AIRS Annual Report Year 1 - Students and Young Professionals

Submitted by Andrea Emberly (April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010)

Year One:

This year saw the start of many AIRS related studies, research
and dissertation topics. The students and young professionals have
been in contact throughout the year to connect and create a
network of young scholars who are dedicated to researching diverse
topics on singing. Many of the students have been working on
literature reviews for each of the AIRS themes and sub-groups and
several have started their own dissertation research. One student
has defended their PhD and will continue working on AIRS related
research. Some examples of projects and research that AIRS
students and young professionals have been working on:

  • Studying maternal singing under various conditions

  • Studying age‐related changes in children's singing

  • Reviewing literature on the psychophysiological effects of
    singing which are related to health and well‐being focusing on
    the immune and stress markers IgA and Cortisol

  • Investigating the use of singing to promote health and
    harmony in the lives of adolescent mothers and their infants

  • Researching what singing abilities young children have before
    singing training, and the effects this training can have on
    the children’s singing, cognitive and social skills

  • Researching musical elements of children's playsong (form,
    rhythm, movement, tonal patterns, etc.) focusing on three
    collections by Riddell, Marsh, and Merrill‐Mirsky

  • Studying the influence of the vowel on the laryngeal
    mechanisms (M1 and M2) in the singing voice

  • Studying the role of song in migrant communities in Australia
    and beyond

  • Researching various aspects of performance in vocal pedagogy

  • Literature review on singing development and suggesting
    future directions for research on singing development

  • Exploring the role of song in children’s lives and the ways
    in which children learn singing through integrative means (in
    conjunction with movement and instrumental playing) in South
    Africa, Australia and Bali

It is expected that at the AIRS meeting in Seattle the students
will have the first opportunity to gather as a group to discuss
specific milestone goals, deliverables and cross-theme
collaborative possibilities for the upcoming year. As the students
have not had the opportunity to meet together this will be an
invaluable time for the group.

Students and young professionals represented in this group
(bracketed number represents the research sub-theme or group):

Name Affiliation Education
Megan Purdue (2.1) University of Washington Masters student
Ethan Chassin (2.1) University of Washington Masters student
Andrew Weatherill (3.1) University of Prince Edward Island Masters student
Tiffany Ng (3.2) University of Western Ontario M.Ed
Kim Eyre (3.2) University of Western Ontario Post doc
Lexy McIver (1.3) University of Prince Edward Island Undergraduate (done)
Laurel Young (3.3) Philadelphia PhD student
Lisa Mcclellan (1.3) Bates College Undergraduate (done)
Ruth Reveal (1.3) University of Prince Edward Island Undergraduate (done)
Cheryl Filipak (3.1) Kean University
Johanna Devaney (2.2, DL) McGill University Doctoral student
Mathieu Bergeron McGill University
Andrew Hankinson (DL) McGill University
John Ashley Burgoyne (DL) McGill University
Lisa Chan (1.2) Ryerson
Frances Wilkins University of Aberdeen Post doc
Thami Zungu (1.2) Tshwane University of Technology
Rayna Friendly (1.1) Huron University College at Western PhD student
Judy Plantinga (1.2) University of Toronto Mississauga Post doc
Beste Kalender (1.2) University of Toronto
Mississauga
PhD student
Gisèle Lalonde (3.3) University of Saskatchewan MEd student (just finished)
Jean Emmerson (3.3) University of Saskatchewan PhD student
Marieke Blom (3.3) University of Saskatchewan M.Ed
Rita Bento (3.3) PhD student
Utpola Borah (2.2) University of Dehli Post doc
Sylvain Lamesch (2.2) University of Paris Post doc
Amy Fancourt Music, Mind & Brain,
Goldsmiths London, UK
Université Stendhal
Sandra Cornaz (2.3) Gipsa Lab, Grenoble, France
Jonathan Lane (DL) University of Prince Edward
Island
Alicia Altass (3.1) Mount St. Vincent University,
Halifax, Nova Scotia

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