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John Paul Sharp November 2012 Singing and Social Phobia: an effort to confront anxiety through reflective writing.

Singing and Social Phobia

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My action research project. I received full credit on. This paper is an action research study exploring social phobia and learning how to sing as a way to address social anxiety. Journaling is also a key element of this paper as I asked my voice student to journal about his progress.

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John Paul SharpNovember 2012

Singing and Social Phobia:

an effort to confront anxiety through reflective writing.

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Table of Contents

Title PageIntroductionPurpose and Intended AudienceResearch QuestionsContext of the StudyLiterature Review

Literature review questionsLiterature search proceduresLiterature review findingsQuality of literatureGap in literature

Methods            Site selection and sampling            Data collection methods            Data analysis procedures            Schedule            Ethical procedures            Checks for rigorResearch Findings

Comparison of research to the literature reviewLimitations

Implications for PracticeConclusionReferencesAppendices

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Introduction

I am a professional singer. I write, direct and perform for professional and community productions in the stage, film and recording arts. In 2009, I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Colorado Denver. I began teaching private voice lessons out of my home in April of 2012.

A common problem I have discovered in my interactions with both students and even professional singers is a lack of confidence, or perhaps more accurately, a fear of failing at performing. One student in particular (i.e., for the purposes of confidentially, “Lark”) has a moderately severe level of social anxiety in terms of using and hearing his voice. He becomes anxious speaking to people in every-day situations at his food service job, in his classes as a student, and to familiar and unknown people in general. The main reason why Lark came to me and pays me for voice lessons is so I can help him conquer his social phobia by learning and practicing good singing. In many ways, this is a very tall order and I have a great responsibility to do whatever it is I can to help him achieve goals for crucial personal development. However, all I really need to do to help Lark, and all of my current and future students and colleagues, is establish a foundation on which we can learn to plan and initiate our own individual journeys as ever-developing, ever-learning singers.

My own experiences learning how to sing and play the piano at the same time were fraught with stage fright and performance anxiety. My undergraduate professor and mentor taught me how to write and reflect upon my practices. In my case, I believe written reflections were an instrumental method for realizing emotional growth and skill progress through the journey of learning how to sing. In the past, I have asked students of mine to keep a journal, but none of them ultimately followed through. My proposed idea is for me to create more structure around self-written reflections for all my students so they are equipped to develop their own journaling skills and learn how to recognize their own progress.

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Purpose and Intended Audience

I am fulfilling requirements for my Master of Arts in eLearning Implementation and Design at the University of Denver. I am also making a concerted effort to deliver to Lark the resources he needs to conquer his social phobia through singing.

This research will be read by the faculty of The University of Colorado Denver for the purposes of reviewing my portfolio for key competencies in completing a Master of Arts in eLearning Implementation and Design. Other potential readers of this study are voice students and voice teachers of all experience levels and academic realms (e.g., college, private and public education). Anyone with an interest in journaling as a form of learning would benefit from reading this research study.

Research Questions

At the beginning of this study, my research questions were:

1.) If students write and submit self-written reflections specifically guided through four online surveys (i.e., journal), how will this method of communication affect their perceived progress as singers?

2.) If students write and submit self-written reflections specifically guided through four online surveys, how will this method of communication affect their perceived progress toward self-managing their anxiety?

3.) If I engage my colleague to participate in this study, how will this method of communication with her own students affect her perceived practices as a private music instructor?

Originally, I intended to have participation from a colleague and her students, but she was ultimately unable to participate due to

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time constraints. Also, Lark was my only student who participated. This changed my research questions:

1.) If Lark writes and submits self-written reflections specifically guided through online surveys, how will this method of communication affect his perceived progress as a singer?

2.) If Lark writes and submits self-written reflections specifically guided through online surveys, how will this method of communication affect his perceived progress toward self-managing his anxiety?

Context of Study

Lark has come for weekly half-hour lessons over the last several months. In just the last two, he has shown major improvements in terms of becoming louder and somewhat comfortable using his voice in front of me. He sight-reads rhythm extremely well and his overall tone is excellent.

He suggested a song that he had already been working on before meeting me (Stop the Dams by Gorrilaz) and we’ve spent 40% to 50% of our lessons simply working on this song. Usually, Lark has only been able to perform about thirty seconds of the song. Sometimes, it can take more than 45 seconds for him to begin singing. I can see how hard he works to push through the anxiety in his mind and we have been working on breathing exercises where I ask him to symbolize his breathing as an empowering process (i.e., I am trying to enforce positive thought patterns in relation to breathing so as to replace the negativity associated with having anxiety).

I can hear a level of monotone in Lark’s speaking and singing voice, which I believe is a direct result of his social anxiety. He can often take three or more seconds before he responds to questions and his answers are delivered slowly and quite thoughtfully, yet disjointed by broken periods of silence. From

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observing how he sings, I can see and hear he is carrying physical manifestations of his anxiety in his shoulders and chest.

I have asked him to immediately confront his anxiety when he is practicing. The moment he experiences hesitation, what thoughts are running through his mind? Lark tells me his anxiety is “unreasonable,” and to an extent, I would have to agree (i.e., it is what it is), but I also believe a developed discipline for thought management is not illogical or without merit. If Lark can place some thoughts to his anxiety, he has more opportunity for meaning-making; an important trait for applied learning.

I have also asked him to take one or two lines from the lyrics of Stop the Dams and speak them aloud in his regular voice. Then he is to choose different emotions (e.g., angry, sad, terrified, annoyed, etc.) and speak the same lines, using his voice to make those emotions clear. I suggested he use a recorder to do this and listen to all the examples he makes. I told him the purpose for this exercise is to realize how much potential control he can have over the way his voice sounds. My intention for these exercises is for Lark to become more comfortable with his voice, inside his skin and develop more confident ‘identities’ of his choosing.

Even if it takes him awhile to speak, I am impressed with Lark’s ability to communicate with me in an honest, simple and straightforward way. He seems to have a great work ethic and I can tell he truly cares about learning how to speak and sing well. On my suggestion, he will be joining a choir at his college in 2013.

When this study first began, Lark decided to change directions and work on writing his own song. While I believe he attempted all the suggestions I outline above, he generally focused on both songwriting and singing during the time I was collecting data for my research.

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Literature Review

As I began the literature search for my action research project, I wanted to know how many other voice teachers out there have worked with students with the specific purpose of addressing social anxiety. How common is it for teachers to work with students suffering from moderately-severe social anxiety and what methods did those teachers use?

In previous researches I’ve performed, I know there is a great deal of information on musical performance anxiety, but how is this any different from social anxiety? What are the differences and similarities in definition between the two terms?

Finally, how has reflective writing been used in educational realms? What are the benefits and pitfalls associated with using reflective writing as part of a teaching method? Is reflective writing already a popular method for teaching voice?

Because of the great variety of questions I have, my literature search quickly became muddled and confounded. Eventually, I came to focus on the possible benefits of reflective writing as a way to progress and improve student efforts to learn.

Literature review questions

1. What differences, if any, are there between musical performance anxiety and social phobia?

2. How can reflective writing benefit learners of singing?3. Is journaling an effective cognitive behavioral therapy

strategy?

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Literature search procedures

In past experiences performing more formal studies, my priority for finding resources have always started with the Auraria Library online search of scholarly studies. If several attempts with different keywords failed to produce studies relevant to my questions, I then would use Google Scholar and the general web-at-large. This is the method I have chosen for this action research literature search. Because I live in Seattle, Washington and the Auraria Library is in Denver, I had to make use of articles, books and studies that were available in online format.

My preference was to seek studies performed in the last ten years (i.e., 2002 – 2012) as I feel societal understanding of learning and social anxiety should be current and relative to the new millennium in terms of how communication has changed through technological advances. Because the way we communicate has changed so much in the last five years (e.g., social networking, satellite communications, global media, etc.), I want to focus on studies performed in this timeframe.

As I progressed in my literature search, I found myself looking through references within articles to find original sources and much of my findings are based on this method of searching for information. Often, I find the references section of articles to be the most efficient and useful way to find original studies. Also, I searched “music” to find specific journals written for music teaching professionals and then searched within those journals. I found the Journal of Singing to be the most helpful.

Here are keywords I used:

Teaching voice/singing/vocal/ and social phobia/anxiety Voice pedagogy and social phobia/anxiety Teaching “voice lessons” to students with social

phobia/anxiety Student seeks “voice lessons” to combat social

phobia/anxiety Journaling as “cognitive behavioral therapy” strategies

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Reflective Writing practices definition “voice lessons” and “reflective writing” and/or

“journaling”

Literature review findings

What differences, if any, are there between musical performance anxiety and social phobia? According to the National Institute of Mental Health, under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “social phobia is a strong fear of being judged by others and of being embarrassed. This fear can be so strong that it gets in the way of going to work or school or doing other everyday things (National Institute of Mental Health, 2003).”

Musical Performance Anxiety (MPA) has been defined differently by various researchers over the last twenty-five years. In the 1980s, much research showed that MPA is different or separate from social phobia. In the 2007 International Symposium on Performance Science, music professionals and researches agreed together that “social anxiety and MPA are strongly related but are also unique in many ways (Gorges, Alpers, and Pauli, 2007, p. 67, 68).” This agreement does not hold true with all researchers, but it a definition I feel confident in accepting.

“MPA is a special subtype of social anxiety. It seems to be justifiable to transfer knowledge related to social anxiety to develop better treatments for MPA. However, those approaches will have to be adapted to the special features of MPA, especially perfectionism and public self-focus (Gorges, Alpers, and Pauli, 2007, p. 70).”

MPA is assessed in several ways. In 2006, there were twenty different self-report measures for MPA in college level and adult musicians (Kenny, 2006, p. 58). In all the research I’ve encountered, MPA is mainly treated as an issue on its own with little mention toward social phobia or how the two may affect each other. In the case of Dianne Kenny’s research, she uses Barlow’s model of anxiety to understand performance anxiety

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and MPA in general. According to Barlow’s model, we experience anxiety based on three integrated vulnerabilities: 1) a generalized biological vulnerability, 2) a generalized psychological vulnerability based on early experiences, and 3) a more specific psychological vulnerability where anxiety becomes associated with environmental stimuli through learning and conditioning (Kenny, 2006, p. 53).

The research is conflicting across the board. What is clear to me is there is no clear opinion on the relationship between MPA and social phobia. Could it also be possible to transfer knowledge related to MPA to develop better treatments for social anxiety? In three case studies, author Heather Hunnicutt implies cognitive behavioral treatments used in teaching voice lessons can give students skills applicable to other aspects of life (Hunnicutt, 2011, p. 72). While there is not much literature out there to prove if this is true, it appears to me the idea is generally accepted among professionals.

How can reflective writing benefit learners of singing? Reflective writing is the result of the practice of reflective thinking. Reflective thinking involves 1) looking back at an idea or event, 2) analyzing the idea or event, and 3) personalizing the experience toward one’s short- and long-term goals for learning (Hampton, 2010, p. 1).

How does reflective writing relate to and benefit student singers? Soprano educator Cathy Aggett attempts to sketch out the process of reflective writing based on her own intensive literature review in Tailored Training for Contemporary Commercial Singers. In her study, Aggett suggests reflective writing benefits students through “greater self-awareness, a deeper understanding of their performance practice, a greater understanding of their craft, targeted goal setting with measured outcomes and self-directed performance goals (Aggett, 2010, p. 209).”

In an article about the development of student singers’ motor skills, author and teacher Lynn Helding confirms Aggett’s

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opinion when referring to journaling as a form of ‘terminal feedback,’ in which students reflect on their own practices. She suggests this type of reflection “may be most effective by asking learners to provide their own terminal feedback, for example, by self evaluation through journaling (Helding, 2008, p. 424).

While both researchers agree reflective writing can benefit students of singing, much research available today suggests reflective writing for teachers of singing. The above referenced articles only mention journaling for students as mere side-notes, indicating to me the idea of encouraging journaling for singers lay somewhere in the field of common sense, rather than serious academic, empirical study.

What are common problems or issues students face in reflective writing? According to the University of Arts London, students may 1) be too descriptive and not offer much analysis, 2) write their journals like a diary, rather than their learning practices, 3) only highlight positive thoughts and feelings over the more uncomfortable negative experiences, and 4) fail to take ownership over lessons learned (University of Arts London, 2007).

Is journaling an effective cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) strategy? Can reflective writing act as a CBT intervention for students suffering from social phobias? Author Kate Thompson thinks so. “(Journal therapy) is particularly useful in cases where lack of relationships in the world are part of the client’s experience and contributing to distress. This can be the first step in reconnecting with other people (Thompson, 2004, p. 74).” In other words, individuals who journal about their experiences in confronting social anxiety can lead them to become more comfortable doing so.

In a separate study performed through the University of Nebraska at Kearney on the impact of journaling on college students’ self-efficacy and locus of control, their findings suggested students do benefit from reflective writing. “These findings suggest that journaling, regardless of the nature of the

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journal, may have positively impacted students’ self-efficacy (Fritson, 2008, p. 79).” So while it may not be totally clear that journaling can act as a complete CBT intervention, it does seem to be an effective reflection practice for adults. Though this particular study was based in the field of psychology, I believe the findings can serve students in all types of fields.

Quality of literature

Whenever possible, I used primary sources of information. Thomas lists primary sources as being ‘straight from the horse’s mouth,’ with examples like autobiographies, diaries, government documents and statistics, letters and correspondence, original documents and research studies (Thomas, 2009, p. 31).

I attempted to quote directly from authors, rather than explain how I interpret their information based on my own thoughts. I only referred to sources I felt were directly responsive to the specific bolded questions within my literature search findings.

For definitions of terms like social phobia, musical performance anxiety and reflective writing, I used sources coming directly from government organizations, universities, and conferences, or symposiums, for professionals directly related to the fields which are responsible for defining those terms. These sources were not based on direct studies, but the information comes directly from expert sources.

I refer to mainly two types of studies in my literature review: 1) formal research projects and 2) extensive literature reviews. For example, I used Cathy Aggett’s article on reflective writing in the voice studio because her work related directly to the question I was trying to answer and also because her references were so thorough. The research study from the University of Nebraska at Kearney was valuable to me because it was so closely related to my third question and because the methods used in the study were highly formal (i.e., every precaution was used to get accurate information) and the author was honest in relating the findings based on empirical evidence from the study.

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Gaps in literature

While I was able to find a seemingly unlimited amount of studies and resources in regard to social and performance anxiety, social phobia and the teaching of such afflicted students, I could not find many studies or resources written specifically by voice teachers working with students. I attempted to use the following keyword searches with little result:

1. Teaching voice/singing/ and social phobia/anxiety2. Voice pedagogy and social phobia/anxiety3. Teaching “voice lessons” to students with social

phobia/anxiety4. Student seeks “voice lessons” to combat social

phobia/anxiety

However, these keyword searches lead to further indexed articles which did help me find information relating to the definitions of social and performance anxiety. From further searches, I feel there is still more work to be done in the research community to define performance anxiety in relation to social anxiety and phobia, as there are differing opinions among professionals in the psychology and musicology fields.

There is some research on how social phobias and anxieties relate to MPA, but there seems to be a lack of research on how learning to perform music, and consequently confronting MPA, can help someone better self-manage social phobias. I suspect this lack of information is due to the unlikelihood of many students to seek out voice lessons to help confront their social phobias; even though I did find information suggesting people confront social situations as a method of desensitization.

Perhaps, in my work through this action research project, I can help to bridge a gap between the research of psychologists, counselors, and educators of vocal performance and help affected individuals consider confronting social phobia through learning how to sing. At the very least, my work can inspire

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actual experts to conduct further research into the benefits of learning how to sing as a method of learning how to self-manage social anxiety.

Methods

This is an action research study, which contains a mixture of formal and casual research practices. I made every attempt to be transparent in my procedures and methods for obtaining data. In particular, Lark was treated as an equal participant in my study.

Site selection and sampling

All private voice instructors know that students come and go and sometimes come back again. Having a solid set of students, especially in the first few years of practice, is a luxury. At the time I started this study, I really only had one student, Lark, whom I felt could commit to four lessons and four journals over the course of a month or so.

As a teacher, I also journaled to reflect on Lark’s perceived progress and my general practices throughout the study. I used these journals to synthesize my thoughts about data I collected through surveys.

Data collection methods

Research Question Primary Data

Source

Additional

Sources

1.) If Lark writes and submit self-written reflections specifically guided through four online surveys (i.e., journal), how will this method of communication affect his perceived progress as singers?

Three surveys with open ended questions.

Interviews between Lark and myself.

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Research Question Primary Data

Source

Additional

Sources

2.) If Lark writes and submits self-written reflections specifically guided through four online surveys, how will this method of communication affect his perceived progress toward self-managing his anxiety?

Three surveys with open ended questions.

Interviews between Lark and myself.

Lark completed three out of four surveys the day before each new lesson over the course of a month. These three surveys contain questions that ask Lark for both quantitative and qualitative information (i.e., numerical hours practiced and open-ended questions about his perceived progress).

Additionally, I conducted recorded interviews with Lark, which were used for the purpose of student self-evaluation and as a reference for my own regular observations (i.e., my own journaling) while teaching him.

Data analysis procedures

Stringer suggests that all data collected through action research be reviewed by listening to recordings and generally reading all the data collected (Stringer, 2007, p. 100). My first method for analyzing the data was to listen to the lesson recordings and take notes based on our conversations during the three lessons which correspond to Lark’s three survey entries.

In May of 2010, two researchers from The Chinese University of Hong Kong published a study focusing on the perceived value of word clouds in qualitative research. Their findings suggest that word clouds are an excellent method for preliminary analysis and validation of previous findings (McNaught, 2010, p. 642). There are limitations to how data can be visualized with world clouds and shouldn’t be used as a standalone method (McNaught, 2010, p. 641).

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In my preliminary analysis of the qualitative data, I decided to make four wordles, or word clouds, to get a unique visual sense of the frequency of words collected in the first, second, and third journals. The fourth wordle contained all three journal submissions combined. I was able to get a picture of the general sense of thoughts and actions Lark wrote about in his survey responses.

Then I took each question from the survey and placed it into a table with four columns showing all three responses to each question. Through this method of analyzing the data, I am able to note any changes in responses over the period of the study. I wrote down these noted changes and used them to organize how I present my findings.

Finally, I also wrote small reflections after each lesson I taught him during the course of this study. I recorded each lesson and listened to them during the analysis stage to review what happened during lessons against the responses I received from him and my own thoughts.

Schedule

Task Start Date Finish Date

Action Research Proposal Deliverable

Sep 22, 2012

Informational calls, get consent form replies from all participants.

Sep 15, 2012 Oct 1, 2012

Journal #1 Survey(Sent & Received)

Oct 1, 2012 Oct 7, 2012

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Task Start Date Finish Date

Literature Review Draft Deliverable

Oct 9, 2012

Literature Review Final Deliverable

Oct 13, 2012

Journal #2 Surveys (Sent & Received)

Oct 8, 2012 Oct 14, 2012

Journal #3 Surveys (Sent & Received)

Oct 15, 2012 Oct 21, 2012

Journal #4 Surveys (Sent & Received)

Oct 22, 2012 Oct 28, 2012

Final Interview with Suzanne

Oct 29, 2012 Nov 4, 2012

Data Analysis Section Draft Deliverable

Nov 6, 2012

Final Action Research Report Draft

Nov 27, 2012

Final Action Research Report Deliverable

Dec 1, 2012

Because my only participant was Lark, a final report was not needed from other students or teachers. Also, I only received three responses

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from Lark in the time I originally planned for four. This change did not affect my original deadlines, however.

Ethical procedures

This is an action research study guided by principles outlined from author Ernest T. Stringer. The principle of inclusion states that any relevant parties should have the equal opportunity to become informed and involved (Stringer, 2007, p. 35). Lark was equally informed throughout the process of the study.

Lark was told every week there are no right or wrong answers to the surveys. His individual answers to the questions will not be identified or published with his real name. Lark was told at every lesson he may discontinue his participation in this study at any time without penalty. Answering and completing the online questionnaires indicated his willingness to participate in this study.

Lark is a legal adult and consented to participate through an email confirmation. Lark was expected to be willing and able to frankly and honestly discuss his anxiety and take the time to fill out each survey. All names of participants, teacher and students, were changed to uphold confidentiality and anonymity for this study. Because the nature of this study is sensitive, the highest care will be taken not to use names during recorded interviews, reflections and surveys.

Checks for rigor

The reliability and validity of this action research study can be evaluated in terms of its credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability (Stringer, 2007, p. 57). In general, I feel my study is solid in its checks for rigor, but has some issues with diversity in data sources.

In regard to credibility, my observations were held over a period of three lessons and I noted detailed improvements at the time of the observations. Lark was fully informed of his participation in

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the study and was given ample opportunities to review my research. He will also be receiving a copy of the final report. However, my only case study is Lark and I was not able to collect enough data from my other student or my colleague, so the diversity of analysis and triangulation of responses made it difficult to get a complete answer to my original research questions.

The outcomes of the study could easily be replicated by other private voice instructors just by recording lessons, asking students to listen to them and asking them to reflect on practices. My procedures for conducting this study are heavily outlined and all necessary materials and instructions for reproducing this study are available in the appendices of the final report. I have done my best to be completely transparent in my methods of research, data collection and data analysis. Recordings of lessons, lesson summaries, survey results, and my observations are maintained to provide proof of my work.

Research Findings

I initially created four word clouds corresponding to each survey submission, separately and combined. The word clouds were created through www.wordle.net. Common English words (e.g., the, I, was, etc.) and numbers were removed. I took screen captures of the word clouds and pasted them into this report for educational use.

Journal #1: October 4th, 2012. Journal #2: October 17th, 2012.

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Journal #3: October 29th, 2012. All Three Journals Combined

While I don’t feel comfortable coming to any conclusions about these word clouds, I do get a sense of the type of actions and thoughts Lark responded with during the month of October. Looking at the first three word clouds, my mind immediately labels them chronologically by their largest words: 1) think, 2) emotion, and 3) time. When looking at the final word cloud with all responses combined, I get a greater sense of the struggles Lark faces in his day to day life. I feel I learned more from smaller words (e.g., worrying, trouble, struggling) than larger words, which to me, represent surface practices in learning how to sing (e.g., think, sing, breathing). I believe the smaller words in the wordles present the greater themes in Lark’s experience during this study: he struggled, he worried, and he had trouble. To clarify these themes, it is important to analyze his responses from the three surveys he responded to.

Because the amount of data collected from his responses to the surveys was so small, I decided to put all the answers in a table so I could note any possible changes in responses from week to week. By looking at the quantitative responses from the first question about hours practiced, I can immediately see Lark’s ability to practice declined by one-third and then one-half. This indicates he became busier and busier and less able to devote time to participate fully in his lessons and in this study.

When Lark was able to practice, he consistently worked on breathing exercises. In the first two entries, he was moderately

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detailed about his practices. In his last entry, he was very short and concise.

In general, Lark perceived some minimal progress with learning to singing and self-managing his anxiety by the 17th of October. He felt he sang louder, felt less worried about what others thought of him, and felt more comfortable singing in front of me. Lark noted, “I think it's easier for me to sing loudly and with more emotion when I'm singing a more fast-paced or energetic song.” Whether he is journaling much or not, I can tell from this response he is thinking and reflecting on his work.

Because other aspects of his life (e.g., scholarship essays, school, speech therapy, family) began to demand more from him, he struggled to manage time for journaling and practice. His last entry was markedly sparse and Lark’s answers seem influenced by the amount of stress he might have been under at the time of completing the survey. He writes, “It has been taking a lot of time for me to fill out the journal so it has put a little more pressure on me.” This response from the third week slightly worried me as I did not want to put any unnecessary pressure on him. I have since backed off from asking him to journal or even listen to his lesson recordings until he has more time and less stress. After all, Lark is not going to college to learn how to sing, he’s paying me to teach him privately in addition to other endeavors. My job is to help him in the way best suited for his lifestyle.

Has Lark’s perceived general progress improved because of journaling? I can’t make a confident conclusion based on his survey results. I believe Lark thinks he has improved minimally, but as of the writing of this report, I believe Lark might be too overwhelmed with life events to make a clear judgment about his progress.

In my own observations, I have seen remarkable improvements on his second and third lessons. For example, in previous lessons before his participation in this study, I noted it would often take more than a minute for Lark to begin singing. He would

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experience a great deal of hesitation and almost a hitching of breathing before finally playing the piano or singing. In our last lesson, he breathed much more smoothly and took a mere five to ten seconds each time he performed.

Another improvement I noticed during the month of October was the quickness with which Lark was able to communicate with me during our lessons. Much of the time when I ask Lark questions, he takes a great deal of time to process his answers and he relays them in disconnected collections of words. In our last lesson, his answers were smoother and he seemed to speak more freely. This tells me Lark has become much more comfortable being around me and working with me, but it may not represent any improvement in his own social phobia with people in general.

A new revelation I had about Lark during the month of October was how analytical his mind can be. In the practice of writing an original song, I noticed on his second and third lesson that he would often complicate instructions I would give him. For example, in the first lesson, I asked him to write basic chords for his verse and chorus. In the second lesson, he performed a highly decorative piano piece. In that lesson, I asked him to pare his ornamentation down to simple chords. On his third lesson, he performed his chords for me and the chord patterns were still more complex than what I was asking for.

I believe this tendency to over-think makes Lark more negatively critical about his progress. More than once, Lark referred to not liking the lyrics he was writing for his songs. To combat this, I attempted to explain to him that his mind is always going to be more critical than it needs to be and he must learn to trust his intuition and believe he can continuously improve his work as he goes. I’ve asked him to keep going and do his best to complete a song before making too many judgments about the quality of his lyrics. Whether he will be able to take that advice is not clear yet.

Comparison of research to the literature review

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Much like my literature review, my findings were rather inconclusive. While it generally appears Lark has seen minimal progress from journaling, it is not totally clear. My literature review was much the same.

During the month of October, I felt like Lark become more comfortable around me. In my literature review, I referred to Kate Thompson’s research on journaling where she stated journaling can help develop relationship skills for those suffering from social anxiety (Thompson, 2004, p. 74). I feel there is a similarity between my observations and that of Kate Thompson. Whether or not the two are truly connected is a bit of an intellectual stretch.

Lark did specifically mention how he felt less worried about what other people thought of him, which shows how something we’ve worked on in our lessons has helped him to alleviate his social phobia to a small degree. This confirms findings from a study from the University of Nebraska at Kearney on the generally positive impact of journaling on college students. While it is inconclusive that journaling helped Lark fell less worried, the fact that he was able to acknowledge that in a journal response indicates he is benefiting from the act of writing his thoughts down (Friston, 2008, p. 79).

A major difference in what I experienced in working with Lark in this study and what I read in my literature review was the amount of time and writing skills necessary to truly benefit a student who is journaling. Lark was unable to fully participate in his journaling and practice due to time constraints and from that, I learned journaling may be only as practical as one has the time to invest to the behavior.

There is a surprising lack of published scholarly work on voice teachers who are specifically trying to help students overcome social phobias through learning how to sing. Because of my unique background in educational psychology and adult learning, I have an emphasis which is well-suited for this type of action research. Continued transparency and open publishing of my

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work may allow me to inspire other voice teachers who are interested in helping students with their anxiety. Much of learning how to sing is psychological and so I think any type of anxiety is going to influence a student’s education.

Limitations

There were several limitations to this study. The most obvious limitation was a lack of time in terms of my being able to conduct a longitudinal study. Like much educational research, it is very difficult to perceive student progress over many years simply because people are harder to keep track of over long periods of time and lots of events take place which can affect student perceptions. I only had one month to collect data for this study and Lark’s other obligations in life had a direct impact on the quality of responses he submitted. If this study were conducted over a year’s worth of lessons and survey entries, Lark may become more accustomed to the process and perceive an amazing amount of progress from journaling.

This study was conducted in a very small bubble. Ultimately, the only two people involved in this study were Lark and I. There is an incredible amount of bias from both of us: I want to do well as a student of this class and Lark may have a biased influenced by his own social phobia. How he perceived progress was different than how I perceived it and there was no additional data from other students or teachers to compare information and come to a conclusion about my research questions.

Any improvements Lark perceived may or may not have come from journaling. He may have improved simply from having conversations and remembering instructions from lessons. He may have learned skills from speech therapy which improved his social anxiety. There simply was not enough detail in Lark’s responses to know for sure why he responded the way he did from survey to survey.

What’s most clear to me in the limitations of this type of research is how much time and participation is needed from students and

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fellow colleagues. I experienced a reality check when I realized how little participation I could expect from private voice students. What I learned is that in order for journaling to be an effective practice for my students, they must have ample time, solid writing skills, and a desire to persevere and continue writing in the face of adverse life events.

Regardless of the limitations of this research study, I feel more informed as a private voice instructor. My research is important because nearly every student I’ve ever had has dealt with some type of anxiety, whether it be related to musical performance or social interactions and relationships. The more time I can invest in the research of better practices in teaching these students, the better my students will be for it.

Implications for Practice

Through the open publishing of this work through my portfolio on the internet, I hope to be able to provide resources for other singing professionals out there who are in their first year as a private voice-instructor. Perhaps this study will be an excellent resource for beginning voice teachers who are now teaching in this new age of society; a technological society with higher demands for communicational skills and ever-increasing social phobias.

I would recommend continuing my research study in a more relaxed way over a longer period of time. I do think journaling helps some people, but it may not help everyone and as of this point, I have not explored specifically what types of characteristics are necessary to enjoy the practice, other than time management and writing skills and the general desire to reflect. Additional research into music therapy practices might reveal how journaling has been used in healing sessions. Other activities in conjunction with journaling may be successful for students wanting to improve their self-management of anxiety.

Conclusion

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The point of this study is to get a better picture of my student’s experiences living and coping with social anxiety. In my own experiences, most students and professionals I’ve interacted with have some type of performance anxiety. A little adrenaline is good for performing! I have worked with many intelligent, creative, and hardworking individuals who suffer from social phobias and have learned how to connect positively with others in special, meaningful ways.

This study is not an effort to fix anyone or anything. The actions I take as a researcher will be employed in order to gain a greater understanding of my specific work practices as an instructor teaching students with varying needs. By engaging my colleague and her students, I am involving my immediate professional community into this study with the idea that two minds are better than one and participation is an equal investment in each other.

Based on my own observations, I feel like journaling has helped Lark in general (e.g., he experiences less hesitation in speaking and performing, he is able to sing louder and clearer). However, I am unconvinced I will ever know for sure to what extent my effort will help him; it could be several years from now when Lark actually acknowledges any benefits he receives from our work together. In my own experience as a student of voice lessons, I did not connect some important skills until after I’d graduated and practiced singing professionally. Knowing this, I put a great deal of faith in believing my continued practices are helping to improve the lives of my students.

Regardless of how stressed or busy a student is, learning how to sing can be stressful, emotional and full of struggle. The act of singing for others is an act of making oneself vulnerable. It’s not an easy task and as a private voice instructor, I hold even the most casual of students up to a high standard for their educational achievement. If there’s anything I learned from this study, I must always take each individual student’s context into

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account and do my best to create curriculum that makes the best sense for their lives.

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References

Aggett, C. (2010). Reflective Journaling in the Singing Studio. In Harrison, S. (Ed.), Perspectives on teaching singing – Australian vocal pedagogues sing their stories. (pp. 183 – 203). Brisbane: Australian Academic Press.

Fritzon, K. (2008). Impact of journaling on students’ self-efficacy and locus of control. InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, 3, 75 – 83.

Gorges, S., Alpers, G., Pauli, P. (2007). Musical performance anxiety as a form of social anxiety? In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Performance Science 2007, European Association of Conservatoires, ISBN 978-90-9022484-8.

Hampton, M. (2010). Reflective writing: a basic introduction. [University Handout]. Retrieved from http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/studentsupport/ask/resources/handouts/writtenassignments/filetodownload,73259,en.pdf.

Helding, L. (2008). Voice science and vocal art, part two: motor learning theory. Journal of Singing, 64, 4, 417 – 428.

Hunnicutt, H. (2011). Musical performance anxiety: adapting multiple cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to the voice studio, part 3. Journal of Singing, 68, 67 – 73.

Kenny, D. (2006). Music performance anxiety: origins, phenomenology, assessment and treatment. Context, 31, 51 – 64.

McNaught, C., & Lam, P. (2010). Using Wordle as a supplementary research tool. The Qualitative Report, 15(3), 630-643. Retrieved from http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR15-3/mcnaught.pdf

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National Institute of Mental Health. (2010). Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder): Always Embarrassed (TR 10-4678). Bethesda, MD: Science Writing, Press & Dissemination Branch.

Stringer, E. T. (2007). Action Research (3rd Edition ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Thomas, G. (2009). How to do your research project: A guide for students in education and applied social sciences. London: Sage Publications.

Thompson, K. (2004). Journal writing as a therapeutic tool. In Bolton, G., Howlett, C., Largo, C., and Wright, J., (Eds.), Writing cures: an introductory handbook of writing in counseling and therapy. (pp. 72 – 75). New York: Brunner-Routledge.

University of Arts London. (2007). Visual Directions – reflective writing. Retrieved from http://www.arts.ac.uk/cetl/visual-directions/flash/reflective/flash_reflective_textversion.htm

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Appendix A - Participant Consent Form(Date)

Dear Participant,

I am conducting some action research on my own teaching. It is a requirement for one of the graduate courses in which I have enrolled. I am enrolled in this course and conducting this research so I can continue to refine my practice and provide my students with the best possible teaching.

If you decide to participate in this study, you will be asked to complete four online surveys the day before each lesson for four lessons. There are no right or wrong answers. Your individual answers to the questions will not be identified or published. We are not collecting names. You may discontinue your participation in this study at any time without penalty. 

Answering and completing these online questionnaires indicate your willingness to participate in this study. Replying to this email indicates that you have read and understood the description of the study and you agree to participate. Links to all four weekly surveys are listed below.  You will be sent an e-mail reminders two days before each lesson as well. 

Thank you for your time.

John P. Sharp

Student Journal #1

Student Journal #2

Student Journal #3

Student Journal #4

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Appendix B - Weekly Student Journal SurveysFor the purposes of this study, I am trying to determine how well journaling will work for students in terms of realizing and documenting your progress. There will be a total of four entries over the course of approximately one month. Do your best to be as detailed as possible. You will want to finish this and submit it about 24 hours before your next lesson. If you need to write notes throughout the week as you practice, I suggest you do so in order to remember enough details.

***Remember, I am not looking for any right or wrong answers.

There is no way to impress me by anything you say, unless you're

being completely honest. I'm looking for honest answers about

how you perceive your progress as a singer and your level of

social anxiety as it relates to performing (speaking and singing

for others) and social anxiety in general (managing your anxiety).

Date: ______________________ Student Letter ______________

1.How many hours did you practice this week?

2.Please describe in detail what you practiced at home this week.

Be as thorough as possible, either as a list or in paragraph

form.

3.What do you feel you did the best at while practicing? Why?

4.What specifically are you struggling with the most during

practicing? Why?

5.Describe in what ways, if any, you feel journaling has helped

you progress in learning to sing as well as tackling social and

performance anxiety.

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6.In what ways, if any, do you feel you have improved as a singer

this week?

7.In what ways, if any, do you feel you have been better able to

manage social anxiety?

8.In what ways, if any, do you feel you have progressed in terms

of performance anxiety (e.g., singing in front of others)?

9.You've been instructed to listen to recordings of your lessons

and to record and listen to your voice as you practice exercises

at home. Please describe in detail what it is like for you to hear

your voice this week.

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Appendix C - Results from Survey

Question October 4th October 17th October 29th 1. How many hours did you practice this week?

3 2 1

2. Please describe in detail what you practiced at home this week. Be as thorough as possible, either as a list or in paragraph form.

Did breathing exercises: blowing lips, tssing and deep breathing Came up with chords for chorus, C minor, C minor, A flat major, G major Thought about the chord progression for the verses. I have an idea but I don't know yet if I'll use it.

breathing exercises: blowing lips and "tss"ing Came up with some lyrics and tried to work out the timing for my song Sang various songs for practice singing loudly and with emotion tried practicing expressing emotion when talking to parents

Sang variious songs for practice Breathing exercise

3. What do you feel you did the best at while practicing? Why?

I didn't meet my expectations this week because I was busy with school, work and speech therapy

When I practiced with other songs, I sang louder and with more emotion than I had before. I think it's easier for me to sing loudly and with more emotion when I'm singing a more fast-paced or energetic song.

Breathing exercises, because I didn't do as well as I should have on the other things

4. What specifically are you struggling with the most during practicing? Why?

I'm still struggling with singing loudly because I don't want anyone to hear me. I can't think of specific lyrics.

The main thing I'm struggling with is managing my time. This month is really busy because I'm working a lot of hours and I have a scholarship application due at the end of the month. But I'm also having trouble coming up with lyrics that I want to sing. I don't like the lyrics that I come up with.

Managing time Singing loudly without worrying about neighbors hearing Coming up with lyrics that I am comfortable with I'm not spending enough time practicing or working on the song

5. Describe in what ways, if any, you feel journaling has helped you progress in learning to sing as

I don't think I've journaled enough to know whether it's helped me. It doesn't seem like I'm making

Journaling helps me keep track of what I work on, and it also reminds me that I'm not making enough

It has been taking a lot of time for me to fill out the journal so it has put a little more pressure on me

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well as tackling social and performance anxiety.

much progress right now.

progress so I need to work harder.

6. In what ways, if any, do you feel you have improved as a singer this week?

I don't think I've improved as a singer this week. I've been more focused on writing the song than singing.

I sang louder None

7. In what ways, if any, do you feel you have been better able to manage social anxiety?

I think I'm becoming desensitized to conversations that don't go well. When I don't like how a conversation or other social situation goes, it doesn't bother me as much because I won't like how any conversation goes, and if I let every conversation get to me, I'll be perpetually mad at myself.

I'm worrying less about what people think of me

No improvement this week

8. In what ways, if any, do you feel you have progressed in terms of performance anxiety (e.g., singing in front of others)?

I have less anxiety singing in front of my voice teacher.

Compared to when I first started lessons, I feel more comfortable singing in front of my instructor.

none

9. You've been instructed to listen to recordings of your lessons and to record and listen to your voice as you practice exercises at home. Please describe in detail what it is like for you to hear your voice this week.

I will try to speak with more intonation and enunciate more. If i sing, I hope I can sound less strained.

In the last lesson, my voice sounds worse than usual. I said "um" a lot and talked slower. When I sang at home I was ok with how my voice sounded, but when I listened to I tried speaking with certain emotions, I sounded almost the same for each one.

I still don't hear any improvement in the recordings from the lesson I didn't record my practice this week

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Lark’s Hours Practiced During the Course of this Study

0.250.751.251.752.252.75

Hours Practiced