Womansong: Healing in a communal musicking village

This thesis focuses on the growth and healing experiences of seventy-five women in Womansong--an all-female community choir that is based in Asheville, NC. Founded in 1987, Womansong celebrated its 25th anniversary with a concert in November, 2012, performing musical selections that were emblematic of the group's collective identity and aspirations. My work begins with an analysis of this symbolic event and relates it to both the experiences of individual choir members and to concerns shared by the entire group. Among these concerns are music, feminism, community, health and healing, and social contribution. An investigation of each selection performed at the anniversary concert offers a microscopic look into the experiences of individual Womansong members and relates them back to broader concepts of music and healing, communal musicking, and women's music. Aided by insights gained through participant-observation and ethnography, I will then assess how Womansong's village-inspired design provides an environment in which healing through music is possible. Finally, I will examine the ways Womansong's programmatic choices are intended to incite social change by making others mindful of feminist concerns. My focus on women's psycho-physical transformation and well-being through communal musicking will work to make intelligible the ways internal growth in the village effects external growth in society. A video file of Womansong's twenty-fifth anniversary concert has been included with this manuscript. Please refer to Appendix I for song selections and times.