Other Writings
Book Chapters
'Choral Pedagogy and the Construction of Identity', in The Oxford Handbook of Choral Pedagogy, edited by Frank Abrahams and Paul Head.
An essay that explores the implications for choral pedagogy of insights from theories of identity formation. Its three central themes are the phenomenon of the 'non-singer', the interpenetration of social and musical identity categories, and the formation of 'supra-personal' identities in ensembles.
Available online here (needs a login).
Co-written with Mike Brewer:
'The making of a choir: understanding individuality and consensus in choral singing', in The Cambridge Companion to Choral Music
An essay that explores the idea of 'ensemble' through the lens of the Enlightenment philosophy of the social contract. How do individual cooperate successfully to form a cohesive choral body? And what are the practical (vocal, musical, organisational) ramifications of these interpersonal politics?
Scholarly Articles
'The Culture Code: Implications for Choral Leadership', Choral Research Journal Vol 2 (2021): 51-66. Full text available online (available only to abcd members until October 2022)
‘Cool charts or barbertrash? Barbershop harmony’s flexible concept of the musical work’ Twentieth-Century Music Vol 2, no. 2 (2005): 245-264. Abstract available online
‘Choral singing as bodily regime’, International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music, Vol 36, no. 2 (2005): 249-269. Abstract available online
‘Separate but Equal? Sexual Politics in the Barbershop’, Women and Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture 3 (1999): 28-42. Available through Questia.com
'Ethics and Aesthetics: The Social Theory of Barbershop Harmony', Popular Music, 18/1 (1999): 1-19. Abstract available online
'Musical Meaning Revisited: Some Thoughts on an 'Epic' Critical Musicology', in The Critical Musicology Journal (1998), Full text available online
Magazine Articles
‘The Conductor’s Charisma: Beyond the Myth’, Mastersinger (Winter 2011)
‘Research Report II: Maintaining the Equilirium’, Mastersinger (Spring 2009)
‘Exploring the Phenomenon of Singing,’ The Singer (Aug/Sep 2009)
‘Research Report: Gesture, Style and Communication’, Mastersinger, (Spring 2005)
Book Reviews
Review of Paul Woodford, Democracy and Music Education: Liberalism, Ethics, and the Politics of Practice (Indiana University Press, 2005), in Music and Letters Vol 87, no. 3 (2006): 478-480.
Review of James R. Briscoe (ed.), New Historical Anthology of Music by Women (Indiana University Press, 2004), in Music and Letters, Vol 87, no. 1 (2006): 167-171.
Review of Paula Gillett, Musical Women in England, 1870-1914 (Macmillan, 2000), in The Times Literary Supplement, 10 November 2000.
Review of Joseph N. Straus, The Music of Ruth Crawford Seeger (CUP, 1995), in Music Analysis Vol 15, no. 3 (1997): 399-407.
Review of Philip Brett, Elizabeth Wood & Gary C. Thomas (eds), Queering the Pitch: the New Gay and Lesbian Musicology (Routledge, 1994), in Music and Letters Vol 77 no. 3 (1996): 482-3.
Review of Keith Tester, Media, Culture and Morality (Routledge, 1994), in Diatribe 5 (1995): 78-9.
Selected Conference Papers
November 2019: The Scholar vs the Practitioner: Choral Research's Fundamental Problematic', presented at the Choral Research Day, Dublin City University.
November 2019: 'Tonal Integrity and Psychological Health', Key-note address at the Hands-On Choral Symposium, University of Aveiro.
December 2015: 'Constructing the Identity of a Feminist Musicologist: Margins or Mainstream?', Key-note address at the Musique et genre.
État des recherches actuelles conference, Université Paris 8.
August 2009: 'The Chameleon Effect: Theories of non-verbal communication and their implications for choral conductors', presented at the Association of British Choral Directors annual convention, Winchester.
July 2009: 'Hand and Voice: the relationship between conductor gesture and vocal production', presented at the Phenomenon of Singing Symposium VII, St John's, Newfoundland.
June 2007: 'The Ethics of Choral Blend', presented at the Music as/and Right Action Conference, University of East Anglia.
January 2003: 'Yesterday's News? Feminist Musicology, Epistemology and Fashion', presented at Critical Musicology Forum study day.
October 2002: 'Tag-singing: The Private Face of Barbershop', at the Voice, Society, Education Study Day, University of Reading.
July 1999: 'Problems in the Gendered Analysis of Instrumental Music: Drama, Narrativity, Personae', at the Feminist Theory and Music/IAWM Conference, London.
April 1995: 'The Frozen, Firm Embodiment of Music: Romantic Aesthetics and the Female Form', presented at the First UK Critical Musicology Conference, Salford.
November 1992: 'Liszt's Gretchen: Ideology in Action', presented at the Music and Cultural Politics Conference, University of Edinburgh.