Tessa is an experienced singing teacher with over 15 years of experience. She holds a BA(hons) degree in Jazz Studies from Leeds Conservatoire and currently teaches Popular Music vocals at the University of Huddersfield. In addition to her university role, she maintains a private teaching practice, leads choirs, and has a performance career.
Her teaching philosophy is rooted in a holistic approach to vocal education, aiming to help students become informed and intentional singers. This passion is reflected in her research, which focuses on the common requirements of her university students, such as warming up, practicing, and the assessment criteria for their performance.
Tessa's recent research, co-authored with Jenna Brown and published in the Journal of Popular Music Education, explores the topic of "Decolonizing stylistic awareness in higher education contemporary commercial music training: Exploring performer–practitioner experiences through an Africentric approach." This research examines how stylistic awareness, which is a crucial aspect of culturally viable performance, can be developed through an Africentric approach. The findings suggest that stylistic awareness is challenging to measure objectively, as it is heavily influenced by a singer's past and present experiences. The article presents pedagogical strategies for student-led, decolonised exploration of this topic.
Research papers:Â
Smith-Whicker, T. and Brown, J., 2024. Decolonizing stylistic awareness in higher education contemporary commercial music training: Exploring performer–practitioner experiences through an Africentric approach. Journal of Popular Music Education, 8(Contemporary Commercial Music Vocals), pp. 157-178. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1386/jpme_00140_1.