Koolulam is a social musical initiative launched in 2017. It is a special kind of mass-singing. The aim of Koolulam is to strengthen the societal fabric through singing in large groups. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that examines this social musical phenomenon. The first aim of the present study is to examine the profile of the people who attend Koolulam events and their motivation. The second aim is to examine whether the social, emotional and communal characteristics of Koolulam events contain elements that may help strengthen the resilience of individuals in the group. The data were collected through two possible quantitative questionnaires, one of which included two open-ended questions, which were analyzed qualitatively. There were 914 participants, 334 of which completed the questionnaire that contained the open-ended questions. The findings indicate that Koolulam events are perceived as a phenomenon different from other multi-participant events. The shared singing experience at these events has social, emotional, and communal characteristics. This is the only study to our knowledge done on Koolulam events. Findings suggest that singing in a large group in the framework of a Koolulam event has social-communal and emotional characteristics that may strengthen the resilience of the people who attend.
Various studies have indicated that singing in large groups, such as mass-singing and
public sing-alongs, has positive outcomes for individuals in the group. It has the
capability to release repressed emotions, promote self-expression, increase group
cohesion and contribute to mental wellbeing (
The purpose of the current study is to examine the profile of people who attend Koolulam events and their motives for participating. In addition, we examine whether the socio-communal and emotional characteristics of joint singing in the Koolulam events contain elements that may strengthen resilience of individuals within the group.
Mass-singing is when a large group of people gather to sing together. Throughout
history, mass-singing has been conducted by professional choirs with lay people
joining the singing. It was used for various purposes, notably for creating social
and political change (
Mass song (
Mass-singing creates a sense of unity among people. In Japan, schools customarily
sing the anthem in unison to showcase the country’s unity. Similarly, at large sports
events in the United States, it is customary to sing the national anthem which
symbolizes the desire to create unity among all people (
Public singing is an informal gathering of a group of people for the purpose of
singing together. The group can be small in number, which makes it different from
mass-singing. Public singing is not a meticulously organized event. It is a popular
event, in which the participants are not required to sing and usually do not have a
musical training background, and the singing is in unison without voice parts. Most
of the participants come from a similar cultural background, and the songs for the
event are from their culture (
Public sing-alongs were commonplace in Europe, where people sang together in the
family circle, in educational institutions, at religious events, and in military
camps (
During the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Europe, Italy was especially hit hard. Many
residents from Napoli to Toscana initiated public singing from their balconies to
express their feeling of shared destiny in fighting the pandemic. One of the many
video clips posted on Twitter during the pandemic shows a vacant street during night
hours while in the background, men and women are heard singing “when Sienna sleeps,”
a popular folksong. Accompanying the video clip was the following comment: “People
from my hometown to Sienna are singing from their houses to warm their hearts during
lockdown” (
Public singing is also popular in football (soccer) stadiums around the world. Fans
feel that by singing together, they can boost the confidence of the players and
change the outcome of the game. These songs are well known and popular, as they have
been circulating among fans for many years. They have catchy tunes and rhymes, and
they are sung very loudly to encourage the team (
Pubs and bars in Ireland, Scotland, the US and in many other countries, are another
platform for people to gather and sing folksongs together. Depending on the country’s
culture, the songs are usually accompanied by accordions, guitars, bagpipes, banjos
or other instruments, and the words are sometimes printed in booklets and distributed
among the participants. The purpose of this singing is to lift the spirits and
experience the magic in the act of singing together (
Public sing-along events had been a Jewish tradition even before the establishment of
the state of Israel in 1948 (
In recent years, new models of public sing-alongs have developed in Israel,
attracting younger crowds. One such model is called “singing and drinking,” in which
young adults get together to sing, drink beer and dance. The event is usually held
outdoors and the singing is usually comprised of contemporary songs, rock songs and
Middle-Eastern songs (
The present study focuses on a new musical phenomenon called "Koolulam," a new model of mass-singing that was developed in Israel and has characteristics that are similar to public sing-alongs
Koolulam is a social musical enterprise that started in Israel in 2017 and its events
are held in Israel and around the world (
Every year, Koolulam organizes dozens of events that attract thousands of people,
many of whom have no musical background (
The songs that are selected for Koolulam events are familiar songs that undergo new
vocal and instrumental arrangements. The content of the selected songs express
strength, hope and empowerment, and help convey a message of unity. Examples of
sentences in songs used are “One love, one heart! Let’s get together and feel all
right,”(
Koolulam events are similar in their characteristics to public sing-alongs and
mass-singing. They all focus on the singing, that is, all the participants sing
together at the same time, thus facilitating the creation of unity and a common
denominator among them (
In Koolulam events, the singing is filmed and uploaded onto social media and YouTube to allow participants to revisit the event and relive the experience. In other types of sing-along events, there is no vested interest to film the occasion.
Public sing-alongs and Koolulam also differ in their purpose. The primary purpose of public sing-alongs in Israel is to familiarize the public with songs of the Land of Israel and to create a connection and belonging to the country and the culture. Therefore, in Israel all the songs are in Hebrew and around the world the songs are from the local culture.
In contrast, the main purpose of the Koolulam project is to create social change, so
the chosen songs at Koolulam events are not exclusively in Hebrew and all the words
of the songs contain hope and strength (
The social change that Koolulam is striving for is bringing more harmony among
different sectors of the Israeli society by promoting tolerance and acceptance of
others. In the same way that harmonizing a song with different voice parts enriches
the song, “harmonizing” different societal sectors and religions will enrich the
society. For example, at an event held in Haifa in 2018, 3,000 people came to sing
the song “One day” of Matisyahu (
Another example refers to an event that took place in the Tower of David in Jerusalem
in 2018, where 800 Jews, Arabs and Christians gathered to sing Bob Marley's (
Another event took place ahead of Independence Day in Israel in 2018 with the song
"On All These" (
Singing songs involves the human body, breathing, rhythm, melody, lyrics, harmony and
imagination (
The population in Israel experiences security threats and terrorist attacks on a daily basis. Israelis live in a constant state of stress in addition to normal daily struggles and seek ways to strengthen personal resilience.
There are all kinds of definitions to resilience; however, no consensus on an
operational definition exists (
People with resilience are characterized as having a sense of control over events
happening to them, having a sense of involvement and purpose in their daily lives,
and having the ability to be flexible and adapt to unexpected changes (
The multidimensional resilience model (Basic PH) was developed by Lahad and Ayalon
(
In light of the literature review, it can be said that group singing such as Koolulam
has the potential to evoke positive feelings in participants, encourage cohesion and
social support, and increase social interactions (
The study involved 914 participants of various ages, predominantly women (86%) and mostly academically educated, 61%. Fifty-eight percent of the participants attended a single Koolulam event while 42% attended two events or more. Thirty-six percent of the participants attended an event that took place two weeks before they received the research questionnaire, while 64% attended an event that took place more than half a year before they received the research questionnaire. Of the individuals who received the research questionnaire, only those who attended at least one Koolulam event filled it out. A full list of the background variables is given in Table 1.
The research tools included an online questionnaire that contained:
Demographic questions about the participants such as age, gender, place of residence, education, musical background, connection to singing, etc. The purpose of these questions was to characterize the profile of Koolulam participants.
Questions concerning the social-communal characteristics of the event. For example: "With whom did you come to the event?" and "Who did you notice during the event?"
Questions that addressed feelings and thoughts about the event. For example,
"During the event, I felt … ", "When I left the event, I felt … ” The possible
answers for these questions, were among others: “A sense of belonging” and
“calm and peaceful,” feelings that connected in the literature to the
individual's resilience (
The research questionnaire was split in two to shorten its length and encourage
participants to cooperate. The demographic questions (questions 1–13) were identical
in both questionnaires. Each questionnaire included eight additional closed-ended
questions (varying between the versions), which were developed by the researchers
based on literature relating to mass-singing and resilience (
The two data sets were combined using merge data analysis. Both questionnaires were sent to all participants with the instruction to fill out only one questionnaire. The participants chose what questionnaire to answer. The purpose of the open-ended questions was to better understand the quantitative findings and as a result, gain deeper insights regarding the Koolulam experience.
This study was based on convenience sampling. A Google Forms questionnaire was created and distributed through various online platforms. In August–September of 2019, the Koolulam management posted the questionnaire in their online newsletter and their Instagram. They also sent the questionnaire to a Koolulam mailing list of people who have, at some point, shown interest in the event. In addition, the questionnaire was posted on WhatsApp groups whose members the researchers knew to have participated in Koolulam events. Data analysis began after filled-in questionnaires stopped arriving, about three weeks following the beginning of distribution. The study was approved by the David Yellin College review board; no approval number was provided. Participation was voluntary. Completing the survey implied consent to participate in the research. In the introduction to the surveys, anonymity was promised.
The study employed a survey research design, which includes closed-ended questions,
with the exception of two open-ended questions. The closed-ended questions were
analyzed through descriptive statistical analysis relevant to each research question.
The open-ended questions were analyzed through categorical content analysis that is
designed to extract themes for inductive inference regarding participants'
experiences (
The idea to examine Koolulam as a distinct phenomenon arose from the researchers’ personal and professional background. Both researchers are Israeli Jews who are closely familiar with the intense conflicts that exist among various groups in Israeli society, for example, between political right and left, religious and secular Jews, and among the various religious groups residing in Israel: Muslims, Jews and Christians. In addition, one of the researchers is a music therapist who works with music therapy groups and uses songs that convey strength and resilience to bond the group while empowering her clients.
The following is the frequency distribution of background variables:
Background Variable Distribution of Participants in Koolulam Events (N = 914).
Variable | Values | Participants | % |
---|---|---|---|
Gender | Women | 786 | 86 |
Men | 128 | 14 | |
Age | 30-18 | 162 | 17.7 |
40-31 | 157 | 17.2 | |
50-41 | 247 | 27 | |
60-51 | 229 | 25 | |
61+ | 118 | 12.9 | |
Profession | Private Sector (e.g., Lawyer, Accountant) | 409 | 44.7 |
Education | 160 | 17.5 | |
Public sector | 170 | 18.6 | |
Student | 46 | 4.9 | |
Soldier | 31 | 3.4 | |
Education | Academic degree | 666 | 72.8 |
Professional license | 99 | 10.8 | |
Matriculation diploma | 115 | 12.6 | |
None | 28 | 3.1 | |
Musical background | No musical background | 492 | 53.8 |
Music hobbyist | 298 | 32.6 | |
Works in a profession tangential to music | 25 | 2.7 | |
Musician | 31 | 3.4 | |
Connection to singing | Singing amateur | 527 | 57.7 |
No connection to music | 261 | 28.5 | |
Singer | 17 | 1.9 |
The profile of the participants in the Koolulam events (Table 1) consisted mainly of women, mostly between the ages of 41 and 60 years old (52%). However, there was a significant percentage of participants aged 40 and under (35%). Most participants had an academic degree (72%), many worked in the private sector (45%) and about 19% work in the public sector (e.g., civil service employees, such as policemen and firefighters). It should be noted that only a small percentage of participants had a formal musical background. Most participants viewed music and singing as a hobby.
About 50% of the participants stated that they attended the event because they wanted to be part of a multiparticipant event. However, it should be noted that when participants were asked whether Koolulam events are comparable to other multi-participant events, like sports events or music festivals, about 44% claimed that they are not and 38% stated that Koolulam events were completely different from other multi-participant events. In other words, the vast majority of the participants view Koolulam events as a phenomenon that is different from other musical events. One participant stated: “This is not a performance of a famous singer but rather, the focus is on the audience.” Another motive for attending the event is the thrill of singing in a large group. One of the participants described it as follows: "It’s the power of being part of a crowd that is invested in the same music and is excited about it." Additionally, the qualitative content analysis shows that some attendees came for the purpose of bonding together over a common social goal, as one participant said: "We are a group of people who get together to convey a common idea, experience things together and not stay passively at home," and another participant said: "It is a positive experience shared by many different people with differing opinions and beliefs." Additionally, some participants mentioned the possible contribution of Koolulam to creating social change: “I felt part of a large group and that contributed to conveying a message of change.”
This section will discuss the social-communal and emotional characteristics of Koolulam events and their possible link to the participants’ resilience.
An analysis of the participants' responses shows that more participants came to the event with a group of friends or family rather than with only one other person. Only a minority came alone (Figure 1).
Distribution of Participants' Responses Regarding the People With Whom They Attended the Event (n = 580).
Half of the participants paid attention to the people around them during the Koolulam event, and more than 30% talked to people they did not know. For example, one participant reported: "I came to a Koolulam event, and I didn't know most of the people there. I felt that in order to cooperate with others, I should start looking at other people and even smile, so that’s what I did." Some participants pointed out differences in their social interactions and in their awareness of their surroundings when comparing Koolulam events with other multi-participant events. As one participant said: "At music festivals you don't look at anybody else while at Koolulam events, people are intriguing and different. There is more interaction in Koolulam in the active participation, in the mass-singing, the excitement, and the encounter with others." In contrast, there were those who only interacted with the people they came with, but they constituted a relatively small percentage of all participants (Figure 2).
Attention to Surroundings During the Koolulam Event (n = 580).
Participants were asked about their feelings during the event. They were instructed to choose emotions from a list and were allowed to choose more than one emotion. The participants' responses indicate that the most common emotions were excitement, love, and sense of belonging (see Figure 3).
Distribution of Emotions During the Event (n = 580).
Participants were also asked how they felt after the event. They were instructed to choose emotions from a list and were allowed to choose more than one emotion. Their answers show that the common emotions were excitement, happiness and empowerment (see Figure 4).
Distribution of Emotions After the Event (n = 580).
The participants' feelings following the event were reinforced through their answers to the open-ended questions. Many participants mentioned the sense of empowerment they felt following the joint singing activity, for example, "An empowering atmosphere;" "An empowering positive experience;” and "An empowering experience." Additionally, there were participants who noted that the event contributed to their sense of belonging and created unity among the participants: "It feels like everyone has come to connect and feel a sense of belonging;" "The event gives a sense of belonging;" "An event that inspires unity;" "In Koolulam, people tend to feel unity and uniformity;" In Koolulam there is unity and a common goal;" "It promotes unity and love;” and "Singing in a large group helps me feel a sense of belonging."
When participants were asked the question, "What did you learn from the event,” about 37% responded that they had learned to show empathy and tolerance towards others. That is, they learned to accept voices that are different from their own. Reinforcement for this finding can be found in the answers to the open-ended questions. For example, there were participants who referred to the harmonious connection between the voices of the people, a connection that would not have been possible without tolerance and acceptance of every voice heard: "The different voices created harmony and pleasantness that enriched the experience." Manifestations of tolerance and empathy can also be seen from the following examples: “I have learned to be empathetic to the people around me;” “I have learned to accept the other;” and “The event made me look at the people around me and accept their different voices.”
Finally, it should be noted that for most participants (64%), the experience was not new. It means that even after a relatively long period, the event still evoked positive feelings among the participants.
The above findings indicate that the shared singing experience at Koolulam events had
a social-communal and emotional impact on many of the participants: This was
expressed by the participants’ desire to be surrounded by people who unite for a
common goal, by paying attention to people around them and by making contact with new
and unfamiliar people during the event. In addition, the Koolulam event evoked
positive feelings such as sense of empowerment, love and belonging, and thus may lead
to manifestations of empathy and tolerance towards others. These characteristics of
Koolulam events are also mentioned in studies on resilience, which show that positive
emotions, involvement, the sense of belonging to a group, and interpersonal
communication may strengthen an individual’s resilience (
The aim of the study was to examine a specific type of mass-singing called Koolulam. The study sought to examine a) the profile of the participants at Koolulam events and their motives for participating; and b) whether the social-communal and emotional characteristics of Koolulam events, which include facilitation of interpersonal interaction, sense of belonging, and experiencing positive emotions, may contribute to personal resilience.
The profile of the participants at Koolulam events is similar to the profile of people
who participate in public sing-along events. They are mainly driven by their love of
singing and enjoying experiences together (
Another significant finding is the high percentage of young people under the age of 40
who took part in the event (about 35%). In recent years, the phenomenon of public
sing-alongs has become prevalent among young adults, for example, at events such as
"singing and drinking" and "candle youth" (
The findings of the current study indicate a growing desire of young adults to take part
in group singing activities that are usually associated with older age groups. Taking
part in such events is a way for young adults to express a sense of belonging and
togetherness, have a pleasurable experience and in some cases, express solidarity, and
identify with someone else's pain (
Various studies have found that social-communal resources such as reciprocal
relationships and interpersonal interaction may help strengthen personal resilience
(
In addition to having social-communal characteristics, Koolulam events also contain
emotional characteristics. It has been shown that positive emotions and the sense of
belonging to a group may strengthen a person's resilience (
This current study also found that Koolulam events may help develop empathy and
tolerance towards others. This finding is consistent with previous studies showing
that people with resilience have the resources to sympathize and empathize with
others to a greater extent than people whose resilience is underdeveloped (
The present study has several limitations. First, because this is a cross-sectional study, it is not possible to study the effect of Koolulam events on the resilience of the participants. It is worth examining this issue in future longitudinal studies. Second, the sampling method that was employed in this study (convenience sampling) limits the generalizability of the study. Future studies should collect data using more representative sampling. Third, data collection was done using self-report questionnaires only, and therefore, the study is prone to social-desirability bias. Fourth, the questionnaires used in this study were developed by the researchers for the purpose of the study and were not validated elsewhere. Finally, since there are dozens of Koolulam events, some of which were not documented, we were not able to estimate the proportion of study participants.
Regarding further research, in this study, all the participants were Jewish, although it is likely that people from other religions attended Koolulam events as well but chose not to answer the survey. Therefore, future research should include non-Jewish populations as well, so that the results can be generalized to persons from other religions such as Christianity and Islam.
Although this is the first and only research on Koolulam events, its findings indicate that singing in a large group, in the framework of Koolulam events, has social-communal and emotional characteristics that may strengthen the resilience of the people who attend. It can be said that even one song that is sung in a large group and in different parts promotes harmony among differing parts in the group. Although previous studies have addressed the positive effects of group singing such as public sing-alongs and mass-singing, this is the first study to examine the phenomenon of Koolulam and its possible contribution to the resilience of participants. The results of this study may serve as a basis for further quantitative and qualitative research that will contribute to the knowledge regarding the positive effects of singing in a large group. Applicably, the results of the study may pave the way for developing musical intervention programs led by music therapy professionals specializing in target populations, whose purpose will be to strengthen the resilience of underprivileged communities (e.g., nursing homes and care settings for people with special needs) based on the social-communal and emotional characteristics of Koolulam events.
Dr. Chava Wiess is the Head of the Music Therapy Program at David Yellin College in Jerusalem. She is a music therapist who works with children and teenagers who have experienced traumas such as terrorism, war, and uprooting. She is also a member of Mahut, an organization which is part of the Israel Trauma Coalition. In addition, Her fields of research include different aspects of trauma, resilience and clinical issues in music therapy.
Rotem Maor holds a Ph.D. in Education, is a Lecturer at David Yellin College of Education in Israel, and has formerly practiced as a school counselor.
The appendices are available at the following link:
"One Love-People Get Ready"/Bob Marley & The Wailers
"I have love"/Shem-Tov Levy
"Strengthened into the world"/Avraham Tal