I Cant Sing: The Psychological Impact of Negative Educational and Social Experiences Upon Individual

1
I Cant Sing The Psychological Impact of
Negative Educational and Social Experiences Upon
Individual Self-Perception of Singing Ability

• Shelbie L. Wahl
• Psychology of Music
• November 29, 2007

2
Singers vs. Non-singers

• Originally all in the first category no
  distinction
• Division to non-singers
• Stimuli causes shift in self-perception
• Can be from negative education and social
  experiences

3
Singers vs. Non-singers

• Background for split between singer and
  non-singer
• Stereotypes of what constitutes real singing
• Experiences in which the level of ones singing
  ability are called into question
• Pascale church singing and singing schools
• The frustration with the quality of singing,
  voiced by the church leaders, and consequent
  attempts to improve the vocal performances of the
  congregation, gradually manifested itself in a
  formal recognition and a singling out of the
  better singers. (Pascale, 166)

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Singers vs. Non-singers

• Background for split between singer and
  non-singer
• Mason
• Singing in the public school curriculum seen as
  an activity for the masses
• ....but still a skill to be taught and learned,
  not innate

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Why we sing

• Bannan
• Amusement
• Communication with self
• Power
• Communication with others
• Both converge to pleasure derived from use.

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How we sing

• Bannan - Two motivations for singing (299-300)
• Released
• interest in ones own voice
• continuing via regular exploration of singing
  potential throughout life
• Inhibited
• curtailing interest in ones own voice
• a result of inhibitions arising from negative
  family or peer-group response or inappropriate
  teaching.

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How non-singers are made

• Knight 5 common themes (146)
• Non-singing adults seem to believe they do not
  and have never had, the ability to sing.
• The belief that they are non-singers most often
  arose in the childhood of these adults, often
  through a negative defining ensemble experience,
  and often involving an authority figure as the
  instrument of diagnosis.
• In social situations, they are often
  self-declarative about their non-singing state,
  and their narrative often takes the form of
  self-deprecating humor.
• The marginalization/exclusion arising from their
  non-singing status is often a regret, and may
  have had a deleterious effect on other aspects of
  their adult lives.
• Although non-singing adults may wish that they
  could sing, they seem to believe that their
  non-singing state is irrevocable, irreversible.

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How non-singers are made

• Bannan Inappropriate assessment of childrens
  voices may be responsible for the high incidence
  in many societies of adults who label themselves
  non-singers. (295)
• Abril - Teachers that propel the notion that
  singing ability is an inborn trait, which should
  be reserved for the talented few, may end up
  contributing to a society in which
  self-identified non-singers experience singing
  anxiety and chose not to participate in music.
  (13)

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Implications for the non-singerAnxiety

• Most prevalent form of psychological distress
  (Robson, 32)
• IF perception ? actual, THEN ? anxiety
• Social phobia

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Implications for the non-singerAnxiety

• Abril anxiety arises from ones motivation to
  make a desirable impression on another individual
  or group of people....An individuals anxiety is
  proportional to their perceived level of control
  over a given situation. (3)
• Mor individuals with perfectionistic standards
  are particularly susceptible to feelings of
  anxiety. (208)
• Plaut the wish to fail (117)

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Implications for the non-singerAnxiety

• Ely perceptions of various situations are
  largely shaped by our experience, it seems likely
  that our tendency to experience anxiety when
  performing in public is learned. (2)

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Implications for the non-singerAnxiety

• Positive points
• strengthen self-confidence
• reinforce the desire to be in a particular
  situation
• produce a period of intense, single-minded focus
• Negative points
• cause or strengthen nervousness, apprehension,
  self-doubt, and distractibility

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Implications for the non-singerAnxiety

• Direct causes
• Lack of external instrument
• Vulnerability
• Indirect causes
• Family and friends, peer groups
• Social context
• Abril - Music teachers and family members seem
  to have the greatest influence in shaping the
  singers beliefs about singing ability and
  singer identity. (1)
• Judgment

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Implications for the non-singerAvoidance

• Choice to self-limit involvement in musical
  activities
• I quit singing after that... Since then Ive
  felt pretty incapable. (Abril, 6)
• I never sang in public again. (Pascale, 170)
• Since then I havent developed or grown in
  music. (Abril, 10)
• Knight - Avoid music completely (usually adults)
  (145)
• Abril Participatory, but non-existant (11)

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Pedagogical ImplicationsThe Classroom

• Split between the trained and the untrained
• Implications for how- to teach voice, and how to
  be understood when teaching voice

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Pedagogical ImplicationsThe Classroom

• Teach Everyone
• Knight Once non-singers believe that singing
  is a development capacity in all people, and not
  a fixed, designated gift to a chosen few, they
  seem to experience a major shift in motivation,
  willingness to risk, task engagement, and goal
  achievement with regard to singing success. (152)

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Pedagogical ImplicationsThe Classroom

• Give opportunities for positive reactions and
  feedback
• Bannan for vocal dysfunction to be cured
  beyond early childhood, and for reluctant
  singers to acquire the confidence to develop
  their production, the separate stages of
  amusement and power, as discussed earlier, must
  be revisited, and appropriate aural/kinesthetic/e
  motional connections re-experienced. (299)
• McLendon too much emphasis on formal
  performance, instead of simple participation (37)

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Pedagogical ImplicationsThe Classroom

• Pascales Aesthetics
• Aesthetic A standard approach. ...values
  product and performances, stresses skill
  building, and often involves acquiring technical
  musical skills. (Pascale, Dispelling, 170)
• Aesthetic B alternate approach. ...emphasizes
  process and participation, and stresses social
  values and spontaneous singing. (171)
• Prefers both-. Singing from not one but two
  aesthetics effectively supports the most basic
  music learning standards, that is, singing with
  others and learning varied repertoire. (173)

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Pedagogical ImplicationsThe Classroom

• Pascales Aesthetics (continued)
• Options
• All-school sings
• Activities where participation is valued
• Safe atmosphere
• Foster feelings of inclusiveness and fellowship

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Pedagogical ImplicationsThe Classroom

• Richards (80-81)
• High quality feedback
• Positive language
• Nurturing, non-threatening environment
• Teacher training is vital (87)
• Voice physiology
• Understand facts about voice, not just myths
• Be comfortable with own singing voice

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Pedagogical ImplicationsThe Classroom

• Back to Judgment and Criticism angle
• How to incorporate assessment
• Abril (13)
• Assessment should focus on ways of helping
  students improve rather than assigning judgment.
• Critical commentary when useful
• Teachers should not coddle students, but still
  might use caution when assessing students
  singing-especially during the vulnerable period
  of adolescence.

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Pedagogical ImplicationsThe Individual

• Many additional options for one-on-one
• Ely Elimination of performance anxiety depends
  on learning new responses to performance
  situations by changing ones perception of the
  situation itself. Dealing with anxiety also
  involves learning new coping strategies and
  applying them to stressful situations. (4)

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Pedagogical ImplicationsThe Individual

• Ely (continued, 4)
• Alexander Technique
• Verbal psychotherapy
• Cognitive statements (self-instructional
  training)
• Lehrer (146)
• Yoga
• Self-hypnosis
• Tai chi
• Discussion with peers

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Pedagogical ImplicationsThe Individual

• Richards (85)
• Human-compatible learning environment
• Sense of community
• Everyone can be right
• The conductor is not just for detecting errors
  or telling people off, but also moving towards
  musical and vocal goals in the context of a
  positive and encouraging learning environment.

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Pedagogical ImplicationsReview

• General aim of anxiety treatment
• To separate ones sense of personal self-worth
  from the judgments of other individuals
• Circles back to the discussion of judgment and
  individuals being told they cant sing

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Conclusion

• Psychological barriers to positive
  self-perception are far stronger than the
  physiological ones. (Richards, 85)
• As educators, we can have both an abstract
  academic and direct emotional impact on our
  students.
• Singing is an act of vulnerability
• We as performers understand this
• Beginning students need guidance

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Conclusion

• Current research
• Much research on treatments of symptoms
• Only a small amount on causes of anxiety
• Even fewer specifically about the non-singer

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Conclusion

• Be Proactive Break the pattern
• Treat before- the symptoms are too progressed
• Know what can cause anxiety
• Be aware of your own classroom mentality and
  mannerisms family/social dynamics too
• Alter instructional patterns to create an
  inclusive, human-compatible learning environment
• Be critical, but not judgmental
• Attend to individual students anxiety in a
  manner best fitting them

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Conclusion

• Singing is for everyone regardless of perceived
  skill or talent
• Proactive stance against anxiety causing
  situations
• Utilize various methods, as discussed before
• Fade distinction between singer and non-singer