The University of Melbourne, Faculty of Fine Arts & Music

The University of Melbourne

What does participation involve?

If you are a singer who has absolute pitch:
Participation involves being interviewed online (via Zoom) about your experiences, practices and beliefs regarding absolute pitch. We estimate the time commitment to be approximately 1 hour.
The kinds of questions you will be asked include:
  • How is absolute pitch relevant to you as a singer?
  • What (if any) are the challenges of having absolute pitch as a singer?
  • How important is absolute pitch to your sense of identity?
As is standard practice in absolute pitch research, you will also be asked to demonstrate your ability by completing a short note-naming and singing task.
If you are interested in being involved, please contact us.
If you are a singing teacher:
Participation involves completing an online survey: https://melbourneuni.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5vfwBMhdHe1KwTk
We estimate the time commitment to be approximately 20 minutes.
If you would rather answer the questions verbally, please contact us to arrange an online interview.
The kinds of questions you will be asked include:
  • What (if any) are the challenges associated with teaching a singer who has absolute pitch?
  • What strategies have you used to address these challenges?
  • In your opinion, what (if any) are the advantages of absolute pitch for singers?
How will my data be protected?
This project has human research ethics approval from The University of Melbourne [ethics ID 21169].
You will be referred to anonymously in all reporting of your data unless you explicitly tell us that you want to be referred to by your real name.
All data will be collected and stored in password-protected folders on The University of Melbourne’s server. Only the named researchers can access the folder.
Your raw data will be securely stored at The University of Melbourne for five years after the final publication of this research. After that time, they will be destroyed in accordance with the university’s Code of Conduct for Research.
If you would like more information about The University of Melbourne’s Cybersecurity policy, please visit https://www.unimelb.edu.au/cybersecurity#about
Are there any risks associated with participating in this study?
The risks associated with taking part in this research are minimal. Your personal data will be kept confidential. All data will be treated in accordance with the privacy protocols approved by the Human Ethics Research Committee of The University of Melbourne. There are no identifiable risks for teachers. For singers, some of the questions relate to self-identity and past experiences. There is the potential, therefore, that some people may feel uncomfortable answering questions of this nature. However, you do not have to answer any question you don’t want to.