Choir for Immigrant Youth

Youth immigrants may experience feelings of loneliness and isolation in a new country and particularly in school settings. It is crucial that schools facilitate spaces of belonging for immigrant students so they may recognize themselves as a part of the school community. In addition to the students’ individual success, long-term positive effects include creating a sense of safety and commitment to the community and society at large. This study asks the question: “What is the contribution of the choir practices carried out with immigrant students to their integration process?”

This study was conducted in Turkey. The participants were seventh grade Syrian students who recently emigrated to Turkey. Analysis of the data collected through interviews of the students revealed that choir practices did in fact have a positive effect on the children’s sense of belonging in the school. Furthermore, the students positively contributed to social comfort when teachers or students from different (non-Turkish) cultural perspectives led activities. Additionally, the researchers found that participating in singing supported the students’ self-confidence in the new setting. Finally, participation in choir contributed to the students’ Turkish language acquisition through reading, writing, and oral skills, while also having a positive affect in other academic areas.

There are many implications for this study in all communities serving immigrant students, particular American schools. As the world becomes more globalized, classrooms demographics are fluid. Children may have feelings of displacement during key points of their identity development. This study illuminates that children can have strong identities related to their past home or country, while also potentially building a new connection with a new place. This contributes to the pluralistic nature of our own individual culture as well as communities at large. Choirs can serve as a vehicle toward mutual respect and pluralistic societies through singing.

To me, the most impactful finding of this study is that students felt social comfort when individuals of non-Turkish cultural perspectives led the class. In American schools, the majority of the teacher-force continues to be White which may cause a hurdle for teachers who wish to facilitate belonging spaces for students who recently emigrated. While culturally responsive pedagogy and other student-centered learning initiatives provide mindset and frameworks for this type of work, teachers will need to build connections with people who are different from them. This can be very challenging in homogenous areas and requires the teacher to expand their relationships beyond the local community.