Singing, Song, and Community workshop, July 22
Singing impacts lives in positive ways from birth until senior years. It also impacts communities. A workshop entitled “Singing, Song, and Community” will take place Friday, July 22, from 1 pm—4:15 pm in UPEI’s SDU Main Building Faculty Lounge. It begins with a keynote presentation from Rachel Heydon of the University of Western Ontario’s Faculty of Education and coordinator of the Early Childhood Education master’s program. She is also a longstanding research leader within the UPEI-led Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing (AIRS) project and a former faculty member of the UPEI Faculty of Education. She will speak on “Singing-Infused Multimodal Intergenerational Curricula: (Re) Conceptualizing why Multimodal Literacy Matters,” based on a book co-authored with Susan O’Neill of Simon Fraser University.
The remaining program will include short presentations from leaders of local community organizations who will describe their mandates and suggest how singing connects directly or indirectly with them. The speakers are Jane Arbing (Chances Family Centre PEI), Corrine Hendricken-Eldershaw (Alzheimer Society of PEI), Mark Sandiford (Culture PEI), Pamela Campbell (voice teacher, performer, conductor), and Nathan Hood (president, UPEI Student Union).
After refreshments, the following psychology students, who are conducting research on singing at UPEI, will make brief presentations on their work: Hailey Arsenault, Quincy Beck (visiting from Brown University), Eric Da Silva, Kyle Dutton, and Julienne Lecky.
The AIRS UPEI Multicultural Choir and Song Circle will close the workshop. Throughout the afternoon, there will opportunity for audience discussion and participation.
The event is under the auspices of the UPEI-led AIRS project (supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council), the UPEI Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, and the UPEI Faculty of Education.
Anyone with an interest in community, music and well-being is encouraged to attend. This event is free.
The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and St. Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.
