Unfreezing identities: Exploring choral singing in the workplace

Abstract

The topic of this article is the emerging trend of singing at work. The discussion is based on case studies of singing interventions carried out at two different work places. Our phenomenological and hermeneutic approach focuses mainly on the employees’ experience of singing at work. The research data comprises group interviews, participant observation and questionnaires. The analysis was structured by thematic coding of the interview data. The discussion is illuminated mainly by Etienne Wengers community of practice theory (1998). The following research questions were explored: How do the members of a workplace community experience choral singing? What implications do the participants see for themselves as individuals and for the organisation? We identified four axes of impact: enjoyment, comfort zone, communality, and identity and roles. A workplace choir challenges perceptions about how collegues view each other and transform individual identities. Consequently, the choir may also change the workplace as a practice community.