News / Student & Alumni News

Alumna Gökçe Kutsal’s MA Project Abstract Accepted at the Institute of Acoustics Conference!

Wednesday 11th September 2024

We're delighted to share that VSC alumna Gökçe Kutsal's MA project abstract has been accepted for presentation at the Institute of Acoustics Conference!

Here's what Gökçe had to say:

"My project was on evaluating the effectiveness of Acceptance & Commitment Training (ACT) coaching for music performance anxiety. All of the studies so far had focused on subjective measures like surveys, adjudication and interviews. I have a background in acoustics, so I used an acoustic spectrogram to compare before and after audio recordings for a more objective measure. That is why I submitted to the Institute of Acoustics’ conference. I compared live performance recordings to a relaxed-state recording without anxiety symptoms. And it was more effective than I thought! There was a clear similarity between the relaxed-state and post-coaching, or at least a serious improvement from the pre-coaching. The project showed that ACT does make a significant difference in vocal quality of singers with performance anxiety, and that we can use the spectrogram to compare recordings when evaluating performance anxiety coaching results."

Congratulations, Gökçe!

Gokce Kutsal

Gokce Kutsal is an experienced interior architect, acoustics designer and musician; her blended background has provided Gökçe with high proficiency as an acoustician...


Recent Posts

After The Session

After The Session: Thinking Outside the Voice Box: Adolescent Female Voice Change

Voice Study Centre
Thursday 15th October 2026

In our recent short course, Thinking Outside the Voice Box: Adolescent Female Voice Change, Dr Bridget Sweet-Manternach explored how voice teachers can better understand and support singers experiencing the changes of adolescence. Adolescence is a period of significant physical, psychological and emotional development. However, voice change is not always straightforward, and the experiences of singers whose voices are often overlooked in traditional discussions of puberty deserve greater attention.

Read More...
Student Interviews

Before We Change: Practicing Presence in Vocal Transformation

Voice Study Centre
Wednesday 14th October 2026

Just because we can change a singer’s voice doesn’t necessarily mean we should. For Voice Study Centre MA student Chris Harbison Borgelt, meaningful voice teaching begins with a different question: who is the change really for?

Read More...
After The Session

After the Session: Musical Theatre Singing Pedagogy with Amanda Flynn

Voice Study Centre
Wednesday 14th October 2026

What makes musical theatre singing different from other forms of vocal performance? And how can teachers help singers develop the flexibility, efficiency and stylistic versatility needed for a demanding professional career?

Read More...