Mystery Tunes and the Stories They Inspire

As instructor of a collegiate choral ensemble, I propose connections between pedagogical uses of storytelling and narrative inquiry as a research paradigm—treating narrative inquiry as both a mode of knowing and a method of inquiry (Barrett & Stauffer, 2009). By inferring and constructing stories to make sense of musical compositions, choral singers create micro-narratives to share what they visualize and feel. As narrative inquiry focuses on relationships that develop over time (Clandinin, 2013), the process of learning to perform choral compositions provides a valuable means to study how relationships between composers, lyricists/poets, instructors, and students develop. I chose to focus on the null curriculum evident in identity groups absent from composers of choral repertoire most frequently performed. To examine the role composer identities might play in the experience of learners, I explored how students made sense of new choral compositions if they learned them initially (a) without text and (b) without knowing any identifying characteristics of the composer, ultimately to draw their attention to this important contextual element. During the learning process, ensemble singers constructed musical stories that developed over time. The exchange of stories provided an important opportunity to reflect and circulate their emerging understandings.