Maya Shavit and the Efroni Choir: A Creative Musical-Pedagogical Model for Working with Youth Choirs

Maya Shavit (1935–2021) was the founder, director, and conductor of the Efroni Girls’ Choir in Emek Hefer, Israel for thirty-three years. Under her guidance, the choir attained success both in Israel and globally, a result of Shavit’s unique interdisciplinary method for teaching music. Indeed, her method and influence changed the musical landscape for choirs in Israel. The current study is a historical account of Shavit’s life focusing on evidence from first-person accounts: testimonies from Shavit herself and from those who worked with or were influenced by her, including this author. Altogether, they reveal Shavit’s background and cultural history and offer insight into her vision, teaching philosophies, methods, and principles for creative work with youth choirs. They also reveal the many innovative projects she established and details of how she raised the quality of Israeli choir directors of youth choirs to international standards.