Mindful Singing: Exploring Mindfulness and Self-Regulation in Classical Singing

The harmonious partnership between the mind and body lies at the core of practice and performance for classical singers. Mindfulness (staying in the present moment) and Self-regulation (understanding and controlling ones own learning environment) are key concepts that when applied to the discipline of classical singing, could help to enhance the growth of efficient learning skills and healthy vocal development. This paper gathers the philosophies and perspectives of respected researchers (including Jon Kabat-Zinn, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and K. Anders Ericsson), and organizes them into three separate stages: 1) Mindfulness Stage One which involves mindfulness meditation, developing awareness and increased concentration by paying exclusive attention to the breath, 2) Self-Regulation which centers on deliberate practice, the experts approach to acquiring and developing a skill, acting as a bridge to 3) Mindfulness Stage Two FLOW, the state in which the mind-body connection has been finely tuned to the point that the performance seems effortless and spontaneous. Research data was acquired from classically trained singers through a comprehensive online survey, to determine if the concepts of Mindfulness and Self-regulation were being utilized in the training and performance of classical singers. Comparisons were made between the responses of student singers and professional singers. The intention was to look for commonalities and differences with regards to their training and performance practices as well as their perspectives on and experience with these key concepts. Based on the survey results, the researcher concludes that the singer participants are familiar with and do apply some basic Mindfulness and Self-regulatory concepts and strategies to their practice of singing. The researcher believes that the singers could benefit from a deeper understanding of these concepts, leading to more consistent and focused training and performance. Further research is needed that would require direct observation of the singers implementation of these concepts into their regular practice routine. The information garnered through this dissertation sets up a foundation for promising future research projects, such as the development of smart-phone applications as tools for self-feedback and self-analysis, further exploring how Mindfulness and Self-regulation can be applied to classical singing.