Connecting Culture and Childhood: Using Musical Arts Programming to Promote Belonging for Young Newcomers in the GTA

The Connecting Culture and Childhood Project is a collaborative research project that aims to understand how music functions to support newcomer children in the GTA to both celebrate their heritage culture and integrate into their new communities. This project engages participants from a choir created by CultureLink Settlement Services in research that examines the types of music they sing, why they sing, and what impact singing in the choir has on their integration and socio-emotional wellbeing. Ultimately, this project will demonstrate how music can serves an important part of the transition process for newcomer children and young people in order to contribute to their wellbeing and to their connection with diverse communities. The project will benefit CultureLink by identifying how the choir is supporting newcomer children and pathways for expanding participation across the GTA and beyond.

Faculty Supervisor:

Andrea Emberly

Student:

Partner:

CultureLink Settlement and Community Services

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Other services (except public administration)

University:

York University

Program: