Background

1^st  AIRS Regional Workshop (Program Subject to Change)Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing: Three Themes and VariationsALL WELCOME

University of Prince Edward Island, Steel Recital Hall

July 30, 2008     9:00 am – 8:00 pm

From childhood to senior years, singing plays an integral part in the lives of most individuals. Singing connects people with others. It provides insight into self. It is a great source of pleasure.   Yet singing is undervalued in our society and under-researched in academic institutions.

To draw attention to the importance of singing and to answer many questions about it, a major international research collaboration entitled “AIRS - Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing ” (http://demoblade9.vre.upei/airs) includes over 70 scholars from more than a dozen countries. The project is based at the University of Prince Edward Island, and one of its first formal activities will be the 1^st AIRS Regional Workshop taking place July 30, 2008, as the Steel Recital Hall, Department of Music, University of Prince Edward Island.

Researchers and practitioners from Atlantic Canada will share information with students, faculty, and community. All persons with an interest in singing are welcome.

Each of three AIRS research themes – Development, Pedagogy, and Well-being—will be represented by specific research examples. Open discussion will follow each presentation. As well, interludes of actual singing and an early evening concert will bring the topic home. 

Presentations on AIRS are being made at several National and International Meetings over the summer.  In addition to the AIRS regional workshop, the 1^st AIRS International Expert Workshop will take place August 24, 2008 just prior to the opening of the 10^th International Conference of Music Perception and Cognition (ICMPC10) at Hokkaido University, August 25-29.

The workshop is being conducted in association with the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research in Culture, Multimedia, Technology and Cognition, and under the auspices of the UPEI Faculties of Arts, Education, and Science. Support for the workshop has been provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

The organizing committee consists of AIRS Project Director Professor Annabel Cohen (University of Prince Edward Island, Canada), Betty Bailey (vice-chair), Canada Research Chair Godfrey Baldacchino, Vickie Armstrong (co-ordinator),  Sung-ha ShinBouey (concerts), Anne Greyborn (publicity).

For further information:

airs@upei.ca  902-566-6023 (Vickie Armstrong)

acohen@upei.ca, 902-628-4325  (Annabel Cohen