Young children's world-making through music: Young children's identity construction in and through music. The research addresses the National Research Priority Goal of "A Healthy Start to Life" by providing new information on music's role in generating positive mental health and well-being outcomes for young children with a focus on their construction of identity in and through music. This research will impact on early childhood policy and practices in child-care and early learning settings. It ....Young children's world-making through music: Young children's identity construction in and through music. The research addresses the National Research Priority Goal of "A Healthy Start to Life" by providing new information on music's role in generating positive mental health and well-being outcomes for young children with a focus on their construction of identity in and through music. This research will impact on early childhood policy and practices in child-care and early learning settings. It will inform the development of programs that build strong self-identity, contribute to the emotional health of young children, and promote the social engagement of young children, factors that are foundational to subsequent success in formal schooling.Read moreRead less
Understanding and overcoming technical difficulties in woodwind musical instruments. A large minority of Australians play musical instruments, and even more enjoy listening. Wind instruments predominate in school bands. This project will provide knowledge and resources that will improve teaching and playing techniques. It will also provide understanding and information useful to instrument makers, of which Australia has several. The information will be made available in both technical and non-te ....Understanding and overcoming technical difficulties in woodwind musical instruments. A large minority of Australians play musical instruments, and even more enjoy listening. Wind instruments predominate in school bands. This project will provide knowledge and resources that will improve teaching and playing techniques. It will also provide understanding and information useful to instrument makers, of which Australia has several. The information will be made available in both technical and non-technical forms via our widely used web site.
The quality of this research, its useful application to practical problems, and the rapid and easy communication to a wide and very interested subset of the public will enhance Australia's reputation for research and music.Read moreRead less
Sound Links: Exploring the dynamics of musical communities in Australia, and their potential for informing collaboration with music in schools. While considerable research has been devoted to formal school music programs and their curricula, including the recent National Review of School Music Education (DEST, 2005), little is known about Australia's more informal community contexts and the mechanisms and success factors underlying their approaches to teaching and learning music. Both the Nation ....Sound Links: Exploring the dynamics of musical communities in Australia, and their potential for informing collaboration with music in schools. While considerable research has been devoted to formal school music programs and their curricula, including the recent National Review of School Music Education (DEST, 2005), little is known about Australia's more informal community contexts and the mechanisms and success factors underlying their approaches to teaching and learning music. Both the National Review and the Australia Council for the Arts have recognised this imbalance, and plead for a more integrated approach to formal, school-based arts education and activities outside of schools. This project will deliver the insights to realise such an approach.Read moreRead less
A study of vocal tract resonances in the singing voice to develop tools for teaching singing. The voice is our oldest and most widely used musical instrument, but it is incompletely understood because of the difficulty of studying the vocal tract precisely during singing. We shall determine the main techniques used by singers to control and to adapt the acoustic resonances of their vocal tracts. This advance in understanding will enhance Australia's scientific reputation in an area of wide publi ....A study of vocal tract resonances in the singing voice to develop tools for teaching singing. The voice is our oldest and most widely used musical instrument, but it is incompletely understood because of the difficulty of studying the vocal tract precisely during singing. We shall determine the main techniques used by singers to control and to adapt the acoustic resonances of their vocal tracts. This advance in understanding will enhance Australia's scientific reputation in an area of wide public interest. Further, when combined with developments of our novel techniques to operate in real time, it will provide a new tool for students of singing to adjust their resonances and prevent damage to the vocal tract. We shall publish our work not only in the top scientific journals, but also on our popular, multi-award winning web site.Read moreRead less