Program
Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing:
Development, Education and Wellbeing

SSHRC
Major Collaborative Research Initiative

MCRI
6th Annual Meeting & International Conference

July 30 to August 1, 2015
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee
Prior to the biennial meeting of the

Society for Music Perception and Cognition (SMPC)
August 1 – 5, 2015
Supported by
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
(SSHRC)
With special sponsorship of the meeting from
The University of Prince Edward Island
&
Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
AIRS Members: Co-Investigators, Collaborators & Partner Representatives

Page 2

Director’s Welcome

Page 5

Meeting Schedule
Thursday, July 30 (Quadcultural Workshop, Student and Early Career Research Page 7
Gathering, Policy & Planning Meeting)
Friday, July 31
Page 10
Saturday, August 1
Page 13
Presentation Abstracts & Biographies
THEME 1 – Development of Singing

Page 15 - 17

Test-retest reliability and repeated attempts in singing accuracy measurement
Bryan E. Nichols (University of Akron, Ohio)
Sijia Wang (University of Akron, Ohio)
Gesture, Embodied Cognition, and Emotion: Comparing Hindustani Vocal
Gharanas in Performance
Hans Utter
The role of musical vs tone-language experience on implicit choice of key for
singing a familiar song
Bing-Yi Pan (University of Prince Edward Island)
Dr. Annabel Cohen (University of Prince Edward Island)
THEME 2 – Singing & Education

Pages 18-23

Antecedents to the career of singer-songwriter: Preliminary on-line survey
results
Christopher Robison (University of Prince Edward Island)
Dr. Annabel Cohen (University of Prince Edward Island)
Natural singing practices surrounding babies in their daily lives
Alissa Chitwood, (University of Southern California)
Beatriz Ilari, (University of Southern California)
Childhood Songs: Views and Values in the Vietnamese American Home
Tina Huynh (University of Southern California)
Beatriz Ilari (University of Southern California)
Master Class: North Indian (Hindustani) Classical Vocal Training
Uptola Borah (The Ohio State University)

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Music, singing voice and language learning: Some suggestions of use in the teaching
of phonetics
Diane Caussade (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, GIPSA-Lab, Grenoble, France).
Sandra Cornaz (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France)
The impact of singing on language development in 4-year old children
Caitlin Bridson-Pateman (Department of Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University)
Dr. Petra Hauf (Department of Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University)
Annie Larouche (Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University)
Dr. S. Hélène Deacon (Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University)
THEME 3 – Singing &Well-being

Page 24-26

Enriching student experience through a university multicultural choir and song
circle
Shannon Moore (University of Prince Edward Island)
Dr. Annabel Cohen (University of Prince Edward Island)
Alzheimer's hand gestures and speech disorders in spoken and sung modalities
Diane Caussade (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, GIPSA-Lab, F-38000 Grenoble, France /
CNRS, GIPSA-Lab, F-38000 Grenoble, France / LIDILEM, Univ. Grenoble 3, Saint
Martin d’Hères, France)
Fanny Gaubert (Centre de formation en orthophonie, ISTR, Univ. Claude Bernard
Lyon 1, Lyon, France)
Maud Seriux (Centre de formation en orthophonie, ISTR, Univ. Claude Bernard
Lyon 1, Lyon, France)
Nathalie Henrich-Bernardoni (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, GIPSA-Lab, F-38000
Grenoble, France / CNRS, GIPSA-Lab, F-38000 Grenoble, France)
Nathalie Vallee (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, GIPSA-Lab, F-38000 Grenoble, France /
CNRS, GIPSA-Lab, F-38000 Grenoble, France)
Jean-Marc Colletta (LIDILEM, Univ. Grenoble 3, Saint Martin d’Hères, France)
Page 27

AIRS Round

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AIRS MEMBERS
Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing
DIRECTOR
Dr. Annabel J. Cohen, University of Prince Edward Island (Psychology), Canada
CO-INVESTIGATORS
Dr. Mayumi Adachi, Hokkaido University (Graduate School of Letters), Japan
Dr. Godfrey Baldacchino, University of Prince Edward Island (Island Studies, Sociology &
Anthropology), Canada
Dr. Carol A. Beynon, Western University (Education), Canada
Dr. Steven Brown, McMaster University (Psychology), Canada
Dr. Patricia S. Campbell, University of Washington (Music Education), United States
Dr. Lily Chen-Hafteck, Kean University (Music Education), United States
Dr. Wladyslaw Cichocki, University of New Brunswick (French), Canada
Dr. Amy Clements-Cortes, Baycrest Health Centre (Music Therapy), Canada
Dr. Stephen M. Clift, Canterbury Christ Church University College (Health & Social Welfare),
United Kingdom
Dr. June Countryman, University of Prince Edward Island (Music), Canada
Dr. Simone Dalla Bella, University of Finance and Management in Warsaw (Psychology), Poland
Dr. Darryl R. Edwards, University of Toronto (Music), Canada
Dr. Simone Falk, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (German Linguistics), Germany
Dr. Mike A. Forrester, University of Kent (Psychology), United Kingdom
Dr. Bradley W. Frankland, Dalhousie University (Psychology), Canada
Dr. Ichiro Fujinaga, McGill University (Music), Canada
Dr. Martha A. Gabriel, University of Prince Edward Island (Education), Canada
Dr. Mary L. Gick, Carleton University (Psychology), Canada
Dr. Jane Ginsborg, Royal Northern College of Music (Research Centre for Vocational Training of
Learning), United Kingdom
Dr. Helga R. Gudmundsdottir, University of Iceland (Education), Iceland
Dr. Petra Hauf, St. Francis Xavier (Psychology), Canada
Dr. Rachel M. Heydon, Western University (Education), Canada
Dr. Beatriz S. Ilari, University of Southern California (Music Education), United States
Dr. Karen Jenson, University of Manitoba, (Music), Canada
Mr. Mark A. Leggott, University of Prince Edward Island (Robertson Library), Canada
Dr. Henrietta Lempert, University of Toronto (Psychology), Canada
Dr. Félix F. M. Neto, University of Porto (Psychology and Education Science), Portugal
Dr. Jennifer J. Nicol, University of Saskatchewan (Educational Psychology & Special Education)
Canada
Dr. Lawrence P. O’Farrell, Queen’s University (Drama & Arts Education), Canada
Dr. Susan O’Neill, Western University (Arts Education), Canada
Dr. Isabelle Peretz, Université de Montréal (Psychologie), Canada
Dr. Andrea M. Rose, Memorial University of Newfoundland (Music Education), Canada
Dr. Jaan Ross, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (Musicology), Estonia
Dr. Frank A. Russo, Ryerson University (Psychology), Canada

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Dr. Rena Sharon, University of British Columbia (Music), Canada
Dr. Stefanie Stadler Elmer, University of Zurich (Psychology), Switzerland
Dr. Lauren Stewart, Goldsmiths University of London (Psychology), United Kingdom
Dr. Jennifer F. Sullivan, Seneca College (Psychology), Canada
Dr. Kati Szego, Memorial University of Newfoundland (Folklore), Canada
Dr. Laurel Trainor, McMaster University (Psychology), Canada
Dr. Sandra E. Trehub, University of Toronto (Psychology), Canada
Dr. Christine D. Tsang, Huron University College (Psychology), Canada
Dr. George Tzanetakis, University of Victoria (Computer Science), Canada
Dr. Graham F. Welch, University of London (Music Education), United Kingdom
Dr. Laurel Young, Concordia University (Music Therapy), Canada
COLLABORATORS
Dr. Zuraida Bastiao, Federal University of Bahia, Brazil
Dr. Chris M. Blanchard, Dalhousie University (Medicine), Canada
Dr. Ian R. M. Cross, University of Cambridge (Music), United Kingdom
Dr. Steven M. Demorest, University of Washington (Music Education), United States
Dr. Martin F. Gardiner, Brown University (Music), United States
Dr. Nathalie Henrich, University of Grenoble (Speech & Cognition), France
Dr. Susan M. Knight, Festival 500 (Founder & Artistic Director Emeritus), Canada
Ms. Theresa A. Leonard, The Banff Centre (Music and Sound), Canada
Dr. Pauline Laurrouy-Maestri, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
Dr. Psyche Loui, Harvard University Medical School (Neuroscience), United States
Dr. Karen Ludke, Edgehill University, Ormskirk, UK
Dr. Brian J. MacWhinney, Carnegie-Mellon University (Psychology), United States
Dr. Esther Ho Shun Mang, Hong Kong Baptist University (Music Education), China
Dr. Alda Oliviera, Federal University of Bahia, (Music), Brazil
Dr. Richard Parncutt, University of Graz (Musicology), Austria
Dr. Leslie S. Phillmore, Dalhousie University (Psychology), Canada
Dr. Janice Richman-Eisenstat, University of Edmonton (Faculty of Medicine), Canada
Dr. Gottfried Schlaug, Harvard University (Neurology), United States
Dr. Sid-Ahmed Selouani, Université de Moncton (Gestion de l'information), Canada
Dr. Daniele Schön, Institut de neurosciences des systems, Marseille (Neurophysiologie), France
Dr. Melanie Soderstrom, University of Manitoba, Psychology, Canada
Dr. Sung-Ha Shin-Bouey, University of Prince Edward Island (Music), Canada
Dr. Mira Sundara Rajan, University of British Columbia (Law), Canada
Dr. Johan E. F. Sundberg, Royal Institute of Technology (Speech, Music and Hearing), Sweden
Dr. Sten Ternström, Royal Institute of Technology (Music Acoustics), Sweden
Dr. Caroline Van Niekerk, Pretoria University (Music Education), South Africa
Ms. Coralie Vincent, Laboratoire Structures Formelles du Langage (CNRS), France
Dr. Jiaxing Xie, China Conservatory (Music), China

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AIRS POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW
Dr. Bing-Yi Pan, University of Prince Edward Island (Psychology), Canada
PARTNERS
Apple (Edward Smith), Nova Scotia, Canada
Alzheimer’s Society of Prince Edward Island (Corrine Hendricken-Eldershaw), Prince Edward Island,
Canada
Confederation Centre of the Arts (Dean Constable), Prince Edward Island, Canada
Culture PEI (Mark Sandiford), Prince Edward Island, Canada
East Coast Music Association (Andy McLean), Prince Edward Island, Canada
Music PEI (Rob Oakie), Prince Edward Island, Canada
Veterans Affairs Canada (Dr. David Pedlar), Prince Edward Island, Canada
Young at Heart Musical Theatre for Seniors (Catherine O’Brien), Prince Edward Island, Canada
ADVISORY BOARD
Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, University of Toronto (Music), Canada
Dr. Philip Smith, University of Prince Edward Island (Psychology), Canada
Dr. Catherine J. Stevens, University of West Sydney (Psychology), Australia
STAFF
Ross Dwyer, Administrative Assistant
Tom Germaine, IT Co-ordinator
Jessica McKellar, Part-time Student Assistant

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DIRECTOR’S WELCOME
It is a great pleasure to welcome you to the 6th Annual Meeting of the AIRS MCRI - Advancing
Interdisciplinary Research in Singing Major Collaborative Research Initiative - held this year at
Vanderbilt University, in Nashville—the Music City-- preceding the Biennial meeting of the Society for
Music Perception and Cognition. We have much progress to celebrate and much to accomplish in our
intensive program from July 31st to August 1st, 2015. Our gathering of experts, students, partners and
new friends represents the co-operation and hard work of many individuals. It all began with the
collaborators who contributed to a winning proposal to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council (SSHRC) MCRI Program in 2008. We are grateful to SSHRC which has enabled our enormous
advances since the start of the grant, April 1, 2009. It is hard to imagine that the final year of our 7-year
research period is upon us, when at this point we still have much to learn, but also much knowledge to
share and translate to the society at large.
Seven years ago we dreamed of together advancing interdisciplinary research in singing. This dream
became reality as shown by the accomplishments of each of the three major research teams for
Development, Education and Well-being, and their respective sub-themes. AIRS has broken new
ground in understanding how we learn to sing, how we can teach singing and teach through singing,
and how we can improve lives of individuals and societies. This year has extended these advances.
Highlights include:





A special issue of the journal Musicae Scientiae on the AIRS Test Battery of Singing Skills,
introducing the test battery, and representing results from participants born in Brazil, Canada,
China, Estonia, and USA.
Replicating the finding that learning songs of a minority culture by children of a majority
culture reduces prejudice of the children of the majority, and in addition showing the effect is
sustained for at least 2 years
The quadcultural song project moving into its second phase in Brazil, Canada, China, and
Kenya
A new prototype for the AIRS digital library which is accessible to AIRS members for ingestion
of information with user-defined permissions

We gather now to share new knowledge and benefit from the knowledge of each member of our
collaboration. It is both our strength and challenge to work across disciplines and cultures to develop
comprehensive theories relevant to both basic and applied research. As we work hard and play hard
together, we will reflect on how we have advanced toward our milestones, broadened our viewpoints,
and deepened our insights into both the significance of singing and the issues surrounding it. Attendees
at the Annual Meeting hail from many Canadian provinces, and from 6 other countries, (China, Great
Britain, France, Germany, Kenya, and United States) with representation also of India and Brazil from
members who originated from and retain ties with those countries.
AIRS provided travel awards to a number of students and early career researchers. Time has been
scheduled for the group to meet, have fun, discuss among themselves, and share their ideas with the
entire meeting.
Special recognition is directed to the AIRS Steering Committee: Frank Russo (Theme 1- Development),
Helga Gudmundsdottir (Theme 2 – Education), and Rachel Heydon (Theme 3 – Well-Being) for their
tireless efforts in monthly meetings, developing policy and steering the course of AIRS so as to enable
the progress. The Sub-theme leaders and co-leaders also deserve praise for the advances each has made
with their group, including involving student researchers in accomplishing the milestones. AIRS
benefits greatly from participation of the Research Team leaders and co-leaders in the Policy and

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Planning Committee which represents all facets of the project. A full meeting of this Committee
precedes the AIRS Annual Meeting and will help to set the course for the remaining months of the grant
and in looking forward. We are grateful for the assistance of the AIRS Advisory Board: Dr. Philip
Smith, Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, and Dr. Kate Stevens and appreciate their continuing dedication.
Throughout the meeting, opportunities to sing will remind us of the wonders of the singing voice. The
first six-plus years of AIRS laid the foundation of our collaboration and our methods so as to begin to
unravel mysteries of the singing voice. AIRS is now well positioned to define singing from a broad
cultural and developmental standpoint, to determine the extent to which every human being can or
cannot develop the singing voice, and to obtain evidence showing the benefits of singing for education,
intercultural understanding, intergenerational understanding, and other aspects of physical and mental
well-being.
A strong home base is needed for success, and the support of Dr. Robert Gilmour, Vice President of
Research at UPEI and Leslie Cudmore, grants officer of UPEI Research Services, is gratefully
acknowledged. The home team at UPEI, from Psychology, Music, Education, Island Studies, Sociology
and Anthropology and the Library provide a foundation, which continues to grow. Gratitude is also
expressed to the partners sharing responsibility in the support of this project, honoring formal letters of
support for AIRS in 2008. The outstanding and immeasurable help of Ross Dwyer (AIRS
Administrative Assistant) is much appreciated. Dr. Karen Ludke, in a short-term postdoctoral position
provided outstanding work on the digital library initiative and Tom Germaine, the AIRS IT Coordinator has provided exemplary general support as well as ongoing support for the new digital library
initiatives. Dr. Bing-Yi Pan over the last years has been an enormous asset in supporting every theme of
the project.
Gratitude is expressed to Dr. Reyna Gordon of Vanderbilt University for serving as a liaison between
the Society for Music Perception and Cognition and the AIRS meeting. Erin Bernardo,
Communications Officer of the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center assisted greatly in the planning of the
meeting details. We greatly appreciate the support of Dr. Roland Eavey, Director of the Vanderbilt Bill
Wilkerson Center for graciously providing facilities of the Center and sharing the expertise of the
researchers and practitioners in the voice sciences. In this regard, we acknowledge specifically Dr.
David Francis and Jenny Muckala of the Bill Wilkerson Center for their presentation on and tour of the
Voice Center.
I thank each of the many players in the AIRS project for your contributions to the AIRS research. I wish
you a most inspirational, communicative, and creative AIRS 6th Annual Meeting, as together, we set the
course for the completion of our work over the final year of the project, fulfilling the aim of benefiting
society through research in singing.

Annabel J. Cohen, Ph. D., ARCT
Director and Principal Investigator
AIRS SSHRC MCRI

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AIRS 6th Annual Meeting and Technical Program Schedule
Thursday, July 30
(Pre-Conference)
Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center
South Tower, Classroom 4
9:00 am – 3:00 pm

AIRS 3.1 Workshop:

International Research Project on Singing and Cultural Understanding:
Children in Brazil, Canada, China, & Kenya
Led by Lily Chen-Hafteck with participation by AIRS researchers from Brazil, Canada,
China. Other students, AIRS co-investigators, or others interested in research that aims to
show the value of singing in promoting cultural understanding are most welcome to
attend. There will be one break for lunch (provided). Please contact Dr. Chen-Hafteck
lhafteck@ucla.edu for further information regarding content, or Ross Dwyer
rdwyer@upei.ca for practical information.
8.30
9:00
9:15

Coffee (University Residence) – Every one meet in the lobby before 9 am
Walk to the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center
Introduction and Welcome – Team and a song from each country
Overview of AIRS & Subtheme 3.1 Cultural Understanding – Lily Chen-Hafteck

9:45

Update on each country: Quantitative Focus -Jennifer Sullivan
Qualitative Focus – Measuring levels of cultural understanding Lily Chen-Hafteck
NUTRITION BREAK
Discussion of new protocol
 Further plans
 Improving methodology – Open Discussion and Action Items
 Toward 2nd Data Collection in 4 countries
o What remains the same
 What is new
o AIRS Test Battery of Singing Skills
o Videoconference across countries
LUNCH
 Unique issues and affordances in each country:
 Knowledge and respect of one’s culture
o Brazil
o China
o Canada
o Kenya
 Possible extensions to other countries for Phase 3 (class
differences)
Synthesis of the day’s activities and action items
End of Workshop

11:00
11:15

12:00
1:30

2:30
3:00

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AIRS 6th Annual Meeting Thursday, July 30, 2015

5:45

For all Students and Early Career Researchers (SECR)–
Student & all Early Career Researchers Pizza dinner
Location to be announced – Meet at the Scarritt Bennett Center (Laskey Building –
where you checked in) Lobby at 5:45pm

Evening –
Dinner on your own for all AIRS Co-Investigators and Collaborators
but the Policy and Planning Committee (see next page)

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AIRS 6th Annual Meeting, Thursday, July 30 (cont'd)

AIRS Policy and Planning Committee Meeting
Meet in the Laskey Building Lobby (where you checked in) at 5:15 pm to walk over to the
meeting room at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Policy & Planning Committee dinner
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Policy & Planning Committee meeting
Location: South Tower Classroom 4 Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center
Attendees (some by teleconference/videoconference):
Theme leaders, sub-theme leaders, committee chairs, advisory board and director and senior
executive
Advisory Board
*Hilary Apfelstadt, AIRS Advisory Board
Philip Smith, AIRS Advisory Board (via teleconference
*Kate Stevens, AIRS Advisory Board (via teleconference
AIRS Policy and Planning Committee
Pauline Larrouy-Maestri representing Christine Tsang, Co-leader 1.1
*Laurel Trainor, Co-leader 1.1
Frank Russo, Co-leader 1.2 and Theme 1 Leader (Steering Committee)
Sandra Trehub Co-leader 1.2
Annabel Cohen, leader 1.3 and Director (Steering Committee)
Helga Gudmundsdottir 2.1 Leader and Theme 2 Leader (Steering Committee)
Darryl Edwards, Co-Leader 2.2
Carol Beynon, Co-leader 2.2
Jenny Sullivan Co-leader 2.3
Rachel Heydon* represented Lori McKee 3 Leader (Steering Committee)
Lily Chen-Hafteck Co-leader 3.1
*Godfrey Baldacchino, Co-leader 3.1
Laurel Young, Leader 3.3
Karen Ludke, facilitator Digital Library
*Ichiro Fujinaga, Co-leader Digital Library
*George Tzanetakis, Co-leader Digital Library
*Arla Good, Student and Early Career Researchers (will be with SECR)
Beatriz Ilari Global Group (video conference) Representing Mayumi Adachi
Marta McCarthy and Eric Favaro Partners
Ross Dwyer, Administrative Project Manager (Finance) ex officio
*not attending Annual Meeting and Policy and Planning Committee Meeting

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AIRS 6th Annual Meeting
Friday, July 31, 2015,
Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, South Tower Room 8380 A/B
8:30 – 9:00
9:00 – 9:25

Registration/Breakfast pick up programme materials and name tags
Welcome
Annabel Cohen – AIRS Director
Sing together - Darryl Edwards
AIRS Advisory Board Greeting: Philip Smith, Kate Stevens
Partners: Marta McCarthy - Choral Canada
Eric Favaro – Coalition for Music Education

9:25 – 9:30

AIRS Overview – Singing Research: Data, Theory and Application
Orientation Annabel Cohen (5 minutes))
9:30 Wellbeing: Theme 3 Leader – Rachel Heydon (3 minutes)
3.1, 3.2, 3.3 (sub-theme leaders – 3 minutes each total 9 minutes)
3.1 Lily Chen-Hafteck (3 min)
3.2 Lori McKee [Rachel Heydon] (3 min)
3.3 Laurel Young (3 min)
Discussion – (7 min)
9:50 Education: Theme 2 Leader - Helga Gudmundsdottir – (3 minutes)
2.1, 2.2, 2.3 (sub-theme leaders –3 minutes each total 9 minutes)
2.1 Helga Gudmundsdottir (2 min)
2.2 Darryl Edwards (3 min)
2.3 Jennifer Sullivan (3 min)
Discussion – (7 min)
10:10 Development: Theme 1 Leader - Frank Russo – (3 minutes)
1.1, 1.2, 1.3 (presented by sub-theme leaders 5 minutes each, total 9 min)
1.1 Christine Tsang (3 min)
1.2 Sandra Trehub (3 min)
1.3 Annabel Cohen (3 min)
Discussion (7 min)
10:30 Discussion - the broad picture – What do we want/need to know and do?
From data and theory to application
From the field to the study and laboratory

10:40 – 11:00

Coffee break

11:00 Welcome from Rena Gordon, Vanderbilt University & Co-Convenor of the Annual
Meeting of the Society for Music Perception and Cognition (SMPC)
11:05 Bill Wilkerson Voice Center
Presentation: Dr. David Francis
11:30
Voice Center Tour: Jenny Muckala and Dr. Francis

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12:00 Digital Library – brief update –Karen Ludke
12:10 Student-Early Career Researcher – Arla Good
12:15 Ethics, Statistics and Intellectual Property – Jenny Sullivan
12:20 Global Group – Beatriz Ilari (on behalf of Mayumi Adachi)
12:00 – 12:30 Plenary: Outcomes of the theme discussions. [Led by Theme Leaders]
12:30-1:30 Lunch – with Themes breakouts – Led by Sub-Theme Leaders
Separate discussion for Development, Education and Well-being Groups
Topic: How can research from your theme increase knowledge & benefit society?
Posters:
The role of musical vs tone-language experience on implicit choice of key for
singing a familiar song. Bing-Yi Pan & Annabel Cohen. University of Prince
Edward Island. Theme 1.3
Music, singing voice and language learning: Some suggestions of use in the
teaching of phonetics. Sandra Cornaz (Lansad, Univ. Grenoble Alpes
(Grenoble, France); Diane Caussade (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, GIPSA-Lab,
Grenoble, France). Theme 2.3
Enriching student experience through a university multicultural choir. Annabel
J. Cohen & Shannon Moore. University of Prince Edward Island. Theme 3.1
Differences in use of auditory feedback do not account for age-related
differences in children’s singing. Sara Beck, John Rieser, & Aysu Erdemir,
Vanderbilt University.
1:30 – 1:45

Break

1:45 – 2:00

Plenary reports of each theme to the entire group and brief discussion

2:00 – 4:45 AIRS Technical Session
2:00–2:20 Test-retest reliability and repeated attempts in singing accuracy measurement.
Bryan E. Nichols and Sijia Wang (University of Akron, Ohio, USA) Theme 1
2:20 – 2:40 Natural singing practices surrounding babies in their daily lives. Alissa Chitwood
& Beatriz Ilari (University of Southern California) Themes: 2.1 and 1
2:40 – 3:00 Childhood songs: Views and values in the Vietnamese American home. Tina
Huynh and Beatriz Ilari (University of Southern California). Themes: 2.1, 1 &
3.1
3:00-3:20

12

BREAK

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AIRS 6 Annual Conference Program Nashville, 2015

3:20-3:40 The impact of singing on language development in 4-year old children. Caitlin BridsonPateman, Petra Hauf, Annie Larouche, and Helene Deacon (St. Francis Xavier
University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia Canada, and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova
Scotia Theme 2.3
3:40-4:00 Alzheimer’s hand gestures and speech disorders in spoken and sung modalities. Diane
Caussade I(GIPSA-lab, CNRS & LIDILEM ); Fanny Gaubert (Centre de formation en
orthophonie, ISTR, Univ claude Bernard, Lyon, France); Maud Seriux (Centre de
formation en orthophonie, ISTR, Univ claude Bernard, Lyon, France; Nathalie
Henrich-Bernardoni (CNRS, Grenoble, France); Nathalie Vallee (CNRS, Grenoble,
France). Theme 3.3 and 1.
4:00-4:20 Antecedents to the career of singer-songwriter: Preliminary on-line survey results.
Christopher Robison & Annabel Cohen (University of Prince Edward Island). Theme
3.3 (2.1)
4:20- 4:40

Gesture, embodied cognition, and emotion: Comparing Hindustani vocal gharanas in
performance. Hans Utter – (Ohio State University) Theme 2.2 and 1.2

4:40 – 4:50 Update on the application of the AIRS Test Battery of Singing Skills for a person with
aphasia
Kathy Cammett and Jane Ginsborg – Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester,
UK
5:00 – 5:30 Vocal Master Class – Darryl Edwards
North Indian Music Master Class – Utpola Borah

5:30- 6:00

.
7:00 -8:30 Dinner Banquet at Blackstone Restaurant - 1918 West End Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 327 9969
8:30- 9:30

Celebration of Singing - A Cappella Concert of Attendees

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AIRS 6th Annual Meeting
Saturday, August 1
Workshops

All Sessions Bill Wilkerson Center South Tower Room 8380 A/B
8:00 – 9:00 Breakfast
8:30 – 9:30 1.3 AIRS TEST BATTERY WORKSHOP
Bing-Yi Pan and Annabel J. Cohen (UPEI) 3.1
All welcome; Researchers from the Quad-Cultural Understanding project are encouraged to
attend
9:30 – 10 :00 PITCH ANALYSIS WORKSHOP –PERSPECTIVES

Pauline Larrouy-Maestri (Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt,
Germany); Johanna Devaney (Ohio State University)
10:00 – 10:30 – TEACHING SINGING – ANALYSIS OF DATA FROM THE VOICE STUDIO - INFORMAL
DISCUSSION OF ISSUES
Darryl Edwards (University of Toronto)
10:30 – 10:50 NUTRITION BREAK (ATRIUM)
10:50 – 11:20 - AIRS DIGITAL LIBRARY
Karen Ludke, Edgehill University, Ormskirk, UK
(bring laptops if you would like to follow along and enter an example)
11:20 – 12:00 - PLENARY DISCUSSION AND FINAL REMARKS
THE AIRS ROUND

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ABSTRACTS
THEME 1 – DEVELOPMENT OF SINGING
SUB-THEME: 1.1 PERCEPTION AND PRODUCTION OF SINGING
Test-retest reliability and repeated attempts in singing accuracy measurement
Bryan E. Nichols (University of Akron, Ohio) bnichols@uakron.edu
Sijia Wang (University of Akron, Ohio) siwang@mix.wvu.edu
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability of singing accuracy using four
common singing tasks. A secondary purpose was to evaluate the singing accuracy of repeated attempts
at test items to determine whether performance improves across repeated attempts at identical items,
remains stable, or decreases. Test stimuli appropriate for elementary school students was duplicated
from a previous study using five attempts each at a single pitch, interval, and four-note pattern, plus one
attempt at song singing. Children aged 5-12 were given the singing accuracy test using pre-recorded
stimuli administered one-on-one by the researcher. Participants (N = 37) were audio-recorded. An
identical form of the test was administered again within 2-5 weeks. Pitch matching items were scored
by measuring the deviation in Hertz from the stimuli. The song singing item was scored by singing
teachers using an 8-point scale with acceptable inter-rater reliability (r > .90).
Analyses addressing the first question of test-retest reliability compared performance on each task
between the first and second assessment dates. For pitch matching tasks, there was no significant
difference between the administration of the first test and the second test, p > .05. For song singing,
performance on the second test date was significantly more accurate than the first test date, p = .023.
These results will be discussed in terms of test familiarity, testing habituation, time lapse between tests,
and learning effects.
Results for the second question of repeated attempts will be discussed in terms of individual and overall
performance. While there was not significant difference between the five attempts at each pitch
matching task (p > .05), results will be discussed in terms of score distribution and individual
variability.
Biography:
Bryan E. Nichols is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at The University of
Akron. Dr. Nichols has been published in the Journal of Music Teacher Education,
UPDATE, Contributions to Music Education, General Music Today, and the Choral
Journal. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Music Educators Journal and the
Editorial Board for Contributions to Music Education. His scholarly interests include
singing accuracy, where he has completed studies in task-based variability in
Kindergarten through 5th grade samples to explore development and assessment features.
Sijia Wang has degrees in music education from The University of Akron and is currently pursuing a
doctorate in piano pedagogy at West Virginia University.

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THEME 1 – DEVELOPMENT OF SINGING
SUB-THEME: 1.2 MULTIMODAL (AUDIO/VISUAL/MOTOR) ASPECTS SINGING

Gesture, Embodied Cognition, and Emotion: Comparing Hindustani Vocal Gharanas in
Performance
Hans Utter (hansutter@hotmail.com)
Abstract:
Introduction: Bilateral gesture in North Indian classical vocal music (khyal) has a complex
relationship with music structure and aesthetic intentions, and appears to augment emotional
expression and serve important pedagogical functions. Gesture has an important role in Indian
vocal training, especially in relation to processes of attention, cognition, and memory. In this
paper, I examine the multimodal interactions between voice production, emotional expression,
song text, and gesture through an audio/visual analysis of performers in three different vocal
traditions. I will examine distinctions between different vocal gharanas (schools) through both
gesture and related stylistic/aesthetic elements. The use the spatial visualization of sound based
on particular vowels in the dhrupad vocal genre will also be discussed as a possible influence
on movement.
Method: The methods employed consist of collecting ethnographic data through
interviews and audio/video recordings, participation in learning situations, and examining
Indian theoretical treatises on vocal music. The data is correlated with performance practices of
the gharanas to determine the relationships between aesthetics, vocal culture, and musical
structure.
Results: While the use of gesture is not formally taught and can be idiosyncratic,
performers from specific vocal gharanas exhibit some common practices. However, between
gharanas gestures tend to emphasize the dominant aesthetic features particular to that gharana,
and correlate with distinct musical elements.
Discussion: For North Indian classical vocal music, the system of oral transmission and
individualized training in a particular gharana is evident in gesture, which developed through
the process of enculturation. My evidence shows that gesture is a component of multi-modal
processes of learning and expression, which supports the hypothesis of the embodied nature
emotional-cognitive processes.
(connects also to 2.1)
Biography:
Hans Utter has worked as a Lecture and Adjunct Professor of Music at The Ohio State
University and Capital University. His research focuses on the traditional methods of teaching
and learning music in India, music perception and cognition, and the role of the government in
arts policy. Hans is an accomplished sitarist, and has performed widely throughout the world.
He has conducted extensive research in India and Central Asia, which has been published in
journals articles and book chapters. He is currently completing his second book. He holds an
M.A. and Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from The Ohio State University, and is currently an Ohio
Arts Council Artist in Residence in traditional music.

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AIRS 6 Annual Conference Program Nashville, 2015

THEME 1 – DEVELOPMENT OF SINGING
SUB-THEME: 1.3 AIRS TEST BATTERY OF SINGING SKILLS
The role of musical vs tone-language experience on implicit choice of key for singing a familiar
song
Bing-Yi Pan (University of Prince Edward Island) panbingyi@gmail.com
Dr. Annabel Cohen (University of Prince Edward Island) acohen@upei.ca
Abstract:
A component of the AIRS Test Battery of Singing Skills (ATBSS) indicates the singer’s implicitly
chosen key for singing a familiar song under different contexts (No, C-training, E♭, Poststory). 20
Canadian musicians, 20 Canadian nonmusicians, and 20 native Chinese non-musicians performed the
online ATBSS (English and Mandarin versions respectively). The pitch of the first tonic note of the 4
contexts was compared. Chinese non-musicians and Canadian nonmusicians performed equally but
differed from musicians in the No, E♭ and Post-story contexts (Mann-Whitney U, all p’s < .05).
Canadian nonmusicians differed from the musicians after the Ctraining context (p < .05).
Biographies:
Dr. Bing-Yi Pan joined AIRS in February 2011 and is participating in all three of the Research Streams, in particular
the AIRS Test Battery (1.3), the Analysis of the voice study (2.2.), and Intercultural understanding (3.1). His doctoral
background is in physics but he has also an education degree in music.
Annabel J. Cohen (Ph. D., M. A., Queen's; B.A. McGill) is the Director of the AIRS MCRI and also
leads the AIRS Test Battery of Singing Skills research sub-theme 1.3. She is the Editor of
Psychomusicology: Music, Mind & Brain and serves as consulting editor on several other journals, and
is a Co-editor of the book Psychology of Music in Multimedia (Oxford). She received her ARCT in
voice performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music – Toronto, and is a Fellow of the Canadian
Psychological Association. She was recently re-elected to the Council of the American Psychological
Association representing the Division on the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts.

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17

THEME 2 – SINGING AND EDUCATION
SUB-THEME: 2.1 LEARNING TO SING NATURALLY
Antecedents to the career of singer-songwriter: Preliminary on-line survey results
Christopher Robison (University of Prince Edward Island)
Dr. Annabel Cohen (University of Prince Edward Island) acohen@upei.ca
Abstract:
What are the antecedents of a calling to become a singer-songwriter? Interviews of 18 singer
songwriters from a small jurisdiction suggested a primary positive influence of early musical
experiences with family members followed secondarily by school, choir, and religious institutions
(Cohen & Speelman, 2013). With the aim of broadening this investigation, an online survey was crafted
for nation-wide distribution targeting professional and semi-professional singer-songwriters. Using the
web software Qualtrics, 59 closed and 10 open-ended questions were posed regarding geographical,
familial, peer, and institutional influences as well as education, music career, early musical memories,
and the importance of music in the individual’s life. Of particular interest was the variable of
geographic differences in small versus large jurisdictions. Based on preliminary data of 23 respondents,
early family musical experience played a positive role but was not as important as their ‘musical heroes’
or themselves. Teachers ranked lowest on the list of influences, even though most wrote about a
specific teacher of importance. The mean age of the first perceived calling to music was 15.2 years (SD
= 5.9) while the first performance was a mean age of 12.4 years (SD = 7.4) and their first song written
was a mean age of 15.1 years (SD = 6.5), placing adolescence as a critical time period for development
of the calling. Several contrasting case studies will be reviewed and additional preliminary quantitative
data will be reported.
Biographies:

Chris Robison graduated with a degree in criminology from Carleton University, and is taking
additional courses in Psychology at the University of Prince Edward Island given his strong interest in
music psychology. He also plays guitar in the North Lakes, an award winning band in PEI, and is a
songwriter.
Annabel J. Cohen (Ph. D., M. A., Queen's; B.A. McGill) is the Director of the AIRS MCRI and also
leads the AIRS Test Battery of Singing Skills research sub-theme 1.3. She is the Editor of
Psychomusicology: Music, Mind & Brain and serves as consulting editor on several other journals, and
is a Co-editor of the book Psychology of Music in Multimedia (Oxford). She received her ARCT in
voice performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music – Toronto, and is a Fellow of the Canadian
Psychological Association. She was recently re-elected to the Council of the American Psychological
Association representing the Division on the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts.

18

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AIRS 6 Annual Conference Program Nashville, 2015

THEME 2 – SINGING AND EDUCATION
SUB-THEME: 2.1 LEARNING TO SING NATURALLY
Natural singing practices surrounding babies in their daily lives
Alissa Chitwood, (University of Southern California) achitwoo@usc.edu
Beatriz Ilari, (University of Southern California) ilari@usc.edu
Abstract:
The home is one of the major spaces of music learning in infancy and toddlerhood (Young, 2012).
Parents, sibling and other family members are said to play important roles in the musical lives of babies
(Trehub & Schellenberg, 1995). Previous research suggests that there is a fair amount of singing taking
place in homes with infants and toddlers (Custodero, 2005; Ilari, 2005; Mehr, 2014; Young, 2008), yet
little documentation of such practices exist. The purpose of this ongoing study is to examine singing
practices with infants aged 6 months to 2 years in a naturalistic setting, that is, the home environment.
In order to collect data, participants are being recruited through convenience sampling and parents are
being asked to have their child wear a small wireless recording device during a typical day, for the
duration of the day. Following the recording, parents are asked to complete a short questionnaire on
music practices and demographic information. As data is being collected, audio recordings are being
transferred into a computer where musical sounds will be extracted and analyzed by means of a
computer script. Data will be further analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression. As
the present study is ongoing, for the presentation current progress will be shared and some of the
findings based on preliminary data will be reported.
Biographies:
Alissa Chitwood is a doctoral music student, studying music education at the University of Southern
California in the Thornton School of Music. Mrs. Chitwood received her Master of Music, Music
Education degree from the University of Southern California in 2014 and her Bachelor of Arts, Music
Education and Mathematics degrees from the California State University, Fresno in 2007. A
credentialed music teacher, Mrs. Chitwood has taught grades kindergarten through high school.
Presently Mrs. Chitwood runs Chitwood Music, a music program for preschoolers, where she teaches
weekly group music lessons to children four and under. Mrs. Chitwood is a member of the National
Association for Music Education, the International Society for Music Education, the California State
Music Educator's Association, the College Music Society, Pi Kappa Lambda Honor Society, and a life
member of Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority.
Beatriz Ilari is Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Southern California (USC),
in Los Angeles, where she teaches graduate courses in music teaching and learning. She holds degrees
from the University of São Paulo, Brazil (B.A.), Montclair State University, USA (M.A. - violin) and
McGill University, Canada (PhD). Dr. Ilari uses several different approaches to study musical
development and growth of infants, children and adolescents. She has conducted research with babies
and children in different parts of the world including the US, Brazil, Canada, Japan, and Mexico. Her
research appears in many important journals including Arts Education Policy Review, Journal of
Research in Music Education, International Journal of Music Education, Update, and Early Child
Development and Care, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, and Frontiers in Human Neurosciences,
among others. The former editor for the International Journal of Music Education, she is currently the
editor for Perspectives: Journal of the Early Childhood Music & Movement Association. Dr. Ilari is also
a research fellow at USC's Brain & Creativity Institute.

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19

THEME 2 – SINGING AND EDUCATION
SUB-THEME: 2.1 LEARNING TO SING NATURALLY
Childhood Songs: Views and Values in the Vietnamese American Home
Tina Huynh (University of Southern California) tinaahuynh@gmail.com
Beatriz Ilari (University of Southern California) ilari@usc.edu
Abstract:
The views and values of Vietnamese American parents on early childhood songs of Vietnam are largely
undocumented and were the object of study of a final master's degree research project. The purpose of
this study was threefold: (1) to explore the attitudes of first generation Vietnamese American parents
regarding teaching Vietnamese songs in early childhood; (2) to inquire upon the level of interest of
these parents in passing on their Vietnamese cultural roots through children’s songs; and (3), to make a
record of Vietnamese children’s songs that are currently being sung to young children. Twenty parent
participants residing in Orange County, California consisting of at least one Vietnamese American
parent with young children aged 1 month to 3 years took part in the study. Data were collected through
20 questionnaires and 5 interviews consisting of open-ended questions and voice recordings of the
songs the parents sang with their children. Results suggested that the Vietnamese American parent
participants strongly valued their Vietnamese identity and desired to pass on Vietnamese culture
through songs and language to their children, although limited musical resources and memory of songs
posed a challenge for some parents. This insight could aid music educators toward teaching in a more
culturally responsive manner, and inform cultural activists who may wish to preserve early childhood
Vietnamese songs.
Biographies:
Ms. Tina Huynh is an active musician in the Southern California area. She has 15 years of experience
teaching a wide variety of music to all age levels in both vocal and instrumental music in public,
private, community, and studio settings. Ms. Huynh has held first and second chair positions in
orchestras, played in chamber groups and has performed in films, studio recordings, musical theater,
live and TV broadcast settings and DVD releases including the culturally notable Vietnamese variety
show ""Asia"", and was featured as a soloist with the Vietnamese American Philharmonic. Her
performances as a flutist and conductor of the Vietnamese American Philharmonic Youth Group have
been broadcast internationally on Vietnamese TV, radio, and newspapers. Ms. Huynh holds degrees
from California State University, Long Beach with a B.M. in Music Education, B.S. in French, and CA
Teaching Credential, is Kodaly Certified, and M.M. at the University of Southern California, and is
currently attaining a doctor of musical arts D.M.A. degree at USC."
Beatriz Ilari is Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Southern California (USC),
in Los Angeles, where she teaches graduate courses in music teaching and learning. She holds degrees
from the University of São Paulo, Brazil (B.A.), Montclair State University, USA (M.A. - violin) and
McGill University, Canada (PhD). Dr. Ilari uses several different approaches to study musical
development and growth of infants, children and adolescents. She has conducted research with babies
and children in different parts of the world including the US, Brazil, Canada, Japan, and Mexico. Her
research appears in many important journals including Arts Education Policy Review, Journal of
Research in Music Education, International Journal of Music Education, Update, and Early Child
Development and Care, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, and Frontiers in Human Neurosciences,
among others. The former editor for the International Journal of Music Education, she is currently the
editor for Perspectives: Journal of the Early Childhood Music & Movement Association. Dr. Ilari is also
a research fellow at USC's Brain & Creativity Institute.

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AIRS 6 Annual Conference Program Nashville, 2015

THEME 2 – SINGING AND EDUCATION
SUB-THEME: 2.2 FORMAL TEACHING OF SINGING
Master Class: North Indian (Hindustani) Classical Vocal Training
Uptola Borah (The Ohio State University) uptola@gmail.com
Workshop Abstract:
This workshop will demonstrate basic vocal technique, development of voice culture, and exercises for
North Indian classical and light classical music. The importance of correct posture and breathing will be
explained, as well as methods for achieving proper intonation. This workshop is accessible to vocalists
of all styles and experience levels. This workshop will demonstrate basic vocal technique, development
of voice culture, and exercises for North Indian classical and light classical music. The importance of
correct posture and breathing will be explained, as well as methods for achieving proper intonation.
This workshop is accessible to vocalists of all styles and experience levels.
Biography:
Utpola Borah is an award-winning vocalist specializing in North Indian classical music, devotional
songs, and the regional folk songs of India. She has studied extensively with several of India's most
accomplished musicians. Since her childhood, she has performed as a government-certified artist on All
India Radio and on national television. She holds a Ph.D. in music from Delhi University, and has been
recognized as one of the leading scholars of music and dance of Assam. Currently she is working as a
performer and educator, and a post-doctoral research fellow at the "Advancing Interdisciplinary
Research in Singing" project at the University of Prince Edward Island, Canada.

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21

THEME 2 – SINGING AND EDUCATION
SUB-THEME: 2.3 TEACHING THROUGH SINGING
Music, singing voice and language learning: Some suggestions of use in the teaching of phonetics
Diane Caussade (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, GIPSA-Lab, Grenoble, France). Dianne.Cassaude@gipsa-lab.fr
Sandra Cornaz (Lansad, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France) scornaz@gmail.com
Abstract: The close functional (Patel, 2003; Peretz et coll., 2011), structural (Arleo, 2006; Szendy,
2009), phylogenic (Brown, 2000; Mithen, 2005) and ontogenic (Brandt et coll., 2012; Cross, 2013)
links between music and language have been studied by many disciplines. Some researches have shown
the effects of music and singing on language acquisition, notably for phonetic integration (Schön et
coll., 2008; Cornaz, 2014). Music may reinforce speech signal processing through a probable improved
sensing of acoustic cues. Also, in spite of a number of differences, so much is shared indeed between
singing-voice and speech, for instance in speech acoustics and voice-production physiology (Henrich,
2011) that the relevance of a sung approach is accounted for. Using music and singing in the teaching of
native and foreign languages has proved a considerable asset, explaining the increasing attention borne
to singing in class (Peretz & Kolinsky, 2009). In the case of second language (L2) French, course book
authors tend to include that approach more frequently to enhance grammar, civilisation, lexicon... (for
exemple: J’apprends le français en chantant, Deblende & Heuze, 1992 ; Fluo, Meyer-Dreux et coll.,
2003; Chante et découvre le français, Vorger et coll., 2009). Nevertheless, having recourse to singing as
a phonetic enhancer remains exceptional in foreign language courses. As progressively demonstrated in
field experiments and reported in the scientific literature, singing could be most useful in the
remediation of proprioceptive, auditory and articulatory difficulties of the learners, as well as provide
beneficial effects on memory, motivation and class atmosphere. Further examples of approaches on
improving the phonetic competence from books on singing and on speech therapy are reviewed. A set
of useful singing-voice exercises from diverse disciplines, focusing on segmental integration, such as
the visual rendering of voice mechanisms, the vocalization of sounds, the perception and proprioception
of phoneme accuracy and the example of a dedicated “nursery rhyme” as teaching material is included.
Sandra Cornaz is a French and Italian PhD in sciences of language and linguistics. Her research deals with
Singing-Voice and the Acquisition of Phonetics in the learning of French as a Foreign Language. She
initiated and coordinated the RJCP symposium in 2011 and contributed to CEDIL 2010 and JEP 2012 among
other academic conferences. She has been responsible for courses in infant language development, phonetics
and general linguistics at the University of Grenoble. She is also a teacher of French as a Second/Foreign
Language since 2003 and has worked in Botswana, China, Germany, Italy and France. To enhance speech
perception and production, she uses French songs and the singing-voice. Sandra Cornaz is a member of
INNOVA-Langues, an international project which aims at developing some original tools for the L2 teaching
and learning. She regularly gives courses to foreign language teachers on using the singing-voice. She has
belonged to amateur choirs She also studied classical singing.
Diane Caussade is a PhD student in Sciences of languages. She worked as a teacher of French as a
Second/Foreign Language and as a musician and as a music teacher in many countries. She studied
musicology at the University of Strasbourg and music (singing and violin), at the Conservatory of
Strasbourg. She is also a member of Jeunesses Musicales International and intervenes as a musician in
schools, hospitals and social environments within the organization Ballade which aim is to create links
between populations trough ethno musics. Her PhD work concerns the study of gestures-hands
coordination/synchronization in the Alzheimer’s disease in speech and singing in collaboration with
laboratories GIPSA-lab (CNRS), LIDILEM (Stendhal University), the CMRR (teaching hospital of la
Tronche) and the LPNC (CNRS), supported by the SFR Foundation and the Cognition Pole.

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AIRS 6 Annual Conference Program Nashville, 2015

THEME 2 – SINGING AND EDUCATION
SUB-THEME: 2.3 TEACHING THROUGH SINGING
The impact of singing on language development in 4-year old children
Caitlin Bridson-Pateman (Department of Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University) x2011ubu@stfx.ca
Dr. Petra Hauf (Department of Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University) phauf@stfx.ca
Annie Larouche (Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University)
Dr. S. Hélène Deacon (Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University)
Abstract: Introduction: Singing with young children has been linked to increased vocabulary and
phonological awareness. At the same time, children’s supra-segmental phonological awareness appears
to be related to strong reading development. There is an intuitive connection between singing and
supra-segmental phonological awareness, both of which involve pitch and prosodic related information.
We developed a study to connect these two literatures, by investigating the effects of a singing
intervention on young children’s supra-segmental and segmental phonological awareness.
Methods: Our intervention involved two groups of four-year-old children, each receiving
training three times a week for approximately 10 weeks (total of 30 training sessions). The first group
received singing training in production and perception, such as joint singing and dancing, as well as
rhythmic movements, such as clapping. The control group received physical training in fine and gross
motor activities, such as balancing, strength, coordination, and relaxation. Both prior to and after the
training, we evaluated the children’s vocabulary, non-verbal ability, memory, letter recognition, both
segmental and supra-segmental phonological awareness, as well as audio-visual attention (through eyetracking).
Results: Pre-test data and training is now complete for 11 participants. We will present results
on a total of 18 participants. It is hypothesized that singing training will increase children’s suprasegmental and segmental phonological awareness, as well as vocabulary and letter recognition skills.
Discussion: The results of this research are likely to inform the importance of singing in typical child
development, as well as in therapy for children with speech impairments.
Biographies:
Caitlin Bridson-Pateman is a recent graduate of St. Francis Xavier University with a Bachelor of Arts
with First Class Honours in Psychology. She is currently working as a lab manager in the Infant Action
and Cognition Lab at St. FX. Caitlin has been able to present this research at various stages of
development. She presented in Toronto last year at the AIRS student workshop, the 2015 St. FX Student
Research Day, The 2015 Nova Scotia Developmental Psychology Conference held at Acadia
University, the 2015 Atlantic Conference on Reading and Language Acquisition held at Dalhousie
University, and the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading Conference held on the Big Island,
Hawaii.
Dr. Petra Hauf has a Doctoral degree from the University of Frankfurt, and previously worked as a
Senior Research Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in
Germany. Since 2006 she is a Psychology Professor at St. Francis Xavier University and a Canada
Research Chair in Cognitive Development. One line of her research focuses on infant motor and
cognitive development, especially on the development of action and emotion understanding.
Furthermore she is interested in how young infants process infant-directed singing and speaking.
Dr. S. Hélène Deacon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Dalhousie
University. Her research examines reading and spelling development across a range of learning
contexts.

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23

THEME 3 – SINGING AND WELL-BEING
SUB-THEME: 3.1 SINGING AND CROSS-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
Enriching student experience through a university multicultural choir and song circle
Dr. Annabel Cohen (University of Prince Edward Island) acohen@upei.ca
Shannon Moore (University of Prince Edward Island)
Abstract:
Recent research suggests that choral singing can increase well-being. Following Sousa, Neto and
Muller's (2005) evidence of prejudice reduction in children who learned songs of a minority culture, the
present study examined the hypothesis that a university-based multicultural choir can enhance wellbeing of students by affording common ground for friendships and cultural appreciation. The
organization of the choir provided scaffolding for members to lead their "own" songs. A quasi-circular
arrangement of singers symbolized the equality and significance of each member. Over one semester,
repertoire generated by choir members included songs from 9 countries in 10 languages or dialects. A
brief questionnaire upon joining the choir indicated the primary goal of having fun. After 10 weekly
one-hour rehearsals, a second, extended on-line questionnaire indicated provided evidence of both
hedonic and eudaemonic well-being, supporting the hypothesis. Though no evidence of prejudice
among choral members was sought or observed, it is known that international students have challenges
in finding common ground with students from elsewhere. The results of the questionnaires coupled with
analyses of videotaped rehearsals suggest that a campus multicultural choir can offer enriched
meaningful common ground for students of both minority and majority cultures.
Biographies:
Shannon Moore received her B.A in Psychology from the University of Prince Edward
Island where she is currently completing her Bachelor of Education in International
Education. Shannon has worked as a part-time research assistant for the AIRS lab and
last year supported the AIRS multicultural choir.

Annabel J. Cohen (Ph. D., M. A., Queen's; B.A. McGill) is the Director of the AIRS
MCRI and also leads the AIRS Test Battery of Singing Skills research sub-theme 1.3.
She is the Editor of Psychomusicology: Music, Mind & Brain and serves as consulting
editor on several other journals, and is a Co-editor of the book Psychology of Music in
Multimedia (Oxford). She received her ARCT in voice performance from the Royal
Conservatory of Music – Toronto, and is a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association. She was
recently re-elected to the Council of the American Psychological Association representing the Division
on the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts.

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AIRS 6 Annual Conference Program Nashville, 2015

THEME 3 – SINGING AND WELL-BEING
SUB-THEME: 3.3 HEALTH BENEFITS OF SINGING
Alzheimer's hand gestures and speech disorders in spoken and sung modalities
Diane Caussade (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, GIPSA-Lab, F-38000 Grenoble, France / CNRS, GIPSA-Lab,
F-38000 Grenoble, France / LIDILEM, Univ. Grenoble 3, Saint Martin d’Hères, France)
Dianne.Cassaude@gipsa-lab.fr
Fanny Gaubert (Centre de formation en orthophonie, ISTR, Univ. Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon,
France) fanny-nathalie.gaubert@orange.fr
Maud Seriux (Centre de formation en orthophonie, ISTR, Univ. Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France)
maud.serieux@gmail.com
Nathalie Henrich-Bernardoni (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, GIPSA-Lab, F-38000 Grenoble, France /
CNRS, GIPSA-Lab, F-38000 Grenoble, France) nathalie.henrich@gipsa-lab.grenoble-inp.fr
Nathalie Vallee (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, GIPSA-Lab, F-38000 Grenoble, France / CNRS, GIPSA-Lab,
F-38000 Grenoble, France) nathalie.vallee@gipsa-lab.grenoble-inp.fr
Jean-Marc Colletta (LIDILEM, Univ. Grenoble 3, Saint Martin d’Hères, France) jeanmarc.colletta@u-grenoble3.fr
Abstract:
In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), studies on bimodal language production like that of Carlomagno et al.
(2005) do not treat aspects of speech and hand gestures in a concomitant way. We propose an original
protocol to evaluate the correlation between hand gestures and articulatory gestures in speech and
singing of 4 persons diagnosed with AD by our hospital partner and paired with 4 control participants.
Participants were asked to repeat 8 nursery rhymes created for this protocol: 4 nursery rhymes were
spoken while the other 4 were sung. In each sung or spoken modality, 2 nursery rhymes were completed
with four iconic and two deictic hand gestures. The protocol was completed with several clinical tests.
Speech apraxia was evaluated by means of the MT86 clinical protocol (Joanette et al., 1998) and
manual praxis by the Mahieux’s battery (Mahieux-Laurent et al., 2009). The MBLF software was
adapted to test the bucco-linguo-facial motor skills (Gatignol& Lannadère, 2011). Each participant was
recorded at home using a camcorder and a lapel microphone. The speech productions were annotated
and analyzed via Praat©, and the hand gestures via ELAN©. We did not evidence any manual or speech
apraxia in our patient population. However, significant differences were observed on productions of
hand gestures and speech between the patients and the control participants. Regarding patients, the
movement, configuration and orientation of hand gestures were slightly altered. This alteration seemed
to depend on the gesture value but not on the modality (speech or singing). The requirement to produce
specific hand gestures affected speech production: patients produced more errors with connected hand
gestures. Speech productions were influenced at different degrees by spoken and sung modalities.
Patients made more errors in singing, and the more with connected hand gestures, showing a double
task effect likely due to an attention deficiency typical of AD (Siéroff & Piquard, 2004).
Biographies:
Diane Caussade is a PhD student in Sciences of languages since 2013. She worked as a teacher of
French as a Second/Foreign Language and intervened as a musician and as a music teacher in many
countries (Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, France, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Romania,
Turkey, …) since 2007. She studied musicology at the University of Strasbourg and music, in particular
singing and violin, at the Conservatory of Strasbourg. She is also a member of Jeunesses Musicales
International (International Musical Youth) and intervenes as a musician in schools, hospitals and social

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environments within the organization Ballade which aim is to create links between populations trough
ethno musics. Her PhD work concerns the study of gestures-hands coordination/synchronization in the
Alzheimer’s disease in speech and singing in collaboration with laboratories GIPSA-lab (CNRS),
LIDILEM (Stendhal University), the CMRR (teaching hospital of la Tronche) and the LPNC (CNRS),
supported by the SFR Foundation and the Cognition Pole.
Fanny Gaubert is a Speech Therapy student at the Univ. Claude Bernard Lyon.
Maud Serieux is a Speech Therapy student at the Univ. Claude Bernard Lyon.
Nathalie Henrich-Bernardoni is a research Fellow at CNRS. Nathalie graduated from Ecole Normale
Supérieure in fundamental Physics, Professor in physics, MA-level degree in fundamental physics, PhD
in acoustics of music
Nathalie Vallee is a research fellow at CNRS.
Jean-Marc Colletta is a professor at Univ. Grenoble .

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AIRS 6 Annual Conference Program Nashville, 2015

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