Coro Mãe de Deus- Tupanciretã/RS: "É metade de minha vida, só quem canta sabe o que é, né?"

Abstract

The present thesis was developed in the post-graduate program in education at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria in the line of research in Education and Arts. It deals with a case study of the school youth choir Mãe de Deus , from the city of Tupanciretã in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where 6 members of the choir with varying amounts of time with the group were investigated. The research approach was qualitative and the data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews and Field notes of the choirmaster. The general objective was to investigate the role of the choir in the development of conceptions and musical actions of the members of the choir. Authors such as Teixeira (2005), Wöhl (2006), Schmeling (2003), Oliveira (2003), Hentschke (1995), Bellochio (1995), Coll (1994), Phillips (1992), Penna (1990) and Figueiredo (1990) were studied in the review of literature. The results obtained demonstrate the importance of the choir activity for the members of the choir. Given the fact that the school Mãe de Deus does not offer music classes and that the choir was the only formal musical activity available, it was considered by participants to be an agent in their musical construction development. The choir acts as a bond, where the union of voices remits the widest social and musical experiences of its participants. The musical actions practiced by the singers outside of the choir further maintain their link to the knowledge gained in the choir. Daily musical experiences are continuously related to the knowledge gained in the group. Thus, it is possible to see the role of the choirmaster who should be a mediator between the singers and the music itself. Themes such as vocal technique, voice change, the repertory and discussions on group singing should be given special attention in the youth choir. In conclusion, it is clear that the choir is an activity that enhances musical and social development in its participants and a offers a space for solidarity among the participants, which encourages the desire to collectively do the best.