Running Head: The Culture of the Choir

The Culture of the Choir

Lauren S. Bailey
University of Kentucky
Professor Conrad Davies

The Culture of the Choir

Singing has been around as long as man himself. Man has used singing in the best of times and
the worst of times, from church hymns and funerals, to marriages and for recreation. In fact, one could
argue that singing is as deeply ingrained in the common man as the genetic material that makes
existence itself possible. For the Cultural Coffee Hour Alternate Assignment number two, I chose to
interview individuals from the choir community. In question, I sat in on a UK Choristers meeting. It
was interesting in many ways and was fairly enjoyable because who DOESN'T enjoy listening to
approximately 60 individual voices overlapping in perfect angelic harmony? I know for certain that I
do.
First, I found my way to the Singletary Center, room 147, and I picked a seat next to one of my
interviewees. Her name was Megan and she had started singing in choir at the beginning of her senior
year of High School, after she decided that she was tired of theater. She sings as alto 1, and loves her
job. Megan started in the UK Choristers when she came to UK this year. My other interviewee, whose
name was Chase, sings at tenner 1. He has been in choir for several years and joined UK Choristers
upon starting school at UK. The entire group (a group of approximately 60 individuals) arrived over a
period of about ten to fifteen minutes, with people and individual groups coming in sporadically. When
everyone had arrived, they commenced to discussing their upcoming concert. Afterwords, they
rehearsed the songs they will be singing in their next concert. The songs they practiced were for the
most part all Christmas songs. Their next concert happens to be a collage concert which features
singing from the UK Choristers, Women's Choir, and various other choir groups from all over Lafayette
County. During practice, everyone stood in formation (which is a half circle, organized with the
sopranos on the far left, basses and tenners in the middle, and altos on the far right) and they faced the
conductor, who lead the singing. Each song was a different kind of beautiful, but all of them shared one
common thread: the songs were all sang by people who loved to sing. The singing, I might add, was

The Culture of the Choir

absolutely beautiful.
Second, the organization is intended to attract anyone who enjoys singing. There was a fairly
decent cross section of people in the choir, and there was about sixty individuals present. They all
seemed to enjoy what they were doing. The whole point of the organization was to be there for people
who enjoy singing. I most definitely felt accepted in the group. All of the individuals that I encountered
seemed extremely friendly. Everyone that I encountered seemed to have a kind smile or polite word for
me. I definitely enjoyed their presence. The group most definitely carried a very warm vibe. I chose
this student organization because I love hearing people sing. It is one of the most beautiful things on
the face of the planet to hear the meshing of multiple voices into one beautiful, flowing creation. It is
something that I will never get tired of.
In closing, we discussed the events of my observation of the UK Choristers and minor details
surrounding the ambiance and function of the group itself. It was a very enjoyable experience. I would
recommend the UK Choristers group to anyone who enjoys singing. Observing, in itself, was a very
interesting and entertaining experience and I would not hesitate to visit them again. The crowd was
very sociable and it was a very relaxing environment. Singing has been around as long as man himself
has roamed this plan. Man has always had the innate ability to appreciate things that the Merriam
Websters dictionary, if she could speak, would call aesthetically pleasing. The song of the UK
Choristers is by no means an exception.