Introduction

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Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing: AIRS
Singing, like speaking, is a natural human expressive ability. Yet, in comparison to speaking, less scholarly inquiry has been directed to it. Linked to social, cultural, and biological development, singing draws on many disciplines and submits to many forms of analysis and specific explorations. Recognizing a need for a comprehensive framework for such investigations, an international collaboration of over 65 scholars in the humanities and social sciences is motivated to Advance Interdisciplinary Research in Singing, its origins and implications. Together, the AIRS collaborators are integrating new multidisciplinary knowledge about singing from the perspectives of psychology, music, linguistics, sociology, anthropology, and education, assisted by computer science and audio engineering.
AIRS will address the following three main themes from the perspective of individual, cultural, and universal influences:
  • Theme 1:  Development of Singing
    • Acquisition of Singing - Determining through cross-cultural and longitudinal research, universal, culture specific, and idiosyncratic aspects of the development of singing
    • Singing and Speaking Comparisons - Defining the features that distinguish singing and speech acquisition so as to advance linguistics, developmental psycholinguistics, music, and education.

  • Theme 2:  Education
    •  Teaching Singing and Educating through Singing - Assessing and improving instructional methods for teaching singing and learning songs, and  by using singing to teaching and learn the curricula of other disciplines.
  • Theme 3:  Singing and Well-being
    • Cultural Understanding through Singing - Examining the role of teaching songs of foreign cultures to children to promote lifelong cultural understanding of others and themselves. This entails acquiring information about the songs of various cultures.
    • Intergenerational Singing  - Determining how singing increases individual physical and psychological well-being and community well-being, with a special focus on intergenerational singing where elder members of a society teach children songs of their culture
    • Singing and Health:  Specific health benefits of singing as in breathing exercise compliance in lung disease through singing


    An interactive web-based virtual research environment, already in development (demoblade9.vre.upei/AIRS) is supporting the research team, enabling discussion forums and information sharing across Canada and throughout the world. The site is hosting a one-of-a-kind comprehensive digital library database of singing that will accelerate progress on each research theme. The concept of such a research database has a successful precedent in language research, where the CHILDES repository of transcribed spontaneous speech has supported over 2000 publications in developmental linguistics since 1984 (MacWhinney, 2000). The AIRS database will represent singing of individuals and groups of many ages, ethnicities, skills and geographies. The proposed database will be housed in UPEI's recently acquired IBM digital library of the CFI Infrastructure project entitled "Institute for Interdisciplinary Research in Culture, Multimedia, Technology and Cognition". Internet access to the AIRS database will enable multidisciplinary teams of experts and students to address the five related research themes.


    Impact: AIRS will revolutionize research in singing resulting in growth of basic knowledge and advances on practical issues that will benefit the human condition. Access to the vast new AIRS data repository of singing will advance basic theoretical knowledge by: (1) identifying universals and particulars of singing development and (2) defining the distinctions between singing and speaking and between song and speech. The initiative will also produce: (3) pedagogy protocols for teaching singing in general, teaching songs of foreign cultures and using singing to teach other knowledge while providing benefit of the arts; (4) improved intercultural understanding within communities and across nations, and (5) guidelines for intergenerational singing, aimed at enhancing quality of life for older adults, inspiring children and benefiting general health for all who sing.

    The research program will heighten the value of singing as an effective source of well-being for individuals, communities, and societies. The digital multimedia resources will furnish cultural contexts for education and enhancing learning in general through singing. Through broad and varied means of dissemination of the AIRS findings the research will benefit universal education, language training, peaceful co-existence, intergenerational understanding, personal well-being, societal cohesion, and the preservation of cultural diversity. Over 40 students will receive training opportunities through involvement in all intellectual aspects of the work and through participation in videoconferences, workshops, and annual meetings.

    Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/23/2008 - 15:36

    AIRSPLACE

    AIRS staff are working towards providing the results of Project research, so that information and research findings can be shared amongst the researchers and interested individuals.  Please direct any questions or comments regarding the AIRS Web site to the AIRS Information Technology Coordinator. Contact information can be found on our Contact AIRS page.