Singing to promote integration, wellbeing and resilience
Project Lead(s)
Frank Russo, Arla Good, Josephine Wong
Team Members:
Priscilla Boakye, Carmen Dang (external link) , Sean Gilmore, Sepali Guruge, Dawn Merrett (external link) , Alex Pachete (external link) , Nadia Prendergast
Research suggests that singing in a community-based inclusive setting leads to improvements in communication function, pain thresholds and social connectedness. Growing evidence also supports the use of singing to facilitate second-language learning.
Objective
Not mastering an official language impacts the employability of immigrants, makes them more susceptible to health problems, and creates significant barriers to feelings of belonging.
In recent years, singing and music have increasingly been used to support language learning and integration of immigrant children and adults around the world. However, systematically controlled studies are needed to obtain the evidence necessary to influence policy in this area and better understand the scope of the effects of singing on language, integration, and well-being. This project builds on the expertise of the SingWell project (external link) .
Research question(s)
1. How effective is the choir and its evaluation tools in terms of reliability, efficiency, unintrusiveness, and cultural competencies?
2. To what extent does participation in choir promote greater feelings of connectedness and improved well-being compared to those who do not participate in the choir?
Methodology
In phase 1, a proof-of-concept study will be conducted employing both quantitative and qualitative measures to evaluate the within session (pre- to post) effects of choir as well as participants’ experience.
In phase 2, the learnings from the proof-of-concept study will eventually seed a new study that will involve an initial randomized control trial at a Toronto-based Centre that offers part-time language courses for new immigrants. Beyond language learning, the team will work with stakeholders in immigrant communities to co-design SingWell programs to evaluate the impact on cultural maintenance, cross-cultural exchange, intercultural connection, intergenerational resilience, and social cohesion.
Status
The project is in progress. Phase 1: Proof-of-concept, is currently ongoing.
Expected completion date: December 2026
Related projects
Key words
Community; language; language learning; migrant integration; singing
