The Song as Breath of Life: a study of the effects of Choral in a group of elderly choristers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23925/2176-901X.2013v16i4p175-193Keywords:
Elderly, Music, Self-Esteem, Life Quality.Abstract
The aim of the study was to analyze how the practice of Choral Singing, music and reminiscences generated by old songs, influence the quality of life of the elderly. The research of an exploratory qualitative approach performed with 21 aged from 60 years, members of the Coral "Sempre Jovem (Forever Young)", the Open University of the Third Age (Universidade Aberta da Terceira Idade - UnATI) Catholic University of Brasília (Universidade Católica de Brasília - UCB-DF). Semi-structured interviews, questionnaire and socioeconomic Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RAS) were conducted. The analysis procedures included: content analysis / thematic analysis, transcription and categorization of interviews and calculating the overall score of the EAR. In EAR, subjects older than 6 months had a higher percentage of self-esteem than the Starter (less than 6 months), 76% and 72.3% respectively. The elderly women have more time to participate maintained a higher standard homogeneous self-esteem than the beginners. The rankings in subcategories confirmed the positive effects of Choral Singing. Yet been identified, according to the categories: Benefit ( memories, socialization, welfare); Affection (self-surrender, self-esteem, longin) and Quality ( competence, perseverance ). With the data obtained, we conclude that the Choir and its elements enable the improvement of several aspects of physical and mental health of the elderly women.