Music Education Special Interest Group
Research Seminars Announcement
Virtual Choirs: Going Beyond Worldwide Massive Collectives
Dr Christopher Cayari, Purdue University, USA
Tuesday 2 May 2017
14.00 – 15.00
Room: 938
Further details from Lucy Green, l.green@ucl.ac.uk
All are welcome!
Virtual Choirs: Going Beyond Worldwide Massive Collectives
For many, the term virtual choir has become synonymous with composer-conductor Eric Whitacre. However, thousands of people have created videos and published their own virtual ensembles online through websites like YouTube. This workshop presents the various ways choral singers perform through YouTube including joining large collective virtual ensembles like Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir as well as collaborating internationally and creating one-person projects that resemble choruses of clones. Dr. Cayari has conducted multiple studies and authored book chapters and research articles on the topic of online choral singing and will present practical ways on how to create your own virtual choir in traditional settings or for your leisure. The benefits and drawbacks of virtual singing in various settings will also be discussed.
Christopher Cayari is on the faculty at Purdue University as an Assistant Professor of Music Education in the Rueff School of Visual and Performing Arts. He holds master's and doctorate degrees in music education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor's degree from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois, USA. Dr. Cayari's primary research interests are music making on YouTube and popular music ensembles. He is also interested in virtual identities; sexuality and masculinities; the intersections of race, ethnicity, culture, and music; and educational technologies. Dr. Cayari has led various show, jazz, and classical choirs and has extensive musical theater experience both on stage and as a director. His teaching has awarded him the honor of being named on the List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent at the University of Illinois. He has developed virtual learning communities that have been used in traditional, hybrid, and online courses. He has conducted workshops and clinics about popular vocal stylings across the US and has an international speaking record discussing technology and music education. Dr. Cayari currently teaches music for the elementary educator and is conducting various research projects on how general classroom teachers use music with their students. Dr. Cayari current and recent projects have been presented across the United States and in the United Kingdom, China, Norway, and Canada. His research has recently appeared in the Oxford Handbook series, Tech Trends, General Music Today, and the International Journal of Community Music.
