Rachael is a PhD candidate at the Australian National University School of Music and a recipient of the Australian Government Research Training Scholarship. 

Her research interests include vocal pedagogy, hybrid vocal technique and performance and aspects of voice science. Her research topic is; Merging Classical and Jazz Vocal Pedagogies: A Hybrid Approach to Tertiary Jazz Vocalists' Functional and Stylistic Training. The aim of Rachael's research project is to investigate the interfacing of recent cogent findings in the field of voice science with existing classical and jazz vocal pedagogies employed in higher education while addressing the students' simultaneous development of functional freedom, vocal efficiency and sustainability with stylistic and improvisational fluency. 

Emerging questions include;

• What aspects of classical vocal pedagogy are useful and relevant to the improvising jazz vocalist?
• What are the most effective tools for teaching improvisation to jazz vocalists?
• How does the act of improvisation impact on the student's phonation (including range, breath management, pitch accuracy, maximum phonation time, tone) and performance (stagecraft, confidence, audience connection and ensemble interaction)?
• How does the development of functional piano skill influence the vocalist's musical and improvisational progress?

More information, updates and details of publications and research output will be updated here.

For more information please CONTACT Rachael. 

• If In Doubt, Breathe Out! Breathing and Support for Singing based on the Accent Method (Ron Morris and Linda Hutchinson)
• Singing and Teaching Singing - A Holistic Approach to Classical Voice (Janice L Chapman)
• Voice Work: Art and Science in Changing Voices (Christina Shewell)
• What Every Singer Needs to Know About the Body (Malde, Allen, Zeller)
• The Science of Singing (Johan Sundberg) 
• Practical Vocal Acoustics: Pedagogic Applications for Teachers and Singers (Kenneth W Bozeman)
• The Vocal Athlete: Application and Technique for the Hybrid Singer (Rosenberg & Leborgne)