Kendra Taylor is finishing her PhD in Music Education and will be walking across the graduation stage at Autzen Stadium this spring.
A native Oregonian, Kendra has studied the cello, flute, and voice. After attending Southern Oregon University for her Bachelor of Science in Music and Master of Arts in Teaching, she taught choir for seven years in the Medford School District. She also taught choral methods and concert choir at Southern Oregon University.
She came to the University of Oregon’s School of Music and Dance for her PhD, in part, for its outstanding faculty. “I wanted to work with the music education faculty and learn how to do research,” Kendra said. “One faculty member likes to say, ‘research is my instrument’ and I love that.”
In her position as a graduate employee (GE), she works with Dr. Melissa Brunkan and Dr. Jason Silveira, who have played a vital role in developing her research and teaching skills. Those skills helped her earn the Most Outstanding Poster award at this year’s Graduate Research Forum. She also presented her research at the national ACDA conference in Cincinnati. Her project examines the effects of rose aroma inhalation and imagined rose aroma inhalation on a singer’s tone quality.
Kendra developed the idea for this project after a concept she was introduced to during her choral upbringing. Her teachers would ask her to imagine inhaling the aroma of a fresh rose before singing to change her tone quality. "I was curious,” Kendra recalled. “Does everybody say this? I looked in music textbooks and the rose imagery is very present. I wanted to take it a step further and research whether that rose imagery truly impacted tone quality.”
Her study examined 31 singers who, in a random order, sang in four different conditions. They sang after smelling a real rose, an imagined rose, rose essential oil, and without any of those three as the control. The singers ranked which method they preferred. Judges did the same after reading the same definition of ‘tone quality’ in a textbook.
Her results showed that singers’ preferences varied. “This was not surprising, but it's good to know as a teacher,” she said. “It informs you about your student’s learning style, which is another tool in your toolkit.” To view Kendra’s poster in its entirety, click here.
When she is not studying, Kendra heads to rock-climbing gym, Elevation, with fellow classmates. She practices her bouldering skills and tries to get out there three times a week. “Sometimes you need something to do that distracts you so much that you can't think of anything except for not falling off a wall, so that's perfect!” Kendra laughed.
After graduation, her goal is to land a teaching position in a university setting. She wants to train students to become choir directors, always focusing on the importance of building connections with audiences. “When you're in an ensemble, it's challenging, and you have to constantly push yourself," Kendra said. “It's amazing to be around people with the same goal, and then eventually, to see how that builds a connection with your audience.”
