Abstract
The purpose of this multiple case study was to examine meanings of safe place for facilitators, singers, and parents/caregivers in two community choral programs developed for persons with disabilities. Research foci included (a) how singer participants described safe place, (b) what strategies facilitators used to engage in building safe places, and (c) what barriers facilitators articulated in sustaining safe places. Over a 4-month period, primary data collection included 34 interviews with 51 singer and family participants and multiple interviews with choir staff; secondary data included rehearsal and performance observations and researcher journals. Using a conceptual lens of safe place, we engaged in open coding followed by focused coding, which resulted in individual case themes, and then interrogated those themes in cross-case analysis. Data analysis revealed that safe place thrived in programs uniquely reflecting their communities, where founders placed high value on full participation and invested deeply in community knowledge. Although programs adopted different foci, both embodied safe place in how facilitators supported each singer and the choir community. We conclude the article by extrapolating recommendations from community programs for music educators in pre-K–university settings.
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