Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Alumnus Attends Conference in France

Colleen (Fielding) Cook, '07
Colleen (Fielding) Cook, '07, recently spent two weeks in France as part of the staff for the ninth Pan European Voice Conference (PEVOC).  Colleen received her bachelor's degree in music education from Ashland in 2007 and is now a full-time graduate student pursuing two master's degrees in voice pedagogy and arts management at Shenandoah Consevatory in Winchester, Virginia.  Colleen was the only PEVOC staff member from the United States and was recommended for the position by Shenandoah faculty.  Prior to the conference, at the suggestion of former AU music faculty member Dr. Donald Sloan, Colleen spent a week sight-seeing in Paris.  During her free time, she had the opportunity to visit many famous landmarks and museums, eat as many French pastries as possible, and become friends with travelers from around the globe.  At the PEVOC congress, Colleen had the privilege to attend many lectures and workshops sharing cutting edge research in the field of voice science, voice care, and singing voice instruction.  Colleen's current research interests focus on Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) styles and methodologies; as staff for PEVOC, Colleen had the opportunity to meet with some of the leading researchers and teachers in this field of research.  "Being a part of the staff for PEVOC and having the opportunity to travel in France has exposed me to many new and exciting ideas and expanded my education in a way a classroom never could... but I never would have been equipped to do it without the exceptional education I received in the classroom at both Ashland and Shenandoah."

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