Researchers:

Jenny Duck-Chong  jenny@halcyonartmusic.com.au

Nicole Thomson  n.thomson@cqu.edu.au

Thank you for participating in the AASR survey No. 2. This survey is for teachers of singing, anyone who currently teaches or has taught Australian Art Song and those who have an interest in learning more about this repertoire.  The information that you provide will help us in refining material for the Australian Art Song Resource Stage 1: Currently Taught Songs.

 

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

We want the new Australian Art Song Resource to reflect the broader teaching community.  In Stage 1 of the project, in consultation with singing teachers, composers, institutions and publishers and through the data drawn from these surveys we are creating a new Resource.  

Your assistance with this survey will provide us with more data to consolidate the AASR: Stage 1 - a new easily searchable online resource that collates in one place the Australian Art Songs that are currently taught in studios and classrooms around the country.  

Our research has confirmed that current resources can be incomplete or inconsistent in the information they provide. Time-poor teachers can find it difficult to make informed selections. The AASR will make it easier for teachers to select repertoire appropriate to their needs, by providing detailed information on each song and its resources.

AASR Survey No. 2 is in three sections:

1. Currently Taught Songs (itemising the 47 songs and 5 song cycles);
2. Questions arising from Survey No. 1: Sources and Criteria; and 
3. Additional Songs

This short anonymous survey should take approx. 10 minutes to complete. The survey will close at midnight on Friday 22nd November 2024, at which time the survey link will be disabled. 

________________

PLEASE READ AND COMPLETE THIS SECTION BEFORE STARTING THE SURVEY

For the protection of every participant completing this survey, we would like to confirm that you understand the following:

• your answers will be submitted anonymously
• that you are participating voluntarily
• that any research findings may be included in future publications
• that you are 18 years of age or older

Please indicate your agreement below. You can then proceed to the online survey.

Section 1: Currently taught repertoire

The first section of this survey is the list of currently taught songs and song cycles sourced from Survey No. 1 responses.

We observed a diverse collection of Australian songs being taught in studios. However, there seems to be limited interaction between teachers as there was surprisingly little crossover in repertoire taught. Additionally we noticed that many of these songs were taught by only a few teachers and, significantly, the majority were taught by individual teachers.  This made us wonder about the connection that teachers may have with the works or composers they teach. What has led them to teaching these songs in their studios?

1.1 Individual songs

The first AASR survey, conducted in 2022, was designed to determine which Australian Art Songs were currently being taught in studios and classrooms. The following 47 Art Songs fitted the criteria* now established for the Resource.

^{*i.e. the songs are not from staged or choral works and have been written by recognised Australian classical composers. Definitions of the criteria can be found here.}

Q1. Please complete the following table by responding as follows for each of the songs listed.  

The first two columns are dropdown menus.  You can select ONE ANSWER in each column.

• FAMILIARITY - Is the song known or unknown to you? 
• TEACHING STATUS - Are you currently teaching it, have you taught it, or have you never taught it?

If you teach, or have taught, the song, please provide additional response by CHECKING ALL BOXES THAT APPLY and/or providing a written response. 

Do you teach it because:

• COMPOSER - you have a connection with the composer i.e. you know/knew them or you have studied their work in some depth
• PERFORMED - you have performed this work
• LEARNED - you were taught this work
• HEARD - you have heard a recording or live performance of the song
• LISTED - it appears or appeared on a syllabus eg AMEB or Year 12 listing
• FURTHER COMMENTS - any additional information
  

1.2 Song cycles

AASR Survey No. 1 identified five song cycles with no individual song titles provided. We want to find out which specific songs from these cycles are being taught.  The table below includes the five cycles and their individual song titles.

Q2. If you currently teach any of the below, please add data for any relevant songs.

If you teach the complete cycle, you may follow the example below.  Alternatively you may add data for any individual song. 

Section 2: Further questions arising from Survey no. 1
Sources and criteria

The AASR Survey No. 1 looked at the sources teachers were currently using and the criteria with which they made their song selections.  It highlighted that at present teachers often feel they are lacking enough information to make informed selections of repertoire in a time-efficient manner, despite a willingness to introduce Australian repertoire to their students. 

The data also raised some further questions regarding Sources and Criteria which we wish to clarify.

2.1 Sources

Some songs listed by respondents are not solo works but are pieces written for choir. We would like to know why this repertoire has been selected for solo voice students. Additionally, some Currently Taught songs do not appear to be available as sheet music. We would like to know how this music has been accessed. 

To help us more fully understand the sources teachers are currently using, please answer the following questions as they apply to you.

Some Currently Taught Art Songs are out of print or not commercially available. Some teachers may have acquired music from their teachers or academic studies, including photocopies*.

^{* Notwithstanding copyright restrictions on photocopied material, your answer here is anonymous and will help us better understand the realities of current usage and to advocate for accessibility.} 

2.2 Criteria

In Survey No. 1 we asked teachers to rank the key criteria they used to select repertoire. The initial findings are listed below, ranked by percentage, from highest to lowest. The level of difficulty was the primary area of importance for most teachers. However, the top six criteria were important to 60% or more of respondents.

• 86% Difficulty 
• 80% Range
• 80% Score availability
• 77% Suitability (eg. age appropriate, level of singer development) 
• 63% Voice type (specific voice type or compass)
• 60% Tessitura 
• 43% Audio recording available 
• 37% Recommended or taught by others 
• 37% Featured on required or recommended repertoire lists
  

Section 3: Additional Songs

3.1 Songs with incomplete information

There were additional songs and/or composers named in Survey  No. 1 that we had insufficient information to verify.  This was because either:

a)individual song titles were not specified; or
b)we could not confirm the composers from the song titles provided

Here is a table of the incomplete data. If you are able to assist by providing any individual song titles (not already included in the songs listed above) or providing any missing composer information, please list these in the individual response boxes below.

3.2 Any other currently taught songs

 Q8.If there are Australian Art Songs* that you are currently teaching that have not yet been mentioned in this survey, please include them here.  

^{*i.e. Art Songs that have been written by recognised Australian classical composers, are solo songs and not drawn from staged or choral works.} 

Please add any additional pieces not included in the lists above:

Thank you for completing the Australian Art Song Resource Survey No. 2.  With this information we will be completing the Stage 1 resource for online release in 2025.

If you would like to stay connected, please write to us at flametreetrio@gmail.com to join the AASR mailing list. All new subscribers will receive a PDF copy of the Currently Taught Song List in this survey and will also be updated with further research developments.

Please note: You cannot edit this submission once you click the button below. If you think you may want to add any information at a later time, please type a word and number below. When you submit a new survey, just type the same word and number in this box and we can identify your submissions, with anonymity, and collate the information.