Finding Harmony: Collaborative Music-Making in Chicago’s Storefront Church Gospel Communities

This article explores collaborative information behavior (CIB) within gospel communities of musical practice (CoMP) in Chicago’s storefront churches. These nontraditional worship spaces foster vibrant musical communities that sustain cultural knowledge through ear training, shared repertoire, and collaborative improvisation. Positioned subtly within broader social and educational frameworks shaped by legacies of exclusion and the privileging of Western formal pedagogy, this study reveals how these communities enact resilience and creativity. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews, observations, and archival materials, the findings illustrate how leadership, cohesion, and spiritual purpose enable musicians to collaboratively learn and innovate. The study highlights the importance of recognizing nontraditional pedagogies and collective knowledge practices, offering implications for music education, information behavior research, and cultural equity.