Singing All of Us: Restoring Relationships in Choral Communities

September 21, 2022

We know the potential of ensemble and choral singing to bring us together. When group singing builds trust, honors authentic relationships, and restores community connections, that potential is fully realized. Singing All of Us: Restoring Relationships in Choral Communities shares the first two articles in a four-article series focused on organizations and people using ensemble singing and choral music to address racism and repair racial harm. 

The articles in the Singing All of Us series, selected and shaped by guest editors Aisha Moody, Wendy K. Moy, and Jace Saplan, share many different perspectives. We’ll explore stories from organizations formed with cultural representation and social justice at their core, and from organizations and people that are moving into new areas of this work. Some common threads link these different perspectives together: respecting history and righting past wrongs, celebrating intersectional identities and shared humanity, and deepening connections.

The stories in Singing All of Us are part of a broader continued conversation shaping the choral landscape. Does the series spark any reflections you have on your own experience or on the choral community in general? Are there other stories of people and organizations doing similar work that you would like to share? We would love to hear from you at voice@chorusamerica.org.

Guest Editors

Aisha Moody (she/her) is a social innovator, dedicated to empowering youth by using music as a tool for social change. Aisha is the Co-Founder and Chief Program Officer of the Atlanta Music Project (AMP). With a mission to empower underserved youth to realize their possibilities through music, AMP provides intensive, tuition-free music education to underserved youth right in their neighborhood.

“I hope this series empowers choral leaders to seek out and cultivate new ways to amplify the voices found within and outside of their choirs.  Music is indeed the universal language, and the choral model specifically has the ability to create authentic relationships that build community across racial barriers. May we continue to uplift lives, families, and communities through this powerful gift.”

Wendy K. Moy (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at Syracuse University. She is the Co-Artistic Director of Chorosynthesis Singers, performing socially conscious music, and has established the Empowering Silenced Voices Database for Socially Conscious Choral Music.

“These narratives show the beauty and transformative power of telling our stories (sometimes painful) through song. Through them, I hope we understand our choral community more deeply, become aware of the harm we have caused, and start on the path toward empathy, connection, and reconciliation.”

Jace Saplan (they/he) is the director of choral activities and associate professor of music at Arizona State University, artistic director of the Choral Arts Society of Washington, and founder and director of Nā Wai Chamber Choir.

“I hope that through these stories, the choral profession can see that the path forward is not monochromatic but abundantly infinite— and that our work moving forward must root itself in community solution and repair.”

Read the stories in this series: