It is a life support, isn't it? Social capital in a community choir

Abstract

This article examines the manifestation of social capital in a community choir. The extensive literature on social capital and its generation and use in communities includes little about the ways in which social capital is manifested in community music settings. The literature suggests that social capital may be identified through 'social capital indicators' such as 'trust', 'community and civic involvement', 'learning' and the presence of 'networks'. This study sought to identify those indicators of social capital that are present in a community choir in regional Tasmania. Multiple data generation methods including surveys, field notes and semi-structured interviews are employed in this qualitative, interpretive case study. An 'analysis of narrative' approach interrogates data from the main body of the Milton Community Choir, and aims to identify those social capital indicators present in the community choir.