Singing the praises of a uni choir

Author: Emilie Ng

Photographer: All images used with permission.

A growing body of scientific research has shown that singing in a choir promotes wellness. For two Australian Catholic University (ACU) students with disabilities, choir provides so much more.

Choral music has a long and enduring history in higher education around the world. At some institutions, collegiate or university choirs are their longest running programs in music.

For many university students, the opportunity to sing in a choir can bring their campus experience to the next level. For ACU law and global studies student Jordan de Worsop, singing in a choir has given him the creative relief he didn’t know he needed.

Born with low vision and low hearing, Jordan faces greater challenges than most other university students. For example, his course readers are modified with enlarged texts, and he has approved extra time to complete his exams.

“I’m at a point in my degree where external factors outside of my control have led to added pressure going forward,” Jordan said.

“It's nice to have a creative outlet to take the pressure off a bit. The ACU Choir has not only been essential in relieving stress, but it also gives me an avenue to pursue my love of singing.”

Singing has always been a part of Jordan’s life. He recalls having “this real angelic voice as a kid”. It was his mum who suggested he join a choir when he was in Year 7.

“Of course, I wasn't exactly on board with the idea at first,” Jordan recalls, “but after a bit of encouragement I eventually did it and I've really developed a passion for singing. Like, if I had a good voice back then, I may as well keep using it.”

Jordan’s choral performances has included two concerts at the Melbourne Recital Centre during high school, and two solo performances during his school’s annual Christmas Carols services.

His most recent major performance was with more than 160 singers for ACU’s Big Sing for a Big Cause. As well as singing with the choir, Jordan was one of the soloists in the program.

The combined choir performed Street Requiem, a choral work co-composed by ACU Choir conductor and Music Educator Dr Kathleen McGuire, Andy Payne and Jonathan Welch.

Written 10 years ago to honour the lives of people who have died on the streets, the Big Sing for a Big Cause supported and performed alongside people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

“Having to live on the street, to sleep anywhere, that's hard and I think this project is a good way to open people’s eyes to the seriousness of homelessness and do something to help, maybe even try and do something to at least minimise it, if not, put a stop to it entirely,” Jordan said.

“I really admire what Dr McGuire has been trying to do with this project.”

Finding peace through song

Christina Cushen, who is also studying law and business at ACU, uses music to destress at the end of a big day. As a young woman diagnosed with anxiety and autism, every day can feel like a challenge.

“The world was not designed for disabled people, frankly,” she said. “It’s a lot of hurdles, and lots of emotions.”

With dreams of working for the United Nations, Christina actively pursues opportunities to advocate for human rights issues. It’s what brought her to ACU to study a Bachelor of Business Administration/Bachelor of Laws.

“I always wanted to study as I am interested in human rights, and I really want to make a difference to other people’s lives who do not have a voice or people who are vulnerable with the vision of making a positive difference,” Christina said.

When the opportunity came to combine her passion for music and advocate for those affected by homelessness through the ACU Choir, she jumped at it.

“I know singing is good for me, and then I realised I needed to do some community engagement placement for my degree,” Christina said.

“Dr Kathleen McGuire was opening up a placement opportunity with the ACU Choir and I felt it was perfect as I could do my singing and my placement at the same time.”

As the Choir Manager of the ACU Choir, Christina also performed in the ACU Big Sing for a Big Cause to support those affected by homelessness and insecure housing.

“I’ve always wanted to do something I’m passionate about but at the same time I’ve always wanted to make a different and help people,” she said.

Helping communities find their voice

ACU Choir conductor and Music Educator, Dr Kathleen McGuire, has worked as a community music leader in her career spanning four decades. She even founded a choir in San Francisco, Singers of the Street, made up of people affected by homelessness.

Dr McGuire said in her experience, the value of community choirs was unmistakable.

“I have experienced countless examples, firsthand, of how music projects can improve and even save lives. These include impact on those directly involved in projects as contributors, creators or performers, or even audience members at performances or through listening to recordings,” she said.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics data from the 2021 Census, 122,949 people experience homelessness on any given night. Sadly, some of those numbers even includes Dr McGuire’s own students.

Christina Cushen, Jordan de Worsop and Dr Kathleen McGuire at choir rehearsal.

“Some of my students have shared with me their personal challenges in finding suitable housing due to economic crises, health or wellbeing difficulties, discrimination, or as victims of family or domestic violence,” Dr McGuire said.

With the 10th anniversary of Street Requiem around the corner, Dr McGuire felt compelled to organise concerts to support her students, as well as Victoria’s homeless community.

“When we set about creating Street Requiem a decade ago, it was a response to what we saw happening around us locally and in the world. People were dying on the street without dignity or recognition. These are basic human rights that everyone deserves. We wanted to write a work to honour those who died senselessly on the street, while also advocating for homeless persons generally,” Dr McGuire said.

Dr McGuire said various sections of Street Requiem were inspired by the experiences of vulnerable people in San Franciso and South Africa.

“From 2010 to 2013 I was involved in San Francisco’s interfaith Annual Homeless Persons Memorial, a vigil in which the names of more than 120 people were read by the religious leaders. Tragically, some of the names were unknown, so we heard only: ‘Man found under bridge’ or ‘Woman who died on a park bench’,” she said.

“In January 2014, I visited South Africa, where I learned about hundreds of children killed on the street during the anti-Apartheid Soweto Uprising. Street Requiem was also influenced by the murders of Gillian Meagher and a homeless woman on Melbourne’s streets in 2012.

“These and many other stories contributed to Street Requiem’s wide range of genres and styles, depicting the international and indiscriminate scope of homelessness.”

Dr McGuire said Street Requiem resonated uniquely with communities and individuals, stressing the power of music as a form of advocacy.

“In July 2024, rehearsing Street Requiem at a small church in regional Victoria, a few locals sat in the pews while we sang. Afterward, we heard from one of them. Welling up with tears, he told us his brother had died on the street recently. The man was heartbroken his brother didn’t have a proper burial. He said the experience of listening to Street Requiem lifted his spirits and allowed him to honour his brother. This is precisely why we wrote this piece. The students singing that day heard the man’s story. They were visibly moved and their understanding of the importance of this project deepened.”

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