VOICE & COMMUNICATION - academic & researcher focus

Contributors: Dr Arla Good & Prof. Frank Russo (Toronto Metropolitan University); Anni Pitkanlemi & Dr Teppo Sarkamo (University of Helsinki).

Respondent: Dr Dave Camlin

About the Contributors

Anni Pitkäniemi, MA, is a clinical psychologist and doctoral researcher, currently completing her PhD thesis on the neural organization of speech and singing and the effects of group-based singing on verbal, cognitive, emotional and neural recovery in post-stroke aphasia. Her research interests include developing music-based interventions for patients with neurological and neurodegenerative disorders and applying music in the treatment of chronic pain conditions and as a part of end-of-life care. Pitkäniemi is based in the Music, Ageing and Rehabilitation Team under the Cognitive Brain Research Unit of University of Helsinki, Finland, that belongs to Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind Body and Brain. Alongside research work, Pitkäniemi specialises in clinical neuropsychology, works in private practice providing neuropsychological rehabilitation services and works as a university instructor in clinical psychology in the University of Oulu, Finland.

Some suggested readings from our group:

Pitkäniemi, A., Särkämö, T., Siponkoski, S. T., Brownsett, S. L. E., Copland, D. A., Sairanen, V., & Sihvonen, A. J. (2023). Hodological organization of spoken language production and singing in the human brain. Communications Biology, 6(1), 779. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-05152-y

https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-05152-y

Martínez-Molina, N., Siponkoski, S. T., Pitkäniemi, A., Moisseinen, N., Kuusela, L., Pekkola, J., Laitinen, S., Särkämö, E. R., Melkas, S., Kleber, B., Schlaug, G., Sihvonen, A., & Särkämö, T. (2022). Neuroanatomical correlates of speech and singing production in chronic post-stroke aphasia. Brain Communications, 4(1), fcac001. https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcac001

https://academic.oup.com/braincomms/article/4/1/fcac001

Siponkoski, S. T., Pitkäniemi, A., Laitinen, S., Särkämö, E. R., Pentikäinen, E., Eloranta, H., Tuomiranta, L., Melkas, S., Schlaug, G., Sihvonen, A. J., & Särkämö, T. (2022). Efficacy of a multicomponent singing intervention on communication and psychosocial functioning in chronic aphasia: a randomized controlled crossover trial. Brain Communications, 5(1), fcac337. https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcac337

https://academic.oup.com/braincomms/article/5/1/fcac337/

Sihvonen, A. J., Pitkäniemi, A., Siponkoski, S. T., Kuusela, L., Martínez-Molina, N., Laitinen, S., Särkämö, E. R., Pekkola, J., Melkas, S., Schlaug, G., Sairanen, V., & Särkämö, T. (2024). Structural Neuroplasticity Effects of Singing in Chronic Aphasia. eNeuro, 11(5), ENEURO.0408-23.2024. https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0408-23.2024

https://www.eneuro.org/content/11/5/ENEURO.0408-23.2024

Dr Dave Camlin is an award-winning musician from Cumbria UK whose practice spans performance, composition, teaching, Community Music (CM) and research. He lectures in music education at the Royal College of Music and Trinity-Laban Conservatoire and was Head of HE / Research at Sage Gateshead from 2010-19. His research interests include: CM, especially group singing; music, health and wellbeing; musician education. He has pioneered the use of Sensemaker® ‘distributed ethnography’ as a research method for understanding artistic and cultural experiences. His recent book Music Making and Civic Imagination explores the potential of musicing as both a complex adaptive system (CAS) and a global resource for sustainability.