The Constructed Voice: A Sociocultural Model of Learning for Undergraduate Singers

Articles The Constructed Voice: A Sociocultural Model of Learning for Undergraduate Singers Lotte Latukefu This article reports on the design and development of a model of learning influenced by sociocultural theories for undergraduate singers. It draws on data collected from reflective journals written by students as well as the findings from a pilot study conducted in 2005 where the aim was to examine the response of students to a changing curriculum in which traditional ‘bel canto’ singing technique was taught in conjunction with spoken voice class. The participants in the study were undergraduate students studying performance in the Faculty of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong. This paper reports on some of the themes emerging from the pilot study, which were presented by Nicholls-Gidley and Latukefu at the 7th Voice Symposium of Australia held in September of 2005 and provided the basis for further research by Latukefu into strategies students use to construct learning. A malgamation of the Music and Theatre departments in the Faculty of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong (UOW) forced a change in the teaching of singing from the traditional conservatoire model that had existed in the Music Department prior to 2001. A snapshot of the UOW singing course in 2000 compared to 2007 shows the development in the course. In 2000, students studied music history, which provided a general survey of Western art music, harmony and analysis, aural and keyboard skills and music performance where students received individual singing lessons and weekly master classes. The teacher chose the repertoire and the pedagogical rationale was that we were working with individual differences and it was not practical to write a one-size-fits-all course and then stick to it. The individual lessons needed to be organic and flexible so that the teacher could concentrate on individual problems. In 2007 the undergraduate students study acting, movement (Feldenkreis & Suzuki), spoken voice, singing, character analysis and dramaturgy. In spoken voice class, students acquire knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), skills in transcription, vocal skills including tone onsets, control of resonance, articulation and loud voicing technique. They also develop skills in accent reproduction, text mapping and performance of emotional text. The majority of students now learn singing in small groups rather than individual lessons although we maintain a small number of advanced singers who still received a one to one lesson. A key concept that had to change for the new course design to develop was the notion that every student needed an individually styled technique and that it was up to the teacher to solve vocal difficulties that the student was experiencing. This came 8 about from working closely with the present spoken voice teacher who is a trained speech pathologist. Drawing on the idea that there are certain general techniques that students can learn in order to release constriction, the spoken voice teacher has highly influenced the design of the course by teaching differentiated movement in the vocal tract and insisting students take responsibility for their own vocal technique development. Instead of turning up to spoken voice or singing and expecting the teacher to fix any vocal problems they have experienced during the week, students realise that ultimately constructing of vocal technique is their responsibility. The design also drew on Vygotskian theory and the emphasis that learning and development is culturally, socially and historically mediated (Vygotsky, 1978). The concept of mediation connects to the interrelated theoretical concepts of scaffolding and assisted learning where teacher modelling and the presentation of content in conceptual clusters relevant to students’ skill levels and prior knowledge are vital to the design of the course (Chen & Rovegno, 2000). This perspective argues, that a student cannot simply be a passive recipient of this knowledge and nor should the teacher simply be a model for the student to imitate. Vygotsky described the process of learning as co-construction of knowledge between the teacher and the learner, which later becomes internalised by the learner through a series of transformations, An interpersonal process is transformed into an intrapersonal one. Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological). (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 57) Australian Voice | Volume 13, 2007 pp. 8–15 The Constructed Voice: A Sociocultural Model of Learning for Undergraduate Singers It is the interaction between the student and teacher in sharing knowledge and responsibility for the task of preparing the student to a path of independent learning that makes it a social constructivist environment (Vialle, Lysaght, & Verenikina, 2005). The development of the new course brought Vygotskian theory into the vocal studio setting by creating a social constructivist environment, different to what had previously existed in the university level music course. This change began at the audition stage where students were chosen for their potential rather than their polished singing skills. Instead of commencing immediately with individual singing lessons, first-year students study repertoire and technique in small groups. Sight singing and musicianship are embedded into the singing classes to discourage the dichotomy between theory and singing practice that can occur. Some students are chosen for an advanced singing class to train as opera singers and in second year they receive individual lessons as well as continuing the small group classes. Others train as actors and develop their singing skills as part of actor training. All students study the same vocal techniques. The teacher encourages discussion amongst students about vocal problems they may be experiencing and students share strategies that they may have developed to deal with similar problems. Scientific concepts of vocal anatomy and techniques for releasing constriction and supporting the sound are taught in both spoken voice and singing voice class which provides students with a different perspective on vocal technique and students use the different classes to confirm their own developing ideas of vocal technique. A reflective journal is kept by students, the purpose of which is to develop strategies that they think will improve their singing. They evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies and then refine them. Finally every student participates in a full theatrical production and concert every session in order to authentically use the skills that they are learning and develop their artistry. The restructuring of the Music department was not the only catalyst for the development of a sociocultural approach to the teaching and learning of singing. In 1997 I started teaching singing in the music department of the Faculty of Creative Arts in Wollongong. Until then I had followed a typical career path of any hopeful opera singer. I completed an undergraduate Bachelor of Music where my personal experiences of beginning singing lessons were like a game of guessing what it was that my teacher wanted and trying to reproduce anything for which I was given positive feedback. I had no idea of what I was doing in terms of vocal technique. I moved up to Queensland to study with a teacher who had taught many very successful singers. I followed this with study in the United States where I completed a Master of Music at the Manhattan School of Music. In that time I had to switch teachers twice, which was extremely stressful and took a great deal of careful diplomacy. I remember in my first interview to be a singing teacher at a higher education instituAustralian Voice 2007 tion, one of the interviewers from the Faculty of Education asked me which pedagogues had influenced my philosophy of teaching. This question startled me at the time because the real answer was that my own previous teachers were my main influence. This concern was highlighted by Clarke (1999) who characterised voice teaching in Australia as being taught ‘in private studios where the strongest point-of-reference is the teacher’s own experience as a voice student that then is reproduced for his or her students where demonstration and imitation are the chief teaching tools’ (Clarke, 1999, p. 34). There has been a change in the pedagogical content of Australian singing teaching through the dissemination of scientific theories about singing. These have had a great influence on teachers in Australia and the formation of societies such as the Australian National Association of Teachers and the Australian Voice Association have played a key role in the dissemination of information. However, do we still convey this new information in the same way that we were taught? Has educational psychology influenced the teaching of singing in the same way as scientific theories? Nisbet (2004) points out ‘Teachers and students have been actively and successfully interacting for centuries but often without awareness of what parts of the process work best and why. This can result in a lack of flexibility in the mode of operation, an inability to react to the needs of the student at hand or an ad hoc approach to innovation’ (Nisbet, 2004, p. 50). She goes on to say that because teaching and learning have traditionally been in the performing arts domain there has not been much linking between educational psychology and the learning of singing (Nisbet, 2004). The link between educational theories and the performing arts in the case of the present research came about from the nonviability of the traditional music course I was teaching that forced me to look into alternative models of learning. An element of the design process in the development of a sociocultural model of singing has been the collaboration between the spoken voice teacher and the singing teacher. Many tertiary theatre performance training courses in Australia advertise that both spoken voice training and singing training are part of their curricula; however, at UOW, the music department program had not included spoken voice training. The theatre course had never had serious singing classes, so it was new for the students to study singing and spoken voice. This article presents the outcomes of a pilot project that collated student responses to an altered curriculum structure in which traditional bel canto singing technique is taught in conjunction with spoken voice class. Also included, in order to illustrate some of the points in the final discussion, are excerpts from the reflective journals, which the students are required to keep as part of their class assessment. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to arrange and analyse the data from the journals. IPA has its origins in health psychology because of the increasing recognition of the constructed nature of illness (Smith, Jarman, 9 Lotte Latukefu & Osborn, 1997). In a similar way this study recognises the constructed nature of singing. This approach acknowledges the importance of understanding student’s perceptions and interpretations of their bodily and singing experiences and the meanings, which they assign them. Research in Music Education Singing is an interdependent and organically changing synthesis of biomechanical vocal skills, musical skills, movement skills, character and text analysis and performance ability. As singing teachers we need to add educational psychology and philosophy. Vygotsky viewed any attempt to break down the fundamental unit into elements as misguided and likely to distort the phenomena being investigated. Specialised perspectives such as the science of voice need to ‘take their place in a larger integrated effort’ (Wertsch, 1998, p. 12). A lot of research in vocal pedagogy is scientific and quantitative with a tendency to focus on singing as a biomechanical process. Other music education research has focused on instrumentalists or has included singers as a category of instrument. One of the main differences between instrumentalists and singers is that singers have often started studying singing much later, sometimes in their late teens so the biographical determinants have different significance than for traditional instrumentalists such as piano or violin. When developing and reflecting on a model of learning singing it is what Callaghan (1997) describes as the accumulation of research, in areas such as the science of voice, the strategies that musicians use to access content and other attempts at alternative learning models and their outcomes, that help to inform the development of the model. Learning In Australia, McPherson and McCormick (2006) carried out studies on the importance of selfefficacy as a predictor of achievement in instrumental music examinations and a research project looking at how instrumentalists (including singers) experience learning was carried out in Sydney (Reid, 2001). The researcher reported on the variations in the way students understood or experienced learning. Reid describes five related concepts of learning these conceptions were defined under 5 levels (see Table 1). There are parallels in this research with sociocultural theories. For example, a student at Level 5 of the conceptions of learning incorporates sociocultural theories of teacher modelling, reflection, co-constructed learning and different perspectives and transforms this into high-level communication and performance. Nielson (2004) looked at the learning and study strategies of advanced music students and the way their self-efficacy beliefs related to the strategies they employed. Nielson’s study dealt with instrumental students at a conservatoire. Nielson described strategies as being deliberate or purposeful processes originally consciously applied, but normally undergoing automation as a result of development and practice. An interesting conclusion that came out of Nielson’s study was that the instrumentalists in her study did not make use of peer learning very much. Instead they tended more towards cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies. In a sociocultural environment co-construction of learning, which includes peer learning, is encouraged thus influencing what sort of strategies students use. Pedagogical Content and Strategies for Accessing Content The relationship between scientific understandings of voice and current practice of teaching in Australia was examined by Callaghan (1998). She was concerned with whether Australian singing teachers were actually incorporating any of the new scientific pedagogical content into their singing lessons. She referred to the problem of how these teachers imparted the knowledge and whether they did so in a way that was effective for independent learning. Other areas of research in singing have focused on voice science and increasing pedagogical content knowledge in areas such as breath management (Cowley, 1999; Miller, 1986, 1993), phonation (Titze, 1995; Watts, Barnes-Burroughs, Etis, & Blanton, 2006; Westerman Gregg & Scherer, 2006), resonance and articulation (Kenny & Mitchell, 2006; Mürbe, Sundberg, Iwarsson, Pabst, & Hofmann, 1999; Oates, Bain, Davis, TABLE 1 Reid’s Five Levels of Conceptions of Learning Conceptions of learning developed by Reid (2001) 10 Level 1 The instrumentalist who focuses solely on the technical aspects of their instrument and learns by copying their teachers. Level 2 Some musical elements are focused on Is it possible to standardise these descriptions or are they Reids? For example, the instrumentalist who focuses on some musical elements. Level 3 Focus of learning has shifted to meaning found within music and students learn by reflecting and adapting teachers advice. Level 4 Communicating level focus has shifted from just learning to communicate musical meaning. Students learn by experimenting with different styles of playing music using teacher as only one source. Level 5 Incorporates all other levels and includes a focus on expressing personal meanings through the music. Australian Voice 2007 The Constructed Voice: A Sociocultural Model of Learning for Undergraduate Singers Chapman, & Kenny, 2006), registration, vocal health, control of voice (J. Callaghan, 1997), acoustical measurements of good singing and what happens physiologically to achieve this (Oates, Bain, Davis, Chapman, & Kenny, 2006). Ventricular fold abduction and differentiated movement in the vocal apparatus (Estill, 1996; Kayes, 2004; Obert & Chicurel, 2005). Clarke (1999) challenged the dominant paradigm that exists that airflow is processed by vocal folds and then modified by pharynx, mouth and vocal cavities (Sundberg, Leanderson, von Euler, & Knutsson, 1991) Motor skill acquisition is an important part of singing training and research carried out into motor skill acquisition and practice organisation (Schmidt, 1975; Sherwood, 1996; Sherwood & Lee, 2003) is very useful for singing in that it gives insight into how people can acquire long term learning. Magill (2007) distinguishes between performance, (the behavioural act of executing a skill at a specific time and in a specific situation) and learning, (change in the capability of a person to perform a skill; it must be inferred from a relatively permanent improvement in performance as a result of practice or experience) Magill, 2007). He goes on to say that there are five general performance characteristics that people demonstrate at they learn a motor skill: Performance improvement over a period of time, an increase in performance consistency, an increase in performance stability and a persistence of an improved performance capability and the capability to adapt to a variety of performance context characteristics. Although these characteristics were developed in a physical education context they are relevant to a singing context as well. In an experiment carried out by Verdolini (1994) the researchers found that the subjects in the mental strategies group — that is, the group that used metaphorical images — showed no better performance than the group who were given not instruction at all. Although there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the use of metaphors in learning singing, the evidence from Verdolini’s experiment suggests that students are better off without constant feedback. Verdolini explained that for perceptual processing to occur in novel tasks, subjects must devote their full attention to the task, and if the teacher is giving out instructions at the same time the students may concentrate on the instructions rather than the task. This research has important implications for the method in which feedback is given to singing students in lessons. In a review of teaching strategy literature, Zhukov (2004) noted a study conducted by Young, Burwell and Pickup (2003) which found that ‘teacher directives (“command-style” teaching strategies) were a predominant teaching strategy in instrumental music lessons at university level’ (Zhukov, 2004, p. 34). She also noted that research carried out by Rosenthal (1984) suggested teacher modelling, without verbal comments, may be the most effective teaching strategy to improve the accuracy of student playing. This was consistent with the findAustralian Voice 2007 ings of Verdolini (1994). A research project conducted by Burwell (2005) in the United Kingdom looking at how instrumental and vocal teachers in higher education approach the development of student independence took the form of a case study using an interpretative and descriptive approach. The analysis was made of the verbal dialogue that took place between teachers and students. This was cross-referenced with information about the characteristics of participants, examination results, and final degree classes. A relationship emerged between the ability of students and the proportion of student talk. Stronger students talked more. The analysis of verbal transcripts showed that instructions were often posed as questions in order to soften the commanding impression they might give, others were often rhetorical and did not require a response. Some of the questions were interrogative or fell into previously established patterns, and the student response was automatic rather than considered; for example, a question like ‘Are you happier with that?’ Very rarely were questions exploratory, requiring the student to develop their own thoughts. Sometimes, even after posing an exploratory question, the teachers would answer it themselves, thereby guiding the student rather than having any meaningful dialogue about the problem and how to solve it (Burwell, 2005). Magill (2007) gives another reason for limiting augmented feedback, saying that augmented feedback does effectively ‘guide’ the learner to perform properly however by using feedback as a guiding source the learner develops a dependency on the availability of the feedback and will often give a poorer performance without it. This leads to augmented feedback becoming a crutch for the learner that is essential for performing the skill (Magill, 2007). Vygotsky’s theory of Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) promotes the idea of a novice performing a range of tasks that they cannot accomplish on their own, but with the help of an expert are able to perform. The emphasis is on the collaboration and eventual shared understanding that develops between the expert and novice. This process of shared understanding is called an inter-mental process and is an essential step in the process of internalisation as the expert gradually removes assistance and transfers responsibility to the novice (Vialle, Lysaght, & Verenikina, 2005). The danger with teaching in the ZPD is that if it is not used properly it has exactly the same effect as that of augmented feedback, where the ZPD simply becomes an instructional technique that systematically leads the novice with the help of the expert through a series of actions that eventually lead to a set of skills (Vialle, Lysaght, & Verenikina, 2005). The main purpose of the ZPD should be to encourage self-directed and independent learning. Pilot Study The development of an alternative learning model necessitates a cyclic process of intervention, 11 Lotte Latukefu reflection and evaluation. Every iteration of the design cycle helps to refine the model; however, unlike a lab experiment where the environment can be controlled and kept stable, the reality of university life means that extraneous circumstances can affect the design and development. For example, in 2006 we had a change of staff and a new voice teacher was appointed, which meant adjusting the design to take into account her approach to voice. The pilot study was designed by Latukefu and Nicholls-Gidley and conducted across one 13-week term during 2005, within the music department of UOW, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the collaboration in teaching between spoken voice and singing. Students were asked to anonymously provide information that was collected and tabulated into four recurring themes. First, the information gathered described the most important or effective and the least effective techniques the students had learnt through studying both singing and speaking. Second, a questionnaire was administered through which the students reported any previous training in either singing or speaking. Third, students kept personal reflective journals as part of assessment in class and these journals were collected and analysed. Twenty-nine first-year students took part in the pilot study and two teachers. Fourteen students had previous singing training, seven students had training in singing and spoken voice, two students had training only in speech and six students had no previous training in singing or speech. Students were asked to describe a powerful learning experience during their course at UOW in singing and spoken voice class that had affected their understanding of singing or spoken voice. They most frequently mentioned: • learning the science of voice points of resonance helped both speaking and singing voice production • learning to resonate the voice without effort • understanding the link between body tension and its effect on speech or singing • learning to release tension Tension and constriction inhibiting vocal production were themes that all students reported. The most helpful aspects of vocal training mentioned for both voice and singing were: • fitness, relaxation, tension release exercises (62% of students) • breathing exercises, the idea of airflow, resonance (52% of students) • gaining confidence through understanding the mechanics of voice (41% of students). When asked what they found least helpful, the students with no prior training said everything had been helpful and useful. Some critical comments from those with previous training included: • not having enough explanation of what exercises were for, or how they helped 12 • needing more individual attention to identify problems • lacking the background to understand some topics in theory, harmonics and technical aspects Some of the key points were: • finding exercises used in speech training such as release of constriction in the throat and in singing such as breath control useful for both voice and singing • training in one helps with understanding the other • being able to pinpoint areas of my speaking voice or singing voice, which need assistance • different techniques help you find out what works for you. A quote from one of the student’s reflective journals shows just how much the students were integrating the spoken voice work with the singing classes. This was written after the pilot study was concluded, but it illustrates a developing ability to adapt to a variety of performance context characteristics. She was transferring the vocal skills of anchoring, release of constriction and twang learnt in spoken voice class and applying them to her singing with what she perceived to be good results. I warmed up as usual and sang through two songs, Auf Eines Altes Bilt and Ave Maria. I had to keep going back to my sirening because I found my voice quite tired and less responsive than usual. I focused on energising more, and keeping an open throat and giggle posture, especially in the higher parts of the songs. I practised using anchoring that we learned in spoken voice, particularly on the high notes, and found this quite difficult because of the isolations of the body required. While creating stability in the core of my body, I had to be careful to retain an open throat and avoid constriction. Also my breathing — while activating my back muscles, I had to be careful not to clench and strain my tummy muscles and keep my breath flow consistent. In spoken voice class we learnt about ‘twang’ and practised it. Lotte (singing teacher) was there and Cate (voice teacher) talked about using it in singing, just enough so as to create less strain on the voice, but so it doesn’t turn nasal. The difference was amazing in our speaking voices and the ease with which volume was created by using natural twang was incredible (2006). The results from the 2005 survey showed that the majority of students (82%) welcomed the present method of teaching singing and voice. Only 41% however felt that learning the mechanics of voice helped them gain confidence in singing, which suggests that they preferred the experience of practical learning to the theory. As Daniels (2007) reminds us, Vygotsky argued that it was not possible to transmit concepts directly to students. Pedagogical experience demonstrates that direct instruction in concepts is impossible. It is pedagogically fruitless. The teacher who attempts to use this approach achieves nothing but a mindless learning of works, an empty verbalism that Australian Voice 2007 The Constructed Voice: A Sociocultural Model of Learning for Undergraduate Singers stimulates or imitates the presence of concepts in the child. Under these conditions, the child learns not the concept but the word, and this word is taken over by the child through memory rather than thought. Such knowledge turns out to be inadequate in any meaningful application. This mode of instruction is the basic defect of the purely scholastic verbal modes of teaching, which have been universally condemned. It substitutes the learning of dead and empty verbal schemes for the mastery of living knowledge (Vygotsky, 1987, p. 170) in (Daniels, 2007). An extract from another student journal illustrates this point. The term that has been bandied around this session in relation to this is ‘anchoring’, something I mentioned briefly in my journals last session: ‘I did my usual trick of pulling out Singing and the Actor (Keyes 1993) and looked up the chapter on anchoring. However, it has gone a little over my head and I feel it is something I need to go through with someone who is good at voice when everyone is less busy’. I’ve revisited this chapter this session to try and keep up with the other students; however, I am still struggling with the content (which I am finding frustrating as it is usually the theory that helps me through). So having struggled with the content I have been unable to apply it to my singing. However, the simple act of Lotte or Cate pushing me off balance in class on numerous occasions has helped me begin to gain a better understanding of how much physical effort is required. In the first couple of weeks, Lotte would push me of balance and then move on; however, in the technique class in week 4 she continued to push me until I corrected it, which forced me to actually take a second to think, ‘how can I stop her pushing me over?’ (2007). This student found that simply reading the theory of anchoring was not that helpful to actually being able to anchor; however, when an exercise was used in class by the voice teacher and then reinforced in singing to demonstrate anchoring, the combination of what she had read plus an exercise that made her use the correct muscles helped her understand what she needed to do to achieve anchoring or support. Vygotsky wrote about spontaneous concepts, which in this case are concepts about singing the student has acquired throughout their lives by simply singing. Sometimes a singing student has had lessons, but the teacher may not have taught any scientific concepts and instead may have simply worked through trial and error to try and improve the student’s singing as each novel song appears. In this case students often make up their own explanations as to what they are doing, which may not be based on theory. For example, at the beginning of first year I ask students to describe to me how they sing. Most of them are at a complete loss. I have heard many students describe the way they sing by saying they breathe from their diaphragm and then use their diaphragms to support singing. However, over 3 years with the introduction of scientific concepts that become part of their everyday thinking, the Australian Voice 2007 students acquire an awareness of what is happening to them as they sing and an ability to articulate this very clearly. The pilot study carried out in 2005 found that students who came in with no prior training were more open to learning and new experiences. Some of those who had had a lot of prior training, although more advanced when they arrived, found it more difficult to cope with new information. They were more aware of the complexity of the task and required more explanation to make sure it was worthwhile making changes. They experienced difficulty in undoing muscle memory, and it was seen as important to help them feel positive about any necessary changes, without feeling bitter or resentful. Many of the students entering the course at undergraduate level reported chronic constriction and therefore need time to learn how to release that constriction. Another quote from a different student journal showed that this student was beginning to understand how important it was to start taking responsibility for vocal technique and learning. I’m realising this is primarily a course for independent learning, you get given tools and techniques; for example, body awareness, breathing techniques, distracting techniques, activating exercises. Then it is up to you to put them into practice (2006). Outcomes The use of development methodology (BannanRitland, 2003; Barab & Squire, 2004; Reeves, 2000) requires ongoing reflection and evaluation. The results from the 2005 pilot study have prompted an even greater collaboration between the spoken voice teacher and the singing teacher, and each week the teachers meet to discuss the progress of students. As well, each session student journals are collected and analysed in order to get a better understanding of how the students are developing in the new environment and what strategies they are using to improve their singing. There are also three singing assessments each semester and a final performance assessment at the end of the semester. After each assessment the teacher provides a critique of the individual student’s performance and these notes are used in the data collection to track the progress of students. This data collection has led to a longer and more substantial study, which will examine the changes that occur in students’ singing in an undergraduate course that is still changing under the influence of sociocultural theory. The study seeks to understand the kinds of strategies students employ in order to achieve improved performance. Finally the longitudinal study will investigate and critically reflect on the actor/singer student behaviour and practices in a sociocultural pedagogical environment and the implications this may have for the positioning of sociocultural theories in vocal pedagogy. 13 Lotte Latukefu References Bannan-Ritland, B. (2003). The role of design in research: The integrative learning design framework. Educational Researcher, 32(1), 21–24. Barab, S., & Squire, K. (2004). 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Australian Voice 2007 The Constructed Voice: A Sociocultural Model of Learning for Undergraduate Singers new works by Australian composers the most recent being at the 16th annual electro-acoustic music festival in Florida, USA and the 2008 Aurora Contemporary Music festival held in Sydney. Lotte’s research interest is in sociocultural theory and its application to vocal pedagogy. She is a member of the Sonic Arts Research Network and a research associate named in an ARC discovery grant investigating microtonal tuning. Lotte is on the board of the Australian Voice Association and a member of ANATS. Zhukov, K. (2004). Teaching styles and student behaviour in instrumental music lessons in Australian conservatoriums. Sydney, Australia: University of New South Wales. Lotte Latukefu is Lecturer in Voice in the School of Music and Drama at the University of Wollongong. She has performed at the Lincoln Centre in New York, Opera Australia, State Opera of South Australia, as well as appearing with the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra and in numerous Australian music festivals. Lotte regularly premieres ❙ Australian Voice 2007 15