Student profiles
Joanna Sear
Email: Joanna.Sear@student.rncm.ac.uk
Instagram: popupwoman_73
Website: www.popupvocaltraining.co.uk
Thesis Title
Institution
Supervisors
Professor John Habron-James (RNCM)
Dr Robert Gardiner (RNCM)
Dr Neil Bruce (MMU)
Professor Andy Stott (RNCM)
Research Summary
For over 200 years, the only official educational route for singing pedagogy has been via the Western classical music conservatoire tradition. However, Popular Music (PM) has overtaken Western classical as the most-consumed music globally. As a result, the number of students now wanting to study PM singing styles at schools, colleges and further education institutions has increased dramatically. In practice, this means that more voice teachers are needed who are familiar with these styles of singing and can advise students in an informed manner. As yet, however, no accredited course exists to train those teachers. This is an issue as there are vast differences in the vocal styles, cultural contexts and performance demands that differentiate PM singing from Classical singing. The nature of these differences suggests that an evidence-based, style-specific curriculum for training PM singing teachers is much needed.
Situated within a personal frame of reference to a 30 year career in singing and teaching PM vocals, Jo’s research aims to balance existing pedagogical data in the field of PM singing with primary research, resulting in the design of a curricular framework for training PM singing teachers, preferably as an accredited qualification route.
Research Interests
Singing voice pedagogy within the field of Contemporary Commercial Music/Popular Music
Sound technology and its effects on vocal teaching norms
Voice acoustics, vocal health and vocal efficiency for career longevity
Decolonisation within music education and vocal pedagogy
Notions of authenticity and cultural relevance in voice teaching
Publications
2024: ‘Modern vocal pedagogy: Investigating a potential curricular framework for training popular music singing teachers’. Journal of Popular Music Education, 8(2), 239-254. https://doi.org/10.1386/jpme_00105_1
Coming soon: ‘Vocal pedagogy for children’ – Chapter within the new Oxford Handbook of Vocal Pedagogy, co-written with Dr. Jenevora Williams and Amelia Carr, eds. Professor John Nix and Dr. Leda Scearce.