AMERICA'S PERFORMING ART:
A Study of Choruses, Choral Singers, and Their Impact
We've always known that singing and choral music are very popular ? there are so many kinds of choral singing, involving a vast repertoire and people from all walks of life ? but this new study, the first of its kind, gives us the first real numbers on the reach of choral singing in America:

Nearly 28.5 million adults and children regularly perform in choral groups in the U.S. ? that's more than any other art form.

There are approximately 250,000 choruses in U.S. ? more than any other art form.

Based on our new national poll, one or more adults in 15.6 percent of the households in America performed in at least one chorus in the past year.

And, of that number, almost 45 percent performed with more than one chorus. That's commitment!

We now know what we always suspected: Early exposure to the arts ? in this case, singing in a chorus ? is a major factor in lifelong attitudes and choices:&;

Almost 70 percent of the people who sing in choruses today say they sang in a chorus when they were in their elementary or middle school years.

More than half of today's choral singers say they grew up in a home where another family member regularly sang in a chorus; and two-thirds say they often heard choral music in their homes on the radio or on recordings.

Clearly, a lifelong love of music ? and the special power of the human voice ? begins early, and America's choruses want parents, educators, and policymakers to remember that.
We found that choral singers today tend to be very active in their communities in other important and valuable ways:

More than three-fourths of today's choral singers are active in other community volunteer groups ? compared to about 44 percent for adults in the general population.
More than 60 percent of chorus singers donate financially to
other charities.

Chorus members are more than twice as likely to read a daily newspaper or to be actively involved in political causes than the  average person.

Finally, our research reinforces the fact that the primary motivation for choral singing is the opportunity to make great music. To sing in a chorus requires discipline and commitment, and the reward is the positive feedback singers get from their audiences and the rest of the community.


Here's a quote from one person in the survey that sums it up: ?We've done many concerts where we've had the audience jump to their feet because what we did was just so exciting, so well done, and so tightly put together that they couldn't contain themselves ? you get such a rush from that.?

For more information on this study and the report on findings, America's Performing Art: A Study of Choruses, Choral Singers, and Their Impact, contact:
Robin Perry Allen
Director of Communications
Chorus America
202-331-7577
Robin@chorusamerica.org
www.chorusamerica.org



 

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