Finding a voice: The art and science of unlocking the potential of adult non-singers

Singing is receiving growing attention in both popular culture and academe as an activity that offers numerous benefits for wellbeing (Clift, 2012) throughout life. From the participatory arts events offered by leading arts organisations like the LSO to community choirs and singing initiatives for people affected by social or health issues, there have never been so many opportunities to join in. However, many adults exclude themselves from singing. About 17% of people self-define as 'tone deaf' (Cuddy et al 2005) and probably many more as 'non-singer'. Non-singers often feel regret and social embarrassment (Knight 1999), holding negative associations and beliefs about their own singing ability and voice (Numminen 2005). Many, though not all, sing less well than average adults (Wise & Sloboda 2008). Against a discourse of 'anyone can sing', non-singers hold a powerful narrative that says 'you can either sing or you can't - and I can't'. The project focuses on people who are disenfranchised from singing, engaging them in specially designed intervention programmes. It combines psychological, educational and artistic research to give an integrated understanding of the journeys adult non-singers take in learning to sing, and the ways in which they can be supported.

Although there is ample evidence that singing skill is open to improvement, there is little research on how this happens. While we know that non-singers' self-image and confidence can be improved by supportive opportunities (Richards & Durrant 2003), knowledge is limited about how these changes, along with improvements in skills, are related to specific learning activities and contexts. Meanwhile, the professional craft knowledge of singing teachers, who often report success in teaching those with singing difficulties, is largely undocumented. Psychological research in laboratory settings has elucidated the role of pitch and melody processing in vocal pitching. The ability to sing in tune has little to do with pitch perception per se and more to do with the complex co-ordination of perception and action. Recent evidence suggests one important aspect of this co-ordination may be auditory imagery - the ability to imagine music in one's mind. This offers an exciting point of contact with practice, since imagery is widely used in singing teaching. The project will integrate hitherto rather separate areas of research and practice, and move beyond pitch accuracy as the primary measure of 'good' singing to reflect the multifaceted nature of singing as a means of expression and communication.

Based at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the project mobilises the expertise of specialist teachers, music psychologists, a software designer and a composer-animateur. It is organised into two strands. Strand 1 is a singing course including individual tuition and group sessions, as well as a final performance produced collaboratively by the participants and teachers. It will include repertoire chosen to suit the singers and original material created under the leadership of a composer-animateur, based on participants' reflections on their own singing journeys. Participants in Strand 2 undertake training in the privacy of their own home. A mobile app will be designed to train auditory imagery and a controlled experiment will test whether this improves singing skills. If successful, an app offers huge potential for a scientifically validated self-help tool.

The project will apply a battery of measures before and after training to investigate how adults progress in the many dimensions of singing skill, and how their self-views and attitudes towards singing change. It will also collect video data and qualitative accounts of the learning process, to identify the types of educational approaches, musical materials and activities that are associated with measurable developments in skill and with satisfying artistic, social and personal experiences.

The ambitious multi-disciplinary, collaborative approach to the proposed project builds on the formation of an Adult Non-singers' Network, an international group of 35 practitioners and researchers with expertise in singing and vocal training, speech therapy, drama, psychology, neuropsychology, music education and software development. They work in HE institutions, industry, adult education (including Morley College, known for its 'tone deaf' choirs) and private practice. At the inaugural meeting at the Guildhall School, 2014, the network shared research and practical insights to discuss interventions for adult non-singers; this project has grown from discussions held in that forum. The Network is an ideal context for knowledge exchange, and will be instrumental in developing pathways for engagement through its diverse practitioner and academic membership. The project will bring new opportunities for dialogue and knowledge exchange, to support best practice and move towards a common language so that everyone involved with adult non-singers may benefit.

The project will address barriers that prevent a sizeable number of people from accessing the increasing opportunities to participate in singing. It will point to ways in which sustainable entry-points into artistic, social and cultural life can be created, as well as essential disinhibition. In identifying the kinds of musical activities and contexts that are beneficial to non-singers, and the precise outcomes of different approaches to intervention, the project will provide a valuable resource to those involved in voice work with adult novices, whether in private practice, adult education, or community settings. Through the Guildhall School's partnerships with the Barbican and the LSO, via their respective outreach arms Creative Learning and LSO Discovery, the project will engage with leading arts organisations to stimulate discussion on strategies for engaging and meeting the needs of non-singers in participatory arts work. Recent high-profile media coverage of Gareth Malone's community and workplace singing projects, the promotion of singing in connection with a wide range of personal, social and health issues, and the large public interest, make this project timely. The City of London Festival for example, is holding a 'Day of Extraordinary Choirs' of people affected by cancer, homelessness, and mental illness. While many research initiatives have focused on the therapeutic benefits of singing for narrowly defined constituencies, such the ill or marginalised in society, this project has a much wider agenda. It reaches out to the large numbers of the general public who might benefit from the routes to self-exploration and expression, positive identity and wellbeing offered by artistic vocal activities.

In making visible the journeys of adult non-singers, the project will demonstrate the possibilities for change. This could be a powerful means of changing attitudes and addressing misconceptions. The project may also offer the possibility for assessment measures to be adapted for self-test, giving people who worry about their singing an objective view of their skills. The development of a mobile app will act as a trial of the viability of this medium for developing training tools for the general public. If successful, a digital interface has the potential to reach many more people than traditional face-to-face tuition and group participation. Giving a 'safe', private means of trying out singing and receiving credible guidance and feedback, it may also be a powerful tool for arts organisations to engage people who would usually be too anxious to come to participatory events. The wider availability of evidence-based and theoretically grounded assessment tools could provide the first step towards changing someone's self-perceptions and increasing his/her skills, sufficiently for that person to make the transition to singing with others, and all that that entails.