The Integration of Multicultural Music and Defining Successful Integration of Multicultural Music in Three Predominantly White Churches in Baltimore, Maryland: A Case Study
School of Music, Liberty University
How they used Delve
A Liberty University School of Music researcher uploaded Turboscribe transcripts of interviews and focus groups from three Baltimore churches into Delve and used it for deductive and inductive thematic coding, collating codes with supporting excerpts and grouping them into themes about multicultural music integration.
“These were also recorded, transcribed, and uploaded into Delvetool for additional coding. [...] Delvetool was selected by the researcher to aid in analyzing the data gathered. Participants were given the opportunity to review their transcripts prior to entering into Delvetool. Both deductive and inductive thematic analysis were incorporated to generate codes.”
- Field
- Church music / multicultural worship
- Data
- Interviews with pastors, music directors, choir members, and congregants at three Baltimore churches, one open focus group per church, observation of two worship services per church, and archived materials; recordings transcribed with Turboscribe and reviewed by participants
- Approach
- Qualitative case study with deductive then inductive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke): codes collated with supporting data in Delve and grouped into themes; interviews, focus groups, observation, and archival review
- Data types
- Interviews, Focus groups, Observation, Documents
Abstract
It is important to acknowledge the words in Scripture honoring people of all ethnic groups as cities and therefore churches become more diverse. Baltimore, Maryland is a diverse city, with numerous ethnic communities including those of Italian, Greek, African American, African, Hispanic, and Jewish descent; many churches, however, remain predominantly White. Music is an essential element in worship, and some churches are limited to the ethnic hymns of their congregational hymnals, thus ignoring the wide body of multicultural music that is available. There are numerous challenges when integrating multicultural music, especially if the congregation is not ethnically diverse. At first impression, many may not see the need since the music is not representative of the congregation, therefore the status quo abides. It is important to see Christ through the eyes of all and truly understand God through the lens of those who are culturally different. The integration of multicultural music in worship could contribute to an acceptance and a means to honor diverse cultures. This case study presents qualitative data collected from three predominantly White churches in Baltimore, Maryland, examining the barriers associated with integrating multicultural music within these congregations and exploring how each defines successful multicultural music integration. The researcher gathered data through interviews and focus groups with pastors, music directors, and congregants from the three designated churches. The data was then analyzed to gather information related to the research questions.
Citation
Homeretta Ayala (2026). The Integration of Multicultural Music and Defining Successful Integration of Multicultural Music in Three Predominantly White Churches in Baltimore, Maryland: A Case Study. Liberty University (School of Music thesis, Scholars Crossing).