Researcher

I am a Big Q qualitative researcher interested in Contemporary and Commercial Music (CCM) and musical theatre voice pedagogy, gender equity, equity in higher education, performing arts. I am experienced in qualitative methods, in particular ethnography. I use, among other analytic tools, Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun and Clark, 2020; 2022) and I am interested in the concepts of capitals, practice, habits, and field as articulated by Bourdieu. I am passionate about the field of voice pedagogy and its cultural intricacies. I am currently working on a book under contract with Routledge, New York based on my PhD research and am currently revising journal articles which have been accepted for publication.

In 2020 I received my PhD from the University of Southern Queensland. My research was in the field of Contemporary Voice Pedagogy and my thesis is titled In the Room Where it Happens: Teaching Musical Theatre and Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) Singing. My research involved examining how musical theatre voice teachers in the United States teach other Contemporary and Commercial Music (CCM) styles like pop, country and rock, to their musical theatre students.

I used a multi-sited focused ethnographic (MSFE) approach, visiting six universities in the United States and observing musical theatre voice teachers in action. I used observation, interviews and videos for data collection. For more information about this novel research method into one-to-one voice pedagogy, see this publication, co-authored with Dr Melissa Forbes, in Music Education Research here: https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2022.2138842

During the academic year 2018-2019 while collecting data, I was a Visiting Research Scholar at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia.

I have been involved in two more recent research projects. The first is an interdisciplinary study with the University of Auburn and the University of Central Florida examining emotional safety in the voice teaching studio. The second project is involved with gender equity in academic employment in higher education musical theatre programs which has involved researchers from Florida Southern University and Auburn University. Results from these projects have been presented at NATS and The Voice Foundation.

Publications

  • JOURNAL ARTICLE Dale Cox & Melissa Forbes (2022) Introducing multi-sited focused ethnography for researching one-to-one (singing voice) pedagogy in higher education, Music Education Research, DOI: 10.1080/14613808.2022.2138842
  • BOOK Exposing the Chasms in Voice Pedagogy: Playing the Field. Routledge. Submitted for final editing.
  • PHD THESIS In the Room Where it Happens: Teaching Musical Theatre and Contemporary and Commercial Music (CCM) singing. https://eprints.usq.edu.au/40200/7/DCOX%20THESIS%20FINAL.pdf
  • INDUSTRY PAPER Introducing MTEA Voice and the Development of a Musical Theatre Singing Voice Glossary. Lead authored in conjunction with the MTEA Voice Advisory Board. Published to the MTEA Website for the use of membership.

Research areas

  • Higher Education Music Research
  • One to one teaching
  • Voice pedagogy
  • The cultural field of voice pedagogy
  • Musical theatre singing voice
  • Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) singing pedagogy
  • Ethnography
  • Bourdieu
  • Shulman’s Signature Pedagogies
  • Popular music research
  • Qualitative research
  • Mixed Methods
  • Thematic Analysis

Presentations

  • Musical Theatre Educators Alliance (MTEA) January 4 – 6, 2023. Exposing the chasms in voice pedagogy: Playing the field. Open Jar Studios, New York. Keynote: MTEA Voice Day.
  • ICVT 2022 August 3 – 7, 2022. Registrational pitch parameters for contemporary singing training: Considerations, research, and practice. Collaborative project with Dr Kathleen Bell. University of Vienna.
  • ICVT 2022 August 3 – 7, 2022. From Theory to Embodiment: Considerations of cross training for classical and contemporary voice teachers. Collaborative research project with Shelli Hulcombe (Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University). University of Vienna.
  • Musical Theatre Educators Alliance (MTEA) Conference 4-6 January, 2022: The Gender Gap: Faculty Equity in Musical Theatre. Co-presenter with research partners Dr Elizabeth Benson (Auburn University) and Dr Christianne Roll (Florida Southern University). (Online)
  • Musical Theatre Educators Alliance (MTEA) Conference 4-6 January, 2022. Position Paper MTEA Voice. Glossary of Terms for Musical Theatre Professionals. Lead Author with Raymond Sage (Penn State University) and Joseph Mason (Valdosta State University). (Online)
  • Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing: National Conference. Come Together. Online. The year that changed my teaching: Ethnographic research into music theatre and CCM voice pedagogy. (October 2020).
  • National Association of Teachers of Singing: 56th NATS National Conference. Online. Versatility for employability: Current music theatre training, research, and practice. (June, 2020). Co-presented with Dr Elizabeth Benson, Auburn University.
  • Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance. Riding the Wave of Musical Theatre. San Diego. Riding the Wave of Change: Creating Life Changing Professional Development (January, 2020). Co-Presented with Timm Adams, Rockford University.
  • The Voice Foundation, Philadelphia. The Use of Focused Ethnography as a Methodology in CCM Voice Pedagogy Research, (June 2019).
  • Shenandoah Conservatory. Bodywork for Singing Teachers, (October 2018, May 2019).
  • Musical Theatre Educator’s Alliance. Beyond Broadway. Orlando. Presenter: You’re from where? Australian music theatre performers and the quintuple threat: singer, actor, dancer, instrumentalist and entrepreneur, (January 2018).
  • ANATS, The Young Singer’s Journey. Co-Convener NSW, Australia, (May 2018).
  • ANATS Voice Building for all Ages: The mature voice, (March 2018).
  • Auburn University, Alabama, USA. Music theatre in Australia: Opportunities and partnerships, (January 2018).
  • Overcoming Performance Anxiety, Brisbane. Presenter and workshop facilitator, (August 2015).