Cultural Capital and the Choir

: A Bourdieusian Study of Choir Schools

Abstract

The education system has long been recognised as a site of social reproduction, yet most research tends to focus on mainstream comprehensive or private schools. Choir schools have rarely been explored within prior studies. These are educational institutions which host a small number of choristers who provide music for an attached religious institution. Their significance lies in the fact that they are uniquely positioned between three fields: education, religion and music. Using Bourdieu’s concepts of field, capital and habitus, amongst others that form his field and reproduction theories, this qualitative study will investigate the reproduction of these three fields within the choir school. It will consider how the schools are intertwined with the Church of England, the role this institution plays in the reproduction of cultural values within the school, and how this contributes to the accumulation of cultural capital and the potential conversion of capital between fields. It will also extend Bourdieu’s initial conceptualisation of the family as a field and examine how the familial field forms and shapes the habitus of choristers. Furthermore, this study will draw attention to the lasting effects of involvement within these fields as exemplified in the educational and career trajectories of choristers.

Date of Award	18 Jun 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Will Atkinson (Supervisor) & Jo Haynes (Supervisor)