Research interest: mindfulness and singing voice; mindfulness and voice disorders; influence of interoception on vocal behavior; qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies; mindfulness, voice, and neurodivergence; mindfulness and music performance anxiety (MPA)
Accepting mentees: Yes (5)
Biography
Catherine Kay Brown is an adjunct voice instructor at Immaculata University and a private voice teacher in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. During her graduate studies at West Chester University, she researched the effects of an 8-week mindfulness course in people with voice disorders. She presented the study results at the Voice Foundation’s Annual Symposium in 2023, and the corresponding article is in press in the peer-reviewed Journal of Voice. She has also written articles for NATS Inter Nos (“How Mindfulness Can Help Us Process Vocal Setbacks and Regain Agency in the Face of Change”) and The Voice: Member Newsletter of The Voice Foundation (“How Mindfulness Can Help Patients with Voice Disorders”).
Ms. Brown presented a workshop, “Mindfulness Exercises for Use in the Voice Therapy or Pedagogy Settings,” at the 2023 Pan-American Vocology Association Symposium with Julia Gerhard, DMA, CCC-SLP of the University of Miami. In 2024, she taught a workshop on mindfulness for singers at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Eastern Regional Conference. Additionally, she has given presentations on mindfulness and voice for the Minnesota Voice Colloquium and Vocology for Singers (both with Dr. Gerhard), Dysphonia International, and West Chester University’s World Voice Day.
In 2025, Ms. Brown will teach a short course, “Mindfulness and Voice: Exploring the Intersection through Peer-Reviewed Literature,” for the UK-based Voice Study Centre. She and Dr. Gerhard will lead a webinar for the Voice and Trauma Research and Connection Group. She is currently collaborating with the University of Miami’s voice center on several research projects related to voice and mindfulness.
Ms. Brown’s singing voice students have been accepted to top performing arts colleges including American Musical and Dramatic Academy (NYC), Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Manhattan School of Music, Marymount Manhattan College, New York University (Tisch School of the Arts and Steinhardt School), Pace University, Point Park University, and Temple University. Her students perform regularly with professional theaters.
Ms. Brown is a member of the Voice Foundation, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Voice Foundation, the Pan-American Vocology Association, and the American Mindfulness Research Association. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in music and German from St. Olaf College and a Graduate Certificate in applied mindfulness from West Chester University.
Qualifications
Graduate Certificate in Applied Mindfulness, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, College of Health Sciences, West Chester, PA (May 2024);
Bachelor of Arts, Music and German, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN (May 2001)
Publications
Brown CK, Vazquez J, Metz SM, McCown D. Effects of an 8-Week Mindfulness Course in People With Voice Disorders. Journal of Voice. Published online November 15, 2023:S0892-1997(23)00353-3. doi:10.1016/j.jvoice.2023.10.031
Brown CK. How Mindfulness Can Help People with Voice Disorders. Our Voice: Newsletter of Dysphonia International, 2024;31:22-23.
Brown CK. How Mindfulness Can Help Us Process Vocal Setbacks and Regain Agency in the Face of Change. NATS Inter Nos, 2024;57(1):36-39.
Brown CK. How Mindfulness Can Help Patients with Voice Disorders. The Voice: Member Newsletter of The Voice Foundation. 2024;29(1):12-14.