A Norwegian girl choir’s place in the life stories of three immigrant girls

Project summary

This project collects life stories of young immigrant girls in Norway, who have in common that they have been participating in a girl choir during their childhood. They have been singing Norwegian folk music, classical music, church music, songs from films and musicals. They have been learning song techniques, exercises, ways to behave, ways to move their body and ways to perform girlhood. Through a narrative inquiry, the project aims to find out:

How does the experience of singing in a girl choir fit into three girls’ life stories? How are the experiences made meaningful through the ways they are described?

The study will further explore how gender, ethnicity, religion and social position effects the girls’ experience of the girl choir. The study aims to give new insights into how music educational practises are experienced differently for different people. In a broader sense, it can give insights to how immigrant girls with different backgrounds experience leisure time activities offered in the Norwegian society.

Method

Narrative inquiry