Anecdotal examples that may be helpful

This tale entitled "Application denied" by Tamara Peyton, as a master's student, published in University Affairs, June 13, 2011, describes a revision process for a proposal to conduct ethnographic research on multiplayer on-line gaming  that led to approval on the next round.

Example of a Debriefing Letter

It is always important to include time to disseminate results of your research to your participants and other interested people. Most ethics review boards in North America require a plan and letter for debriefing with research applications.

Below is a sample of two debriefing letters used for a two-phase study under 3.1.1.

Attachment	Size
Debriefing.pdf	11.98 KB

Example of an Application for an Ethics Review Board (Theme 3.1.1)

This is an application which was submitted and approved by the Ethics Review Committee of the University of Prince Edward Island.  It contains the details and methodology on the 2012 AIRS Singing and Cross-Cultural Understanding project for Theme 3.1.1.

Attachment	Size
REB application.doc	203 KB

Example of typical information regarding the Digital Library to include in an Ethics Proposal/Consent Form

- All audio-visual data collected should be stored in a secure, restricted-to-permission-access database

- List of researchers who have access to data (only need the names of the primary investigators for the particular study)  

- The data will be shared with other AIRS colleagues on the AIRS online digital library. This digital library is not for the public but is used by AIRS researchers. This provides them with the ability to contrast data and learn from each other's work. This database is part of the AIRS project, is password-protected and is meant to be available to only those researchers, scholars or educators who have been granted access. All data will be kept confidential and unavailable to persons outside the AIRS research team.

- Participants should be contacted for permission before any of their data is shown at a conference or similar event

- Participants should have the option of refusing to be videotaped in a consent form (note: the researcher can determine whether they give the option of refusing audio-recordings as well but should not have the option to refuse to put any of the data on the digital library)

 

Below are samples of an information letter and consent form used for a study under Theme 3.1.1.

Attachment	Size
Information Letter & Consent Form.pdf	16.11 KB

July 15, 2011

July 15, 2011 [Following the AIRS 3rd Annual Meeting]

1.2 Subtheme - Multimodal aspects of singing Development

Vocal imitation in non-human primates

The connection between vocal imitation and keeping the beat (dance)

Dancing parrot video and associated research paper

http://news.discovery.com/videos/news-birds-keep-the-beat.html

(courtesy Cathy Ryan, UPEI)

1.3 Subtheme - The AIRS Test Battery of Singing Skills

Of interest to Research Sub-Theme 1.3

Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing http://www.teststandards.net/

Word learning  Larissa Samuelson (2011, APA) http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2011/02/building-biases.aspx

From neurons to neighborhoods - podcast 2010

2.3 Subtheme -Teaching through singing

Milestone information for 2.3 goes here

3.1 Subtheme - Singing and Crosscultural Understanding

This sub-theme focuses on the role of singing in the promotion of cross-cultural understanding and the reduction of prejudice.  This is being examined using four different approaches: 1) extending Felix Neto's quantitative study of a three-month singing intervention in Portugal, the goal being replication and determining long-term influences; 2) a multi-year qualitative study involving school children in Canada, China, Kenya and Brazil, teaching music-cultural modules from each of the four countries over a number of weeks and tracking children's attitudes towards these cultures in the shortand long-term; 3) studying resilience and fragility of songs and singing styles within minority cultures, particularly in islands; 4) examining the origin and maintenance of multicultural choirs, starting with the creation of such a choir at UPEI.

This sub-theme is led by Godfrey Baldacchino (UPEI) and Lily Chen-Hafteck (Kean University)

3.3 Subtheme - Singing: Direct effects on health

Music therapy and recovery of Gabby Giffords

Music pharmacology?

4.0 AIRS Digital Library Team

Information relevant to the AIRS Digital Library Team goes here.

Policy 2 - Travel

Attachment	Size
Policy 2 Travel -updated Jan 23-2012- Abbreviated.pdf	34.94 KB

Policy 3 - Operating Funds

Policy 3 operating funds provides background for request for operating funds, a form for making the request, and a reviewer form.

Attachment	Size
Policy 3-Jan-2011-1 (MS Word DOC)	39.5 KB

Policy 6 - Membership in AIRS (Approved) - Responsibilities and Application Process

This Policy  was proposed by the Steering Committee and has been approved by  Policy and Planning committee. It contains definitions of membership and constituency categories, responsibilities and benefits of AIRS membership, and an application form to join the AIRS collaboration.   Those seeking association with AIRS may apply as indicated.  Those current members should review their commitments and benefits as outlined in the document.

 

Responsibilities of Membership in AIRS

Official recognition as a co-investigator or collaborator in AIRS is associated with the following:
- Responsibilities
o Understand and embrace the AIRS goals and milestones
o Belong to one or more research subgroups or committees
o Set up an airsplace.ca account and complete the individual information including photo
o Attend regularly the virtual or real meetings of the subgroup and reading correspondence related to the subgroup
o Attend annual meetings as feasible
o Assist in attaining specific milestones of a sub-group
o Willingly host or share knowledge with students (can take many forms)
o Commit to collaborative work within and across subgroups
o Contribute to the Digital Library
o Provide a brief annual report of AIRS activities to the relevant sub-theme leader

- Benefits
o Access to the collaboration and network
o Access to funds for student support through application (Co-investigators can have funds directly; collaborators receive funds indirectly)
o Funds for student travel through application and travel of AIRS collaborators in some cases
o Partial travel support to the Annual Meeting
o Opportunity for publication and dissemination
o Opportunity for involvement in meetings
o Access to the Digital Library and other data bases and resources
o Be part of a large project that can make a difference to understanding development, improving education, and increasing well-being in ways that no individual effort could
 

Attachment	Size
Policy 6 - Membership in AIRS - Jan 2012.doc	60 KB

References focusing on culture

Dynamic Influences of Culture on Cooperation in the Prisoner's Dilemma.Preview By: Yin-mei Wong, Rosanna; Ying-yi Hong. Psychological Science, Jun2005, Vol. 16 Issue 6, p429-434, 6p, 1 chart, 1 graph; DOI: 10.1111/j.0956-7976.2005.01552.x; (AN 17168769)

AIRS Annual Report Year 1 Sub-Theme 1.1: Production and Perception

Prepared by C.D. Tsang (April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010).

Sub-Theme 1.1 Members

• S. Dalla Bella
• S. Falk
• R. Friendly (PhD student)
• C. Palmer
• I. Peretz
• L. Phillmore
• C. Palmer
• G. Schlaug
• L. Stewart
• L. Trainor (co-Team Leader)
• C. Tsang (co-Team Leader)

Year 1 Milestones and Deliverables

A review of the singing development literature was conducted by R. Friendly (PhD student) and L. Trainor. This review was the basis for a conference presentation at the 1st Annual AIRS General Meeting in June 2009. A review paper is in preparation and we anticipate manuscript submission in late summer 2010.

1.1. Research by Members

L. Stewart Student project: ‘A rehabilitation study of congenital amusia’ carried out by Susan Anderson, an MSc student on the Goldsmiths MSc in Music, Mind and Brain. This project will be written up and presented at a future AIRS meetings.

L. Stewart Student project: ‘A study of pitch direction processing in children’ carried out by Amy Fancourt, an MSc student on the Birkbeck MSc in Neuroscience. A poster will be presented at the AIRS meeting in Seattle, as well as at ICMPC.

Susan Anderson’s rehabilitation project may be extended but this will depend on obtaining funding.

Sub-Theme 1.1. Year 1 Research Summary

This first year has been a transition year in many ways for subtheme 1.1. A change in the leadership of the theme occurred in December 2009, with S. Brown leaving the project and C. Tsang joining L. Trainor as Theme Leader. This necessitated some change in the research direction of 1.1, and the newly developed research project focuses on the link between the development of the perception of singing and the production of singing. Much of the work from January to March 2010 was devoted to developing a coherent and viable research project that will yield significant and publishable data.

Pilot stimuli for our study examining the perception and production of singing in young children have been created. We are currently in the process of finalizing the testing protocols and preparing to begin pilot testing in a small population of 6-year-old children. L. Trainor has met with a local music education group working in a Hamilton area grade school and the principal of the school to arrange for testing of Grade 1 students in a singing perception and production test battery. A further meeting with the teachers of the students will be held in September 2010.

We anticipate the start of pilot testing to begin in August through September, 2010, with the beginning of actual data collection to begin in October, 2010 in a group of Grade 1 children in a Hamilton area grade school. Another parallel study with JK/SK children in a local London area pre-school may also begin in the fall subject to institutional approvals.

This research project has the possibility of becoming a longitudinal study (pending renewal by the school and teachers involved). Thus, the creation of a viable set of testing materials in Year 1 was a vitally important first step. If the study proceeds as planned, we should be able to have data ready for dissemination by summer 2011 (Year 3), most likely in the form of conference presentations initially, eventually leading to published manuscripts in future years.

We acknowledge that we have not been overly successful in involving many members of the research sub-theme in our research discussions. However, we hope that with the establishment of a viable set of stimuli and testing protocols in this first year, this will make it easier for other theme members (and other AIRS themes) to participate and/or contribute to the research in future years.

AIRS Annual Report Year 1 Sub-Theme 1.2: Multimodal Analysis

Submitted by Dr. Frank Russo (April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010)

Projects based in greater Toronto area, Canada
(University of Toronto at Mississauga and Ryerson University)

1. Auditory and visual perspectives on maternal speech and singing in different contexts (infant in view, out of view, or presented on video).

   Students working on this project: Judy Plantinga (postdoctoral fellow) will submit an abstract and present a summary of this study-in-progress. She will continue working on this project.

   Other students currently working on the project: Sari Park (B.A. student, Guelph U), Sara Oczak (B.Sc. student, UTM), Amy Kleynhans (B.A. Student, Ryerson).

2. Age-related changes in vocal reproduction of intervals (ascending and descending perfect fifth) with different auditory models (voice, piano, flute) and auditory (vocal) vs. auditory-visual models.

   Students working on this project: Judy Plantinga (PDF, U of T Mississauga), Lily Zhou (B.Sc. student, McMaster), Lisa Chan (M.A. Student, Ryerson). Judy Plantinga and Lisa Chan will continue on the project.

3. Age-related changes in singing proficiency for familiar songs (instrumental analysis of materials from Adachi & Trehub (1998)

   Students working on this project: Judy Plantinga (PDF, U of T Mississauga), Lily Zhou (B.Sc. student, McMaster), Jordan John (B.Sc. UTM), Nami KOYAMA (Master's student, Hokkaido University). Judy Plantinga will continue on the project.

4. Pitch and interval reproduction as a function of age, choral experience, and interval conventionality

   Student working on this project: Beste Kalender (Ph.D., U of T) is leading this project and it will form her doctoral dissertation.

5. Case study of singing by a 5-year-old child with cochlear implants

   Student working on this project: Anna Volkova (Ph.D., U of T). Anna will continue on the project.

6. Infants' responsiveness to sung vs. spoken lyrics of songs

   Student working on this project: Marieve Corbeil (Ph.D., Brams, U de M, co-supervised by Isabelle Peretz) is leading this project and it will form part of her doctoral dissertation.

7. Effectiveness of song vs. speech to regulate emotion in infants: Niusha Ghazban (Ph.D., Ryerson); Lisa Chan (M.A., Ryerson). Both students will continue with this project.

8. Electromyographic assessment of mimicry in song perception: Lisa Chan (M.A., Ryerson). Different aspects of this work will be presented at AIRS and ICMPC and will form Lisa's master's thesis. Lisa plans to continue with singing-related work for her dissertation.

Projects based in Hokkaido, Japan
(Hokkaido University)

1. An experiment was conducted using Canadian children's original happy/sad tunes to examine whether children's intended emotions were communicated to Japanese adult listeners. Data collection is in progress: Yo NAKANISHI, an undergraduate student at Hokkaido University.

2. Adult interpretation of infant babbling as speech or singing. Data was collected from 86 college students (both men and women) about their interpretation of baby babble (to be presented at ICMPC11), and will collect data from Japanese fathers this Fall/Winter. Additional data will be collected from Chinese students as a pilot for a possible cross-cultural study of babble interpretation: Xing Xing DING, a Chinese research student at Hokkaido University. She may continue on as a master's student.

Projects based in Nova Scotia, Canada
(St. Francis Xavier University)

Dr. Hauf's Infant Action & Cognition Lab at St. Francis Xavier University is investigating the responsiveness of 5- to 7-month old infants to video displays of infant-directed (ID) singing and speaking. Stimuli are presented on an eyetracking screen. In addition to eye tracking, measures include body movements, vocalization, and heart rate: Tricia Brosha (4th year Bachelor of Arts - Honours in Psychology student, St. Francis Xavier) is currently working on this project and will continue to be involved throughout the year as she uses a portion of the project for her Honour's thesis to be completed by April, 2011.

AIRS Annual Report Year 1 Sub-Theme 1.3: AIRS Test Battery

Submitted by Dr. Annabel Cohen (April 1 2009 – March 31, 2010).

Name of investigator(s) and affiliation

• Mayumi Adachi – Psychology, Hokkaido, Japan (also 1.2)
• Annabel Cohen – UPEI, Charlottetown and Team Leader 1.3
• Simone Dalla Bella – Psychology, Poland (also 1.1)   
• Simone Falk – Germany
• Mike Forrester – University of Kent, UK
• Helga Guðmundsdóttir – Music Education,  Iceland (also 2.1)
• Nathalie Henrich – France  (also 1.1, 1.2 and 2.3)
• Esther Mang – Hong Kong Baptist University (also 2.1)
• Anick LeMarche – AIRS Post-doc until end of August
• Psyche Loui – Harvard Medical School & BIDMC (also 3.3)
• Jaan Ross – Music, Estonia
• Gottfried Schlaug – Harvard Medical School and BIDMC (mainly 3.3 – health)
• Rena Sharon – Music, UBC, Vancouver (also 3.3, and 1.2)
• Stefanie Stadler Elmer – Psychology, Zurich,  Switzerland
• Christine Tsang – Psychology, London Ontario (also 1.1 – Team Leader)
• Jennifer Sullivan – Psychology,  St. FX Antigonish, NS (also 2.3)
• Coralie Vincent – Laboratory of Phonology and Phonetics, CNRS, Paris (also Digital Library)

AIRS Milestones for Year 1

Activity	Deliverables
Review of longitudinal singing tests	Presentations Publications
Develop model; pilot tests across lifespan	Initiate longitudinal data at various lifespan starting points
Pilot tests across lifespan	Extend to different Canadian contexts

AIRS Milestones for Year 2 with Year 3 and 4 continuing

Revise tests for cultural contexts of China, Kenya, China, and Canada
Pilot tests across 3 countries and lifespan ages	Extend data collection to 3 countries Test 3 times per year Extend to other countries Analyze, notate, transcribe, move to DL
Develop comprehensive battery for singing ability across countries & age	Test in 3 countries: e.g., Iceland, Germany, Estonia
Develop preliminary model of cultural influence on singing ability	Preliminary model of  cultural/individual effect on singing

Goals of AIRS addressed

Team meetings were held at the Inaugural meeting in PEI and by teleconference on  December 16th.   The teleconference led to discussion of each of the 11 components of the battery.  It was decided that each needed special discussion beginning at the 2nd AIRS Annual Meeting  (Seattle, August 22nd, 2010) and extended during a free time at the  immediately following ICMPC (tentatively, Wed., August 25th)  in order to finalize a common protocol to be used  starting September 2010.  At present those from 1.3 to attend the 2nd Annual meeting are:  Mayumi Adachi, Simone Dalla Bella, Simone Falk, Helga Guðmundsdóttir, Jaan Ross, Rena Sharon, Stefanie Stadler Elmer, Christine Tsang, Jennifer Sullivan, and Annabel Cohen  as well as several students such as Madhu Raju.   Note: although Psyche Loui cannot attend in Seattle, she is visiting UPEI as a keynote for the AIRS regional conference August 12th and will provide feedback on the battery at that time, to be passed on to the Seattle meeting.

UPEI  had initiated the work on the battery as a proof of concept prior to submission of the AIRS proposal and this work continued.  The first data included tests of 4 children of ages 3, 5, and 7 years  and university students with and without music training. Each were tested  5 times at monthly intervals producing approximately 100 video recorded sessions.  In addition 4 older adults (age 70 – 81 years) and 6 persons with Alzheimer’s disease were tested each twice with one exception. This first protocol used a piano model.    In September 2009 an  new study entailed 8 North American students and 8 Chinese students, and another study began with 8 4 -5 year olds and 8 University students tested once.  In the laboratory of Jenny Sullivan at St. Francis Xavier University,  6 3-year olds and 6 4-year olds were tested each twice.  The second protocol used a vocal model  (Lisa McLellan, summer intern 2009).  Some additional preliminary work was carried out in Estonia (Jaan Ross/ Marju Raju). A thesis was completed by Lisa McLellan at Bates comparing use of her own live singing versus a recording of her voice.  She learned that the recording was more effective than expected.   Subsequently,  groundwork in Poland (Simone Dalla Bella) is being established. Note: From April  - August,  Anick Lamarche in the position of AIRS PDF at UPEI  has been working on the test battery in regard to standards for audiovideo recording protocol.  She has also tutored 4 visiting undergraduate students on the AIRS test battery, measurement using Stefanie-Stadler Elmer’s technique and she herself has used Praat. She will also create an improved vocal model with child, male, and female voice.  However, as this activity occurred during Year 2, it is not detailed further here.

Student funding of $6000 obtained for year 1 (smallest amount of all sub-themes) was used to establish the foundation for the battery and assist doctoral thesis work if possible and was distributed to UPEI and Estonia for this purpose.  Funding for students in Year 2 of $15000 was obtained for distribution to students in Boston US, Estonia, Iceland, Japan, Switzerland, Poland, St. FX, UK, UPEI, and lesser amounts to Kenya, Canada, China, Brazil (in conjunction with 3.1).

Contribution to AIRS goals over the past year(s) of the project  - distinguishing incremental (would only occur with AIRS funding or initiative) vs would occur anyway*

Refereed Publications and Book Chapters/ Conference Proceedings in a Book

Presentations

Presentations in Year 1 were by the UPEI made at the AIRS inaugural meeting, Canadian Acoustical Association (Oct. 2009, Niagara-on-the-lake symposium on Theme 1), Canadian Conference on the Arts (Dec., 2009, Toronto), Educating the Creative Mind (March, Kean College, 2010, Conference organized by Lily Chen-Hafteck).

Presentations in Year 2 were made by the UPEI group at the Canadian Developmental Psychology Conference (May, 2010 Ottawa, with Mary Gick, and Jennifer Sullivan), Canadian Psychological Association (June, 2010, organized symposium on music and psychology), and the Canadian Society for Brain Behaviour & Cognitive Science (June, 2010, Halifax, with Lexy McIver, Anick Lamarche, presenter Anick Lamarche), by Simone Dalla Bella at a Symposium on Language and Music at Middlesex University (as reported by Michael Forrester), and by Jennifer Sullivan at the AIRS Workshop, August 2010.

Honours theses

• Jenna Coady – UPEI 2009
• Marsha Lanna – UPEI 2009
• Emily Gallant – UPEI 2009
• Lisa McLellan – Bates College 2009
• Lexy McIver – UPEI 2010
• One student from St. Francis Xavier, 2010

Project Description (based on summary for the Policy and Planning Committee & AIRS Milestone document)

This sub-theme focuses on the gross assessment of development of singing  leading to a comprehensive model of singing acquisition taking individual, culture, and universals into account. An 11-element test battery was developed at UPEI by Annabel Cohen in conjunction with 2 honours students (Marsha Lannan, Jenna Coady), and with a third (Emily Gallant) the battery was piloted in longitudinal and age cross-sectional designs. In 2009  two further honours theses at 2 universities commenced, and a doctoral student in Estonia will begin work with Jaan Ross and Stefanie Stadler Elmer (Zurich). An aim is to connect with 3.1 Cross-cultural understanding in order to obtain data on singing development in the four contrasting countries (Canada, Brazil, Kenya, China) in which attitudes to non-native persons is to be improved through song and cultural sharing. We expect to use a new algorithmic process of doctoral student Johanna Devaney (McGill) to increase the efficiency of pitch analysis.

Information will be shared virtually  (via a digital library, and web-site) across cultural and academic background, and career stage within and across countries Students will be provided enormous opportunities to be in contact with peers, experts, and cultural contexts, and to learn about analysis of singing, and the workings of a digital repository.

One challenge is the overwhelming richness of the data. Another is to finalize the protocol and to develop specific training protocol so as to "really" start collecting data.

The constituency aims to collect the data across ages, cultures, and time, and to take advantage of the temporal and global scope of the grant. Theme 1.3 will populate the digital library with examples of the components of the test battery from longitudinal and cross-sectional studies. Within Theme 1, there should be discussion with 1.1 which will be conducting more refined tests than 1.3;  there should be  discussion with 1.2 which will be conducting focused research on the audiovideo relations in singing. The data from 1.3 should reveal constraints on natural song acquisition as discovered by 2.1, should show effects of training (2.2), and provide a foundation for what can be learned through singing (2.3). 1.3 will inform 3.1 in regard to what aspects of singing style may be resilient and what level of song complexity is appropriate for teaching songs of non-native cultures.

The opportunity of a 7 year grant (including 1st year pilot) enables collection of longitudinal, cross-cultural data  and exploring mental health status, and role of musical training. Collaborators from many cultures and continents, with access to open-source teleconferencing  an interactive web-site. digital repository and associated staff supporting it at UPEI and McGill maximizes progress.

Student(s) involved, their level of degree and home university

Students in Year 1 were:

• Lexy McIver – Honours Psychology, UPEI
• Honours Psychology, St. Francis Xavier
• Alison Lawlor – Special Studies, UPEI – admitted to Speech Pathology Masters, U of T
• Emily Bradley – Special Studies, UPEI – admitted to Speech Pathology Masters, Dalhousie University
• Marju Raju – doctoral student, Estonia – under supervision of Jaan Ross and Stefanie Stadler-Elmer

Students involved (Year 2, 2010):

• St. FX
• Kristin MacDonald,  undergraduate UPEI
• Martha Lannan,  Masters Level graduate student Dalhousie/former UPEI honours student
• Anick Lamarche, PDF AIRS  April – August 2010
• Michal Michalski, Poland
• Ruth Reveal, visiting summer student from Georgia, USA (which provided course credit for Psy 412)
• Kamille LaRosa, visiting summer intern,  University Michigan (which provided scholarship)
• Lauren Mitchell, visiting summer intern, Kalamazoo College (which provided scholarship)
• Kuori Agaki, visiting summer intern, Kalamazoo College

Students to be involved as of September 2010

•   St. Francis Xavier, Antigonish Nova Scotia
•  Marju Raju, Estonia,
• Iceland
•  Ayumi Sasaki, and Saya Ando (sophomores) Japan
• Switzerland
• Poland
• UK
• UPEI
• Kenya
• Canada
• China
• Brazil

Expected scholarly outcomes

Outcomes

The test battery will provide a wealth of data in a neglected area that will provide the foundation for a model or models of singing acquisition, the foundation for scholarly work in singing. As well this work will contribute to understanding of human development and language development, and form the basis for appreciating what is possible in regard to sharing culture through singing, or teaching through singing.

Contribution to Digital Library

Audiovisual sessions – components 1 – 11 from administration of the battery.

Deliverables

Showing Estimated total for 3.5 years and number produced in Year 1.

	Estimated Total	Year 1
Review Articles	1
Workshops	1
Recordings	1
Presentations	10	4
Symposia Org.	1
Proc. Papers	2
Articles published	3	(2)
Book Chapters	1	(1)
Books or Monographs	1
Edited Volumes	1
Games	1

AIRS Annual Report Year 1 Sub-Theme 2.1: Learning to Sing Informally

Submitted by Dr. Patricia Campbell (April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010).

Members

• Beatriz Ilari
• Martin Gardiner
• Graham Welch
• Helga Gudmundsdottir
• Caroline Van Niekerk
• Esther Mang
• Catherine J. Stevens
• Kati Szego

Update   

Active exchange on 2.1 themes with Caroline, Helga, Beatriz, Graham, including (a) Discussion of potential student projects/proposals (Caroline), (b) archived collections of children’s and adult group songs (Helga).

Continued development of thematic ideas relative to singing in informal settings, especially among children and in vocalizations enfolded within pedagogy and practice of instrumental music/musicians, with new attention to on-line archives of traditional song and the collection, analysis, transcription, and interpretation of song in central Tanzania (Wagogo) and Kenya.

Involvement of Patricia on Steering Committee on issues relative to 2.1 and AIRS at large.

Reference to AIRS and Theme 2.1 projects at presentations at ABEM (Londrina, Brazil), University of Rio de Janeiro (Ethnomusicology Archives) University of Western Australia (Perth), Griffith Conservatorium (Brisbane), Society for Ethnomusicology (Mexico City), Ethnomusicology Symposium (University of Dar es Salaam), UCLA (graduate student symposium), and The College Music Society (Seattle meeting).   

Involvement of students

Ethan Chessin and Megan Perdue were funded for scholarly projects in 2009-2010; both projects are completed, with presentations at Beijing (ISME) and Seattle (ICMPC, AIRS). The papers have recently been submitted to journals for review leading to possible publication.

Christopher Roberts, Kedmon Mapana, and Donald Otoyo Ondieki are funded for scholarly projects in 2010-11.

Project completion by March 31 2011

• Christopher Roberts:  Children Singing One Line: An Examination of Web-based Resources of Children Singing throughout the World

• Kedmon Mapana: Traditional Songs of the Wagogo of Central Tanzania: Collection, Analysis and Interpretation

• Donald Otoyo Ondieki: The Analysis of Early Kenyan Popular Music of 1945-1975 for the Development of Instructional Materials for Music Education

Questions

• How can we engage members of Theme 2.1 more thoroughly?
• How can we assess the continued interest of Theme 2.1 members in issues and projects?
• Can we invite in other research and teaching faculty with Theme 2.1 interests and energies to participate in AIRS activity?

Students at AIRS Annual Meeting

Research Summary

Christopher Roberts (Summary of Chessin and Perdue projects)

Poster

[In good hope], posters by Chessin and Perdue

Songs

Christopher Roberts, Kedmon Mapana

AIRS Annual Report Year 1 Sub-Theme 2.2: Formal Training in Singing

This Activity Report for Year One: 2009-2010 Successfully Submitted by Darryl Edwards, August 18, 2010.

The vast embrace of this  AIRS 2.2 venture began with a sense of overwhelming possibilities.  The excitement continues as our goals are meeting with actions, and the rewards are revealing themselves generously.

One of the most unique aspects of AIRS is how we’ve been led to create ways as artists, educators, psychologists and researchers to effectively and progressively communicate with each other!  AIRS is allowing for gateways of understanding between those who make music and teach music, and those who study and analyze the phenomena as quantified data, toward deeper understanding of the process and the outcome.  There exists a need for greater ease in communication between these domains. AIRS is creating the arena in which we as people and as professionals are discovering our isolated individualities and bringing us to build bridges where none have existed for us.

AIRS is the “invitation to the dance” for artist-researchers to familiarize ourselves with qualitative and quantitative research techniques. It is in this way that we are learning to join in the standardized and accepted language of scientific discussion. Artist-Researchers are largely unskilled and under-skilled in research methodologies.  Artist’s research studies, then, are generally devoted to analyses of composers’ works, or descriptive, anecdotal articles that are interesting and helpful, but outside recognized practices for making any significant research contributions.

The myriad qualities existing in formalized singing instruction are observed in a fashion that belies ideal and definitive use by others. Thankfully, the art of singing thrives on individual differences. It is, however, through AIRS that creating ways for principles of voice production and best practices in education to be discerned and repeated - in addition to all that allows individual artists to thrive in their specific excellences.

How AIRS is contributing to changes in arts, education and psychology research and performance interactivity could spawn cases studies of its case studies. Between the steep learning curves we are encountering between each other, we are using them as opportunities to make stronger connections from our previous unawareness. AIRS is presenting us with a feast of opportunities!

Subtheme Group 2.2: Dissemination About AIRS

1. Early Childhood Education Summer Music Program, Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, Darryl Edwards and Rachel Heydon. August 5, 2009.

2. International Symposium on Performance Science (ISPS): Auckland, New Zealand. Dec. 15-18, 2009. Darryl Edwards.

3. Vancouver International Song Institute (VISI), June 11, 2010: Rena Sharon (VISI Artistic Director), Darryl Edwards, Frank Russo.

Literature Reviews

The literature review for choral music has been completed by University of Western Ontario graduate student, Jason Noble.

The literature review for vocal music is underway and still pending, by University of Toronto DMA student, Colleen Skull.

Research Activity

Ongoing data collection of formal voice training at the university level. DVD recordings of voice lessons have been collected in several voice studios at the University of Toronto.

Preliminary meetings and discussions have taken place for research studies with University of Toronto voice students and Dr. Frank Russo and his graduate students in the Psychology Department of Ryerson University. The intention is that this will move forward and take place within 2010-2011, for papers to be delivered at the International Symposium for Performance Science at the University of Toronto, August 24-27, 2011. 

Dr. Carol Beynon and the Amabile Boys’ Choir in London, Ontario held a choral performance symposium for male choirs, January 29-30, 2010. It was a tremendous artistic and experiential success. Darryl Edwards participated as one of several guest clinicians.

Goal For 2010-2011

Inclusive Communication and Expansion.

Communication with all the members of 2.2 can and should be increased, to encourage more involvement, more contributions, and the benefits resulting from intercollegiate discussion. Casting a wider net to officially include data collection from culturally and geographically diverse locations will also be a priority. Contacts have presently been established in Canada, USA, China, New Zealand, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, and South Africa.

Research from the Centre for Performance Science (Royal College of Music, London, U.K.) at the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy (COSI) June 15-July 20, 2010. Researchers will tentatively include Dr. Aaron Williamon (Head, CPS), and Dr. Frank Russo (Ryerson U.).

Student Funding

Owing to the availability of AIRS student funding, all abovementioned goals will be made all the more achievable through student researcher support. With present teaching and performance/research activities at and beyond expected maximum levels, AIRS’ funding for studetns is immensely important and absolutely required for reaching the stated milestones.

Articles and Papers

The results of the data collection and research studies will be submitted through article and paper proposals at such publications as the Journal of Singing,  the Canadian Music Educator,  National Association of Teachers of  Singing Regional Conferences (National Conference is in 2012), and several other conferences and publications (print and online).

Institutional Ethics Review for Audio-Visual Submissions

In addition to required ethics review for all research with human subjects, gaining permission to post online audio-visual teaching excerpts from participants and institutions is expected to be a daunting task, requiring much work for successful proposal submissions.

Case Studies of Beginning Singers

Recording lessons with beginning singers from their very first lesson. This will require the participation of student researchers as well as novice singers. The intention is to track developments from the beginning of instruction, then throughout the teaching year, and beyond.

AIRS Annual Report Year 1 Sub-Theme 2.3: Learning Through Singing

Prepared by Andrea Rose and Jennifer Sullivan, Canada.

Overview of Current Work

Andrea Rose, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Focus

Singing in online music education contexts: A case study in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Study areas

• Singing as an art form – skill, technique, traditions and practices
• Singing alone and together (individual/ensemble)
• Singing as a pedagogical tool and strategy in music education
• Singing in community – local/global – formal/informal
  

Goals

• Explore singing as a fundamental mode of music and music education; as a pedagogical construct and     strategy in the teaching and learning of music in online, distance education models – secondary music education
• Develop web-based models, strategies and utilize new and emerging technologies appropriate for singing; examine issues, challenges, opportunities
• Enhance both online and traditional contexts for singing in music education and other educational contexts (e.g., web-based resources and interactions)
  

To date

Several publications and conference presentations (MENC 2010; ISME 2010)

2 Masters Theses in music education:

• K. Joy. Perceptions of students, teachers, administrators and policy makers of distance learning in rural Newfoundland and Labrador: a critical constructivist perspective

• J. Nakashima. Experiencing Music 2200 online: a critical case study of the curriculum transfer process

Jennifer Sullivan: Acadia University, Nova Scotia, Canada   

Focus

Singing and Development of Language/Vocabulary Acquisition

Publications

• Sullivan, J. F. & O'Neill, S.  (2009). Singing Acquisition and Education: A Developmental Perspective

• Sullivan, J. F. (2009). Song Intervention to Enhance Preschool Vocabulary.

Student Theses

• Walton, K. Singing as a Vocabulary Intervention for Preschool Aged Children

• Coombes, B. Sing Along with Me: The Effects of Group Singing Instruction on the Preschool Child's Ability to Sing

Martha Gabriel and June Countryman: UPEI, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada

Focus

Singing and literacy

Making connections between singing, lyrics, and literacies; field work and creating song collections using indigenous songs from Nova Scotia, PEI… for use by children and to use in preparation of elementary classroom teachers

June Countryman: UPEI, Canada

Focus

Singing in educational contexts

"neuropsycholbiological reality" (Graham Welch); bodymind experience of singing and connections to learning in general elementary contexts

Martin F. Gardiner: Center for the Study of Human Development, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Focus

Connections between developing musical/singing skill and musical literacy and academic progress in Math and Language Arts (elementary grades)

Additional

• Henrietta Lempert: University of Toronto, Canada
• Kati Szego: Memorial University of Newfoundland
• Other collaborations ongoing between Theme groups

AIRS Annual Report Year 1 Sub-Theme 3.1: Intercultural Understanding

Submitted by Dr. Godfrey Baldacchino (April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010).

Activities by Godfrey Baldacchino as part of the AIRS Project

1. A book proposal exploring songs as demonstrative of cultural vibrancy, global-local dynamics and intercultural understanding from island contexts was initially submitted to Berg Publishers but resubmitted to Scarecrow Press after Berg informed us that they no longer publish edited works in that field. 28 different contributors have initially been involved in this proposal – tentatively titled Island Songs - and the first complete draft of the book’s contents is expected in early August 2010.

2. A graduate student at UPEI, Andrew Weatherill, was engaged for 8 weeks (part-time) in compiling an annotated bibliography of scholarly material dealing with islands and songs/singing. His compilation is available in Refworks format here: http://refworks.scholarsportal.info/refshare/?site=010361146456000000/190-94-3NKCK71582593/ISLAND%20SONGS

3. Both Andrew Weatherill and Godfrey Baldacchino were involved in presenting work in progress at the showcase afternoon organized by the UPEI Centre for Educational Research at the Rodd Royalty, Charlottetown, PEI on April 14, 2010. The event was well attended and open to the general public.

4. As part of ongoing AIRS administration, Godfrey Baldacchino was involved in a teleconference on 03 February 2010, as well as in another planning meeting on 05 April 2010.

Activities of Lily Chen-Hafteck’s project

1. A meeting with various international collaborators of the project has taken place on March 5, 2010, in New Jersey, USA, during my "Educating the Creative Mind" conference at Kean University. Attendants included Alda Oliveira from Brazil, Dafu Lai from China, Elizabeth Andango from Kenya, plus Annabel and me. At this meeting, it was decided that the research site in Africa will be Kenya instead of South Africa.

2. The number of AIRS collaborators from the four research sites who will be involved in the project has now been expanded. They are Alda Oliveira and Beatriz Ilari from Brazil, Frank Russo and June Countryman from Canada, Jiaxing Xie and Dafu Lai from China, and Elizabeth Andango from Kenya. They will supervise and provide guidance to the student-researchers throughout the project. They will also assist in compiling the teaching materials that are representative of their cultures, identifying the participating schools and requesting for permission.

3. There was some delay in receiving the funding for students. The fund arrived only in May 2010. An undergraduate student assistant, Nancy Gleason, has been hired in June 2010. She is now working on the literature review of the project.

4. A meeting in Beijing, China, is planned for August 2, 2010 during ISME (International Society for Music Education) conference. At this meeting, the focus will be on finalizing the songs from each of the four countries of the study.

Conference Presentations

• Chen-Hafteck, L., Cohen, A. & Rose, A. (2010). Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing (AIRS): a model for international leadership, networking and collaboration in music education research. Paper presented at the ISME (International Society for Music Education) North American Regional Seminar, Anaheim, CA, March 25-27, 2010.

• Cohen, A. & Chen-Hafteck, L. (2010). Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing (AIRS): a model for comprehensive studies of the significance of the arts in children’s lives and education. Poster presented at the ‘Educating the Creative Mind’ Conference, Union, NJ, March 4-6, 2010.

• Chen-Hafteck, L. (2009). Toward cross-cultural understanding through singing. Paper presented at the Phenomenon of Singing International Symposium, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, July 2-5, 2009.

Addendum from Annabel Cohen

Felix Neto in Portugal will be conducting the replication and extension of  the important study of the role of children’s learning songs of a minority culture on the improvement of attitudes to that minority culture.  An injury prevented Dr. Neto from participating in the UNESCO Symposium, and the paper was given by Annabel Cohen who co-organized the symposium with Larry O’Farrell, UNESCO Chair of Arts and Learning, at Queen’s University, under the auspices of Andrea Rose, co-organizer of the Phenomena of Singing Conference at Memorial University in Newfoundland.  This symposium was a plenary session that opened the  2008 Conference, and support from UNESCO was received.  Larry O’Farrell has also promoted the AIRS Project at Plenary Presentations of MENC, Anaheim and the UNESCO World Conference on Arts and Learning that took place in May, 2010. 

Plans for development of a multicultural choir at UPEI are underway.

AIRS Annual Report Year 1 Sub-Theme 3.2: Intergenerational Understanding

Submitted by Dr. Rachel Heydon (April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010)

 

Name of investigator (s) and affiliation	Primary sub-theme(s)	Other sub-themes
Rachel Heydon The University of Western Ontario	3.2 Intergenerational Understanding
Susan O’Neill Simon Fraser University	3.2 Intergenerational Understanding
Carol Beynon The University of Western Ontario	3.2 Intergenerational Understanding	2.2 Formal Training of Singing
*Please note that Mary Gick (Carleton U) and possibly others will be involved at times following the period related to this report.

Goals of AIRS addressed

The team is moving forward with all the goals as stated in the Milestone document under theme 3.2. The sub-theme will also be able to integrate with themes related to pedagogy (theme 2) (e.g., pedagogies for the teaching of singing to young and old; the relationship between singing and learning opportunities in speech and language) and psychological health (theme 3.3) (e.g., measures of generativity).

Contribution to AIRS goals over the past year(s) of the project (a) with AIRS funding (b) without any
funding or with other resources (Please note, however, that AIRS has provided generous student funding that
will be reflected in future annual reports.)

Refereed Publications:

Books:

1. Heydon, R. (under review). Children and elders learning in the circle of life: Curriculum support for intergenerational learning programs. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. (b)

Refereed Book Chapters:

1. Beynon, C. A., & Alfano, C. (in press). Getting to know you: Fostering learning, fun and friendship between two generations. In D. Elliott & K Veblen (Eds.), Community music today. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. (b)

2. Heydon, R. (in press). Curriculum and intergenerational learning. In N. Howe & L. Prochner (Eds.), New directions in early childhood education and care in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. (b)

Presentations:

1. Heydon, R. (2010). Intergenerational learning programming from a curriculum studies’ perspective: New directions, new possibilities. Paper presented at the meeting of the Early Childhood Education and Care group, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec. (b)

2. Heydon, R. (2009). Sharing and thriving through intergenerational singing curriculum. Invited Address to the Early Childhood Music Specialist Course, Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto. (b)

3. O’Neill, S. A. (2009) Developmental perspectives on singing engagement. Paper for Symposium on singing and psychology: Interdisciplinary perspectives and implications. 70th Annual Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association. Montreal. (b)

4. O’Neill, S. A. (2009). Celebrations of revealing: Learning to respect cultural diversity through music. Pan‐Canadian Symposium 2009: Widening the Boundaries of Music Education, University of Victoria, British Columbia. (b)

Symposia:

1. Beynon, C. A. (2010). Men aloud: Male choral symposium. London, ON. (b) [Video shooting completed and 2 documentaries to be produced, 1 focusing on gender and singing and the other on the intergenerational focus of the symposium.]

Project Description

This is a three-phase project. Phase one (year one) has been funded and almost complete: review of the existing literature of IG singing, survey of IG singing programs in the pilot region to determine what exists, in what form, and receptiveness to such programs. Phase two (years two & three): A draft curriculum will be developed and a pilot IG singing program launched in London, ON. Following the pilot, the draft curriculum will be implemented, reviewed, and revised before being re-implemented in London (this time with site staff such as recreation therapists attempting to teach the program). Research in phase two will involve the documentation of the program including the learning and relationship-building opportunities its curriculum and pedagogies afford and the creation and implementation of a measure of generativity. Phase three (late year 3) will see the program implemented in Ottawa and possibly beyond.

Student(s) involved, their level of degree and home university

Students in phase one:

1. Kim Eyre, (Post-Doctoral) Research Assistant, Ph.D. (Faculty of Music); seasonal instructor, The University of Western Ontario; beginning appointment as Assistant Professor at Nipissing University (Faculty of Education; Music Education), Aug. 1, 2010

2. Tiffany Ng, Research Assistant, M.Ed. Candidate, The University of Western Ontario (Faculty ofEducation, Curriculum Studies)

3. Sylvia Richardson, Research Assistant, M.Ed. Candidate, Simon Fraser University (Faculty of Education, Arts Education)

Students to be involved (phase two, beginning September, 2010):

1. Wendy Crocker, Research Assistant, Ph.D. Candidate, The University of Western Ontario (Faculty of Education, Educational Studies, Curriculum and Pedagogy Field)

2. Terry Loerts Research Assistant, Ph.D. Candidate, The University of Western Ontario (Faculty of Education, Educational Studies, Curriculum and Pedagogy Field)

3. Paul Boissonnault, Ph.D. Candidate, Simon Fraser University (Faculty of Education, Arts Education)

Expected scholarly outcomes

Outcomes:

The attainment of AIRS goals as described in section 3 which can add to the extant literature on IG learning and IG singing programs and benefits, establish an infrastructure in London and Ottawa for IG singing programs; establish a curriculum and related handbook for IG singing programs that can be disseminated for use in other locales; the creation of a generativity measure.

Contribution to Digital Library:

Samples of IG singing collected during phases two and three.

Deliverables:

(highlighted areas show where the sub-theme has already met or exceeded anticipated deliverable)

	Review article	Workshops	Presentations	Symposia	Published articles	Book chapters	Book
Promised in milestones document (first 3.5 years of grant)	1	3	3	1	3	1	0
Achieved to date (1.2 years)			4	1		2 (in press)	1 (under review)

AIRS Annual Report Year 1 Sub-Theme 3.3: Singing and Health

Submitted by Dr. Jennifer Nicol (April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010)

Team Members

Stephen M. Clift, Rena Sharon, Gottfried Schlaug, Mary L. Gick, Janice Richman-Eisenstat, Ian R. M. Cross, Bradley Vines, Chris M. Blanchard, Laurel Young, Kay Kleinerman, Jennifer A. Nicol.

1. Nicol & Clift with assistance from Cross and other colleagues of Clift, worked on systematic review of the literature on group singing, wellbeing and health benefits; manuscript submitted April 2010 for a special issue of the online journal of UNESCO, with guest editor, Larry O’Farrell, UNESCO Chair in Arts and Learning.

2. Nicol & Clift collaborating in area of singing and COPD research

3. Anticipated future visits – Nicol to England, Clift to Canada (University of Saskatchewan)

4. Sharon arranged for AIRS presentation as part of VISI, speakers Frank Russo & Darryl Edwards

5. Gick involved in AIRS administration – policy and planning committee; steering committee (Theme 3.3 representative); wrote a review paper on singing and health entitled, “Singing, health and well-being: A health psychologist’s review” and submitted it to Psychomusicology for special issue on singing. Revision of paper is under review.

6. Young promoting AIRS at Annual conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy, May 2010 in Halifax, NS; doing occasional singing and health workshop at Wellspring, a cancer support centre (see http://www.wellspring.ca/) and her workshop model is being used to start another program facilitated by another music therapist at a different Wellspring centre in Ontario.

7. Kleinerman & Cohen completed data gathering for Later Life Singing study; anticipated involvement of student(s) in data analysis stage.

8. Nigel Brown progresses on establishing first Canadian pilot of UK Sing for your Life in the Okanagan, BC. A silver Song Club is forming in Kelowna with anticipated Fall 2010 start date.

Student Involvement

1. Jean Emmerson, PhD Candidate, University of Saskatchewan; action research study on implementation of singing program with teen mothers and their infants.

2. Marieke Blom, MEd Canadidate, University of Saskatchewan; Thesis is evaluating impact of a group singing intervention on attachment between infants and their mothers who are involved with the Saskatoon Maternal Mental Health Program.

3. Marya Stonehouse, MEd Candidate, University of Saskatchewan, research assistant for grounded theory study of group singing as a health practice for choir members.

4. Katie McCaw, BA student in psychology, University of Saskatchewan, anticipated RA involvement from Sept 2010 on grounded theory project described above.

5. Carina Daugherty, MA in psychology at Carleton University will complete her honours thesis 2010/11.

6. Sally Busch joined AIRS student network and will begin preliminary work on her MA thesis; expected date of completion is Summer 2012.

7. 3 PhD students at the Sidney de Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health working on singing research (psycho-physiology of singing, developing Silver Song Clubs in Rome and singing, facial mobility and Parkinson's disease) who are keen to be involved in the AIRS network.

Presentations

1. Nicol, J.J. & Lalonde, G. (2010, June). Singing, Resiliency and Identity: Three Adolescent Francophone Girls’ Stories of Singing. Pathways to Resilience II: The Social Ecology of Resilience, Halifax, Canada.

2. Nicol, J.J. (2010, May). Music Therapy and the AIRS Project. Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy, Halifax, Canada.

3. Cohen, A.J., Gick, M.L., & Sullivan, J. (2010, May). Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing (AIRS): Developmental perspectives. Poster presented at Development 2010: A Canadian Conference on Developmental Psychology, Ottawa, ON.

Suggestions

1. Laurel Young asked for AIRS presence at CAMT 2011 Winnipeg conference – Jennifer planning to attend and will take responsibility for organizing panel, symposium, poster(s) or whatever is possible and most suitable.

AIRS Annual Report Year 1 - Global Group

Introduction

In an email to me, dated 8 April 2011, project director Annabel Cohen referred to “the global group which has not formed”. Although requested to fulfil the position of Chair of this team, I noted from the beginning that I was unable to perform this role, due to other work pressures. I indicated that I saw the function that I could best and most achievably perform as being that of using my contacts throughout Africa to introduce to AIRS young scholars with whom I come into contact, in the field of Music Education, to increase representation of the so‐called “dark continent” in the project. This is arguably a role more difficult for other AIRS team members to fulfil than it is for me, and this is what I have endeavoured to do throughout my AIRS involvement to date. In late July this year I intend holding an “AIRS information session” at the PASMAE (Pan African Society for Musical Arts Education) biennial conference in Gaborone, Botswana, which will have attendees from all over Africa. Such conference opportunities in Africa can be put to good AIRS use, as has been the case with other conferences, for example at the ISME (International Society for Music Education) biennial World Conference in Beijing, China, in August 2010.

There not being a Chair of the Global team, I have nevertheless agreed to write a brief report on behalf of the “group which has not formed”, although I have had some correspondence specifically with Patricia Campbell and Stephen Clift on the matter, and thank them for their input.

Goals

Project director Cohen also referred in the same email correspondence referred to above to the fact that there “were 2 kinds of goals of that committee ‐ making the most of the global opportunities for research ‐ this is being done fairly well with projects that are including members from different countries, and in studies in which the same procedures are being carried out in different countries. There are 2 examples in Theme 1, and then the example in 3.1 … There is still more to be done that could be done ‐ seeing that all persons from various countries are active (or if not, why not, and can others interested in joining AIRS from other countries then join instead), seeing more studies carried out in more places that are strategically chosen, not chosen simply because someone in the other country happens to be interested, and maybe other points should be made along similar lines (e.g., involving UNESCO in different countries, as just another kind of example).

The other goal was to encourage acceptance of all AIRS members by all members across disciplines and cultures ... Part of our project has to do with using singing to bridge cultures and to facilitate cultural understanding. Ironically, the same problem may be present in AIRS membership itself. And … singing together may help reduce it, but still, what else can be done to solve the problem. One idea is to have a global group meet and discuss this issue as well as the easier issue”.

Links with the Digital Library team

Clearly, a team without a leader is a rudderless ship, and this has notably contributed to the lack of activity of the Global group. I believe that another reason for lack of activity has been the length of time it took for the website and the Digital Library team to become fully functional. Although not specifically mentioned under Goals above, I believe that one of the most useful things that can be done, from an international perspective, is linking existing resources, to be found around the world, to the AIRS website. Despite my having conveyed such information, since the inception of AIRS, this has not as yet shown results on the AIRS website. I am unaware of how many other AIRS members may have done the same, but this can of course be done by everyone with such information at their disposal, regardless of whatever teams they may be members. As simply one example, in a response I received by email yesterday from Stephen Clift, he mentioned the Aayra Foundation, http://www.aarya.org.uk/, an organisation of which I was previously unaware and yet which is
clearly an excellent example of a grouping with which AIRS should be linked, in our opinion.

Future tasks

A statement/statements of policy, philosophy and practice on “global matters” need(s) to be drafted for review by the larger AIRS group, also given the fact that the actual membership of the Global team has not been established. In fact, I believe that the very function of the group needs to be debated; whether it overlaps all the themes, and whether, therefore, it should be seen as a crosscutting theme and not be constituted as a separate team, as originally envisioned. In the case of such a decision being taken, the need for a Global Chair is reduced; if not, then this is in my opinion the most urgent priority, in order to provide leadership.

Signed,

Caroline van Niekerk
6 June 2011

Attachment	Size
AIRS GLOBAL GROUP - INTERIM REPORT (MS Word DOC)	34 KB
AIRS GLOBAL GROUP - INTERIM REPORT (PDF)	52.07 KB

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

Singer / Songwriter Georges Brassens

Georges Brassens 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981), was a French singer-songwriter.  (Wikipedia entry)

Example Youtube:  quand on est con ( le temps ne fait rien à l'affaire )

Audio

Video

Search engines

• Google
• MIDOMI
• Last.FM
• MusicBrainz
• Gracenote

Granting agencies

• SSHRC (Canada)

  • MCRI

    Four (4) awards for 2008 (announced February 28, 2008).

  • SSHRC Web curriculum CV

    Note: for creation of SSHRC CV, approved browsers are listed at bottom of log-in page in Help section.

SMPC Deadline Feb 1

The next meeting of the Society for Music Perception and Cognition
(SMPC) will be held in Rochester, NY at the Eastman School of Music on
August 11-14, 2001.

The deadline for submitting abstracts is Tuesday, February 1.

More information can be found at:
http://www.esm.rochester.edu/smpc2011/

Grammy Award Nominees - 2010 Awards-2011

Grammy Nominees    2010 - Awards  Feb. 13, 2011

 

special note:

Best Classical Vocal Performance (Atlantic Canada is proud)

Ombre De Mon Amant - French Baroque Arias
Anne Sofie Von Otter (William Christie; Les Arts Florissants)
[Deutsche Grammophon]

 

Sacrificium

Cecilia Bartoli (Giovanni Antonini; Il Giardino Armonico)
[Decca]

 

Turina: Canto A Sevilla

Lucia Duchonová (Celso Antunes; NDR Radiophilharmonie)
[Haenssler Classic]

 

Vivaldi: Opera Arias - Pyrotechnics

Vivica Genaux (Fabio Biondi; Europa Galante)
[Virgin Classics]

 

Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder

Measha Brueggergosman (Franz Welser-Möst; The Cleveland Orchestra)
Track from: Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder; Preludes & Overtures
[Deutsche Grammophon]
 

Music recording and publishing companies

• Putumayo World Music
• Arion
  15 volume CD series of children's music and world cultures.
• Come Children Sing Institute
• Singbook
• World Music Press
• CBC British Columbia: Dances and Dreams

Conferences

PEVOC 09, held in Marseille, France, August 31 ‑ September 3, 2011. and http://www.european‑academy‑of‑voice.org/
 

Organizations and societies

• National Association of Teachers of Singing
• Creative Commons
  Copyright in the digital age.

Related archives

• Alan Lomax Archives
  Founder of Cantometrics.
• PRIMO
  Practice as music research online.

Research and educational initiatives

• CHILDES
• International Choir (Holland College)
• Music in Hospitals (UK)
• Open Voices
• Sing Up
  UK national singing program.
• Sing for Life (Gregory Barz)
• Singing Hospitals Initiatives (Wolfgang Bossinger)
• Sidney de Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health (Canterbury Christ Church University, UK)
• UNESCO Chair in Arts and Learning
• The Voices Foundation
• Vox Pacis
  The Voice of Peace.
• World Children' Choir

Generation M - Kaiser Family Foundation 2010

Executive Summary: Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-olds

The study, Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-olds, examined media use among a nationally representative sample of more than 2,000 3rd through 12th graders who completed detailed questionnaires, including nearly 700 self-selected participants who also maintained seven-day media diaries.

 

(submitted by AJ Cohen, Jan 20, 2012)