Ben, Thanks for posting this. I think there is a tremendous potential for community building through music.

I've seen it happen again and again through my life. I have a music ed. degree, have been a symphony chorus manager, and work for a visiting artist series. When asked "Why do you do what you do? (wdydwyd)" my answer remains "because for me, every performance feels like world peace; achieved in 2 acts, with a 15 minute intermission." Just see my profile for more info.

Here is a recent NYTimes article that might be of interest to you.

America’s Music Shared Song, Communal Memory

By BEN RATLIFF Published: February 10, 2008

"From Hawaii to the Philadelphia suburbs, community sings, or singalongs, draw together the average-voiced and bring old songs into common memory." (See the NYTimes article for more.)