AHRC Research Centre for Musical Performance as Creative Practice
Karen Wise: Research Associate I (Quantitative Methods)
Tel: +44 (0)1223 335179
Email: kjw54@cam.ac.uk
Karen Wise is a psychologist, performer and teacher and began her professional life as a classical mezzo soprano. She studied music at the University of York, followed by postgraduate training at the Royal Northern College of Music, where her prizes included the Brigitte Fassbaender Award for Lieder. She continues to perform as a soloist in oratorio, opera and concerts. In 2002 Karen began psychology study, first with the Open University, then at Wolverhampton University. She gained a PhD scholarship at Keele University with Prof. John Sloboda, and was awarded her doctorate in 2009 for her thesis ‘Understanding tone deafness: a multicomponential analysis of perception, cognition, singing and self-perceptions in adults reporting musical difficulties’. Karen received a 2006 Young Researcher Award from the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music.
Publications
James, M., Wise, K., & Rink, J. (Article accepted). Exploring creativity in musical performance through lesson observation with video-recall interviews. Scientia Pedagogica Experimentalis.
Anderson, S., Himonides, E., Wise, K., Welch, G., & Stewart, L. (In press). Congenital amusia: is there potential for learning? A study of the effects of singing interventions on pitch perception and production of those with congenital amusia. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Wise, K. J. & Sloboda, J. A. (2008). Establishing an empirical profile of self-defined ‘tone deafness’: Perception, singing performance and self-assessment. Musicae Scientiae, 12, 3-23
Wise, K.J., Sloboda, J.A. & Peretz, I. (2007). Progress in understanding ‘tone deafness’. British Academy Review, 10, 52-54
Sloboda, J. A., Wise, K. J. & Peretz, I. (2005). Quantifying tone deafness in the general population. The Neurosciences and Music II: From Perception to Performance, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1060, 255-261
Conference presentations
Wise, K.J., James, M., & Rink, J. Learning to be a creative performer: Developing mixed methods to understand teachers’ and students’ approaches and constructs. International Symposium on Performance Science, University of Toronto, Canada, August 24-27, 2011.
Wise, K. J. & Sloboda, J. A. Motor control of singing in the self-defined ‘tone deaf’. Seventh Triennial ESCOM conference, University of Jӱvaskala, Finland, August 2009.
Wise, K. J. & Sloboda, J. A. Perceptual and productive skills in the ‘tone deaf’: A componential analysis. Experimental Psychology Society, Liverpool, July 1-3 2008.
Wise, K. J. & Sloboda, J. A. Singing performance and vocal range in the self-defined ‘tone deaf’. Paper within symposium on ‘Biological Foundations of Musical Ability’, Third Conference of Interdisciplinary Musicology, Tallinn, Estonia, August 2007.
Sloboda, J.A., Wise, K.J. & Peretz, I. Can amusics perceive harmony? 9th International Conference of Music Perception and Cognition/ 6th Triennial ESCOM conference, Bologna, Italy, August 2006
Wise, K. J. & Sloboda, J. A. Establishing an empirical profile of self-defined ‘tone deafness’: Perception, singing performance and self-assessment. 9th International Conference of Music Perception and Cognition/ 6th Triennial ESCOM conference, Bologna, Italy, August 2006
Wise, K. J. & Sloboda, J. A. Assessing the Musical Skills of the Self-defined ‘tone deaf’. Teaching, Learning and Performing Music, Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, 1-2 July 2006
Wise, K. J., Lamont, A., Brown, L. & Hodgson, E. Musicians who think they can’t sing? Exploring singing confidence in a student population. Teaching, Learning and Performing Music, Royal Northern College of Music, 1-2 July 2006
Sloboda, J. A., Wise, K. J. & Peretz, I. (2005). Quantifying tone deafness in the general population. The Neurosciences and Music. Leipzig, May 2005
Invited talks
Wise, K.J., James, M., & Rink, J. MCreativity and originality in musical performance: Research report on the teaching and learning of creative music-making in two London conservatoires. Creativities: Transcending Boundaries in Higher Music Education. Symposium, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, 20th June 2011.
Singing skills in the self-defined ‘tone deaf’ and those with congenital amusia. British Voice Association Research Day, March 2010.
Exploring singing skills in the ‘tone deaf’. ‘Music and Brain’ seminar series, Goldsmiths/UCL, April 2008
Tone deafness and other musical deficits: Developing a comprehensive diagnostic battery. With John Sloboda. University of Middlesex Psychology seminar series, March 2007