Presentations by PhD students

Please note: This session is online-only. 

Upendra Sonpimple (PhD candidate in Sociology) | Power of Dalit Music: Musical Mobilisation in the Dalit Movement

Abstract to follow

Yi Wang (PhD candidate in Music) | An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of How Higher Education Pedagogical Practice and the Broader Institutional Context Shape Vocal Music Students’ Music Performance Anxiety and Coping Strategies (working title)

Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a severe issue that affects higher education (HE) music students' performance quality, mental health, and career development. Current MPA research predominantly focuses on therapeutic interventions, but less attention is given to the impact of pedagogical practice. Little to no research adopts a broader policy perspective on this issue. Therefore, this study aims to explore how pedagogical factors, institutional policy and wider contextual conditions might shape students’ experiences of MPA. Situated within a critical realist paradigm, the study adopts a qualitative approach informed by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. Semi-structured interviews are being conducted with six HE vocal tutors and two students of each tutor, resulting in a total of 18 participants. The data are being analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The findings will be presented through approximately 17 IPA themes, organised into three overarching categories: pedagogical practices, institutional context, and coping strategies. These themes will illuminate both tutors’ and students’ perspectives on how MPA is experienced, shaped, and managed within HE vocal education.