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their perspectives, actively listen to others, and seek In the words of Johan Galtung, Norwegian sociolo-
common ground. Empathy, on the other hand, allows gist and founder of modern peace and conflict studies:
us to understand and resonate with the emotions and
experiences of others, fostering compassion and con- Good art is like good peace: always challeng-
nection. In choral ensembles, where listening is para- ing. Art and peace are both located in the ten-
mount, students are already equipped with the foun- sion between emotions and intellect. A false
dational skills necessary for empathic communication. dichotomy…art, like peace, has to overcome
By nurturing these skills through purposeful exercises such false dichotomies by speaking both to the
and activities, choir directors can create an environ- heart and to the brain, to the compassion of
ment conducive to constructive dialogue and empathic the heart and constructions of the brain. May-
engagement. be that is where art and peace really find each
other and interconnect most deeply: they both
address both human faculties. 8
Empathy
There are two sides of empathy: emotional conta-
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gion and intellectual understanding. Emotional con- Dialogue
tagion is feeling-based, where one can perceive the Conflict is normal to human existence. The inabil-
emotions of another. Intellectual empathy is putting ity to dialogue constructively is one cause of conflict.
oneself in another’s situation intellectually to attempt Peace and reconciliation require truth, listening, and
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to understand another’s experience without judgment, understanding. Dialogue builds wide-reaching rela-
recognizing each other’s shared humanity. tionships, allows people to share experiences and per-
Building empathy is done in many ways, starting ceptions, and provides the opportunity for all to have
with building self-awareness, sharing narrative experi- a voice. It requires active and empathic listening, as
ences of others to understand their contexts, validat- well as honest and productive expression and assertion.
ing others, and in music making. Studies show mak- Dialogue encourages the ability to understand diverse
ing music together helps to overcome perceptions of perspectives, which is critical when faced with differ-
dissimilarity and to accept others’ differences. It builds ence or disagreement and is, therefore, central to the
common ground. It is at the heart of many of the activ- framework of conflict transformation.
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ities below, and it is also about building anti-oppressive The French word ensemble translates to English as
competency to be aware of each other’s identities and “together,” which is apropos because ensemble music
privileges. provides an opportunity to bring people together and
There is also the specific subcategory of musical practice the skill of listening. Musically speaking, play-
empathy, where the understanding of the affective ers in ensembles are taught to listen to all that is going
and cognitive components to empathy are perceived on around them as much as possible. They are trained
through the sonic and contextual qualities of the music to identify who has the melody, who has the rhythmic
itself. This is the feature of music where a participant activity, which instruments are being played together
might interpret music through emotional responses or separately, and how each passage fits into the larger
such as happy, sad, defeated, or triumphant. Lyrics whole. Thus, the ability to listen critically is essential
may describe something that allows us to intellectu- to quality ensemble music. Given the listening skills
ally connect with the emotions of the music. It is par- already ameliorated in music making, ensembles can
ticularly powerful when the sonic emotional contagion be a musical avenue for dialogue to be taught, facili-
complements the intellectual and contextual compo- tated, and utilized to build empathy, improve relation-
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nents. Music can tap into parts of the brain and mirror ships, and transform conflict. These skills need to be
many emotions, even releasing dopamine. Music offers intentionally practiced with an aim toward transferring
a potential capacity to strengthen and use the empathic into other parts of life. The exercises below are geared
response, an important tool within peacebuilding. toward building empathy, collaboration, and creativity.

CHORAL JOURNAL November/December 2024 Volume 65 Number 4 11