Mindfulness Practice in the Collegiate Voice Studio, Part 2: A Case Study

Abstract

Mindfulness Practice in the Collegiate Voice Studio, Part 2:A Case Study Elena Blyskal (bio) MINDFUL VOICE INTRODUCTION Mindfulness practice has seen an increase in scientific support for its use as a means of reducing anxiety, sharpening focus, and improving equanimity in everyday life. Due to the nature of their craft, singers particularly may benefit from this practice to facilitate a process that is physically, cognitively, and emotionally challenging: playing an invisible instrument, one often inseparable from one's identity, while relying on subjective outside ears to do it. Anthony E. Kemp explains. In a performance it is the vocalist's personality that is presented, together with any vocal defects that are perceived as belonging directly to him or her. Singers cannot project their problems onto troublesome reeds, ticking pads, and other technical difficulties; there are very different boundaries in operation … That the processes of learning to sing are so subjective seems to encourage a plethora of contradictory theories, which may leave singers at best bemused, and at worst, highly anxious and constantly unsure about whether they are performing correctly or doing themselves untold damage. Singing students may well find themselves moving from teacher to teacher in constant search for a "guru" who, by use of a particular form of metaphor, somehow manages to "speak their language." This whole process may be very anxiety-provoking.1 Such anxiety can be exacerbated for singers who are also college students, facing the challenges of maintaining a well balanced lifestyle amidst academic demands and social pressures. Issues of time management, independent living, work-school balance, and postgraduation concerns all can be factors in a student's mental distress. This developmental stage of emerging adulthood (ages 18–29) is marked by the uncertainty of both unanswered questions and limitless possibilities,2 both of which may feel overwhelming for the individual who is no longer a child, yet not fully an adult.3 Rates of student stress, anxiety, and depression remain alarmingly high, and academic environments seek new ways beyond counseling to treat these issues.4 Not all students who suffer seek treatment, and research indicates that music students are no exception.5 The research reported in Part One of this series examined and reported the benefits of mindfulness for musicians, students, and music students. These benefits affect multiple facets of the student musician, such as playing technique, performance authenticity, mental health, and mindsets toward [End Page 221] playing, learning, and performing.6 These studies confirm that mindfulness practice reduced performance anxiety, enhanced performance quality, deepened enjoyment in music making, improved positive affect, produced healthier emotional regulation, and increased clarity and depth of learning. Despite these reported benefits, mindfulness training is often absent from a college curriculum, while it could be a critical skill for music students in handling stress both in and out of the practice room. The studio instructor may have a unique opportunity to bridge this gap. Therefore, the case study reported here is an initial observation of voice students as they engaged with mindfulness in and out of voice lessons. This study was conducted as a portion of the author's doctoral studies and was overseen by her faculty committee members. This case study is only the second to examine mindfulness techniques expressly for student solo (rather than choral) singers. To the author's knowledge, it is also the first study to observe the regular use of mindfulness practice embedded into regular practice of a private voice studio, rather than in a separate eight-week course. During this study, mindfulness practices were incorporated into the voice lessons of three music majors for eight weeks. The following questions were addressed: 1. Can practicing mindfulness in the private studio positively enhance the experience of learning vocal technique? 2. Can practicing mindfulness in the private studio help reduce the anxiety of university voice students? MEASURES To answer these questions, the participants offered feedback via openended interviews, a series of follow-up questions, and two separate pre- and post-test scales. At the first lesson and following the last lesson, the singers completed the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, two scales that have been effectively used in...