Research Hub
Welcome
The Voice Study Centre is a vibrant research hub in which staff and students are research active.
Our Research Hub consists of four Special Interest Groups (SIG). In these groups staff, students and external colleagues meet as one research community discussing recent research, critiquing papers and debate contentious questions.
The Research Hub meets regularly and you are welcome to come to a meeting either as an interested colleague or as a prospective student.
Debbie Winter
Debbie Winter (LLB Hons, MA) is the founder, director, and academic lead of Voice Study Centre.
Specialising in qualitative research methods, Debbie has authored two articles published in peer-reviewed journals and is on the Editorial Board of VSR, published by Routledge. Debbie is currently studying a PhD by concurrent publication specialising in Practice Research.
Special Interest Groups
Voice Pedagogy Online Research Symposium: Singing, Wellbeing and Social Inclusion 2021
The Voice Study Centre and De Montfort University’s Mary Seacole Research Centre hosted this online symposium on Singing, Wellbeing and Social Inclusion on 24 September 2021.
This video shows the symposium in full, and includes the following presentations:
Prof Johann van der Sandt, University of Bozen/Bolzano, Italy – Musical Habits and Wellbeing of adolescent choir singers in Italy, Austria and Finland during Covid-19 Lockdowns
Dr Sanna Salminen, University of Jyväskylä, Finland- Benefits of Singing reflected in the conceptual framework of social inclusion
Celi Barberia, Sing Up Foundation, UK – Sing Up: Children and Young People and the benefits of singing
Emily Foulkes, Singing for Health Network and Voice Study Centre, UK – Singing for Health
Dr Motje Wolf, De Montfort University and Voice Study Centre, UK – The Effect of Covid-19 Lockdowns on Performer Identities of Professional Singers in the UK
This research group investigates aspects of vocal health. This may be in relation to the singing classroom, professional voice users, speech and language therapy, head and neck cancer, manual therapy, looking after the voice and the potential ethical quandary that may arise from working in this field.
The group aims are:
to offer a platform for new researchers to participate in a research exchange with other likeminded practitioners
to develop research skills, such as summarising your own research
to engage in useful discussion relating to research shared by peers
to encourage, engage and inspire group members
to present work within an informal and supportive setting
Current projects include…
Singing and Allergies
Ethical Considerations for Teaching Singing and Caring for Voices
Contact
Kate Cubley, Leader of SIG Vocal Health
Staying In Lane: Exploring The Boundary Line Between Teaching Singing And Therapeutic Practice – December 2021
This open-access symposium explored the ethical codes of teaching singing and engaging in therapeutic practice. It formed the first of a series of symposia examining the tensions between teaching/coaching and therapy. With a focus on vocal health and hearing, this conference evaluated the ethical issues faced regularly by the singing profession.
This special interest group investigates aspects of music performance anxiety (MPA) in both professional singers and singing students. With a particular interest in Acceptance Commitment Coaching (ACC) and coaching in general it aims to look at improving awareness among teachers and performers and examines some of the latest strategies in development for dealing with MPA.
Contact
Teresa Shaw, Head of Research Group
Outputs
Shaw, T. A., Juncos, D. G., & Winter, D. (2020). Piloting a New Model for Treating Music Performance Anxiety: Training a Singing Teacher to Use Acceptance and Commitment Coaching With a Student. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(Article 882), 1-14. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00882
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00882/full
Debbie began working on the Postgraduate programme when it was originally conceived with Cardiff Metropolitan University. She worked alongside students to ensure that they could study their field of interest and she has remained committed to the professional practice framework throughout. Practitioner research is challenging because of its multidisciplinary nature and students need to access a range of methodologies. Her PhD focuses on practitioner research and her interest is on practice as research. She is currently working on a series of papers and tutorials that can be accessed through the VASTA and the Voice Study Centre Resources.
Publications:
Winter, D. (2021) Voicing a Practitioner Research Methodology: Further Framing the Conversation, Voice and Speech Review, 15:1, 76-88, DOI: 10.1080/23268263.2020.1843270
Winter, D. (2020). Understanding Research Methods: From Singing Teacher to Practitioner Researcher. DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.16046.13122.
Research Repository
Research Repository
Description of Repository…
Get Involved
We are an open and vibrant community of researchers looking to connect to other researchers in voice studies . We are open to collaborations with other researchers and institutions. We particularly enjoy discussing anything vocal from various standpoints, so no matter if you are from ‘the field’ or from adjoining fields – do get in touch.
Ways to get involved:
Email Motje: debbie@voicestudycentre.com
