An investigation into current practices and participation in New Horizons chamber music. Issue 2 (1st June 2018) - Talbert, Matthew D.
The purpose of this descriptive study was to gather data to ascertain current trends in chamber music participation in older-adult ensembles. Directors (N=61) of ensembles belonging to the New Horizons International Music Association (NHIMA) served as participants in this study. Using an electronic survey instrument to collect responses, the researchers gathered information on chamber music practices within the context of the NHIMA ensemble of which the respondent was the director. Results suggest that less than half of the New Horizons ensembles currently incorporate a chamber music component into their programme. Further analysis revealed the manner in which chamber ensembles were structured, common rehearsal practices and the perceived impediments to the implementation of chamber music into a NHIMA group. The authors use these results to recommend the investigation of different chamber music models within NHIMA contexts to try and identify approaches that work, given the disparate needs of each individual NHIMA organization.