful event. There was a moderate positive correlation between the study participants’ self-perceived level of vocal ability and extent of agreement with the statement that rehearsing and performing choral music is seldom a stressful event (r = .458, p <.01).

The study participants strongly agreed (n = 90, 66.7%) and agreed (n = 40, 29.6%) that feeling well-rehearsed results in less stress and anxiety (divergence). In comparison, the study participants responded that they do not feel stress (n = 83, 61.5%) when learning, performing or the combination of learning and performing choral music. The majority of those that scored in the lowest 25% on the Singing Coach task responded “none of the above” to when they experience stress and anxiety (n = 18, 52.9%). These participants indicated that they do not feel stress and anxiety while rehearsing or performing music. The majority of those that scored in the highest 25% on the Singing Coach task responded that they do not experience stress and anxiety (n = 28, 82.4%) while rehearsing and or performing music.

Discussion

This research highlights the value of the aesthetic experience as a motivational factor in participation by adults in auditioned-based community choirs. These findings are consistent with previous research which identified aesthetic appreciation of the beauty found in music as a prominent motivator to participate in younger populations (Aliapoulis, 1969; Chorus America, 2003; Vincent, 1997). However, these data are in contrast to other research in non-auditioned community choirs which suggest the importance of self-improvement and education as the most prominent motivational factors (Selph & Bugos, 2014). While the present study and the Selph and Bugos (2014) study included a large population of working adults over age 56, those who reported having less musical experience in the Selph and Bugos (2014) study preferred complex and challenging music driven by self-improvement. This is in contrast to adults in the current study who were motivated for aesthetic reasons. Music lacking aesthetic qualities was the most frequent reason given for why the study participants would not continue or retain their membership in the choir. It is important to identify that the study participants second most frequent response as to why they would not retain their membership in the choir was “none of the above,” indicating there was no reason listed why they would not continue singing in the choir. The third and fourth most frequent responses were music lacking spiritual connection and music lacking emotional connection, which directly aligned with their motivation to join.

Prior research has focused on choral music motivation in the secondary level of education and with adults participating in community chorus (Kwan, 2007; Saunders, 2005; Savi, 2011). It has been less common for studies to focus on the adult, auditioned community chorus. The criterion of requiring chorus members to audition suggests that the vocal musician must meet a minimum standard of vocal ability for entrance. With this standard, this study found that vocal musicians with a higher musical aptitude and level of vocal achievement were secure in their ability to successfully sing choral music at a perceived level of difficulty.

The majority of participants in this study were not professional or semi-professional musicians. Choir members who self-identified as talented amateurs did have the ability to sing proficiently as measured by their vocal achievement. High levels of vocal ability may have allowed members of this sample to experience their primary motivational goal of having an aesthetic experience. Since the study participants’ level of vocal achievement and self-perceived level of vocal ability were fairly high, our results suggest no indication that they would experience a sudden drop in performance due to stress and anxiety. However, future research is necessary to examine causal comparisons.

Questions that focused upon the elements of Cusp Catastrophe theory allowed us to examine the role of stress and anxiety in terms of learning challenges. This framework may be helpful to apply to other music training studies. While participants did not report any stress or anxiety regarding their participation in choral ensembles, levels of self-efficacy in a specific domain such as music, may potentially be one mitigating variable (Bandura, 1993). Further research is necessary to isolate the role of musical self-efficacy on stress and anxiety related to musical performance and music learning.

Limitations and potential explanations

The choirs selected in this research were context-specific, auditioned community choirs in the United States. Choirs chosen for this study were not affiliated with any religious organization, business enterprise, or service organization. Emphasis in each of the selected choirs was on the value of the music performed. In other countries, community choirs may not require auditions and are open to all learners. It would be interesting to examine the same variables in community choirs in diverse locations to evaluate the impact of motivational factors, stress levels, musical achievement, and musical aptitude in a broader context.

While four choirs volunteered to participate in this study, no choir achieved 100% participation from its members. The highest participation rate included one choir that achieved 55% participation. Participants who refrained from study participation cited lack of compensation, scheduling conflicts, or lack of interest in the topic, as potential reasons. Completion of individual measures of vocal ability may have influenced participation rates. Future research measuring musical ability or vocal ability should consider offering a group-based measure to limit testing duration and decrease potential anxiety associated with individualized musical assessments.

Several participants indicated that the AMMA auditory stimuli were too lengthy. As a result, these participants were not secure in their decision as to whether the comparison phrase was the same, tonally different, or rhythmically different. One member suggested that she may have been more successful on the measure if she completed the AMMA in her earlier years. This may be a reflection of the participants’ ages and possible diminished auditory memory performance. While the AMMA was designed for high school and post-secondary musicians, there is a need for musical aptitude measures for older adults that account for age-related changes in cognition.

Conclusions

Aesthetics are a broad motivation construct that have important meaning for auditioned community choir members. It may be relevant for future studies to identify perceptions of the aesthetic experience to determine if aesthetic motivation is most frequently identified as part of the choral score as created and designed by the composer/arranger. The aesthetic experience may also be identified by the performance presentation, which may include successful execution of the technical elements found in quality repertoire. While the perception of the aesthetics in music may vary greatly among members of a given population, our findings regarding the importance of aesthetic motivations are consistent with previous findings in other populations (Davis, 2003). Further research is necessary that considers the role of the musical environment on aesthetic motivations to participate in musical experiences.

Additional research that examines the issues surrounding lifelong music participation and motivations for continued participation is essential to develop appropriate music learning programs. Younger musicians should be prepared and encouraged to be part of active music-making that will carry into their adult years (Darrough & Boswell, 1992). Developing a better understanding of motivations for participation throughout the lifespan may assist music educators, therapists, researchers, and directors in maintaining participation.

Supplemental Material

POM774900_Suppl_mat – Supplemental material for Motivational factors in adult, auditioned community choirs: The power of aesthetic experiences

Supplemental material, POM774900_Suppl_mat for Motivational factors in adult, auditioned community choirs: The power of aesthetic experiences by David J. Redman and Jennifer A. Bugos in Psychology of Music

Footnotes

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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