Rachel Day

Dr. Rachel Day serves as an Assistant Professor in the School of Fine and Performing Arts at Northwest Missouri State University, a position she assumed in 2022. Her academic expertise bridges vocal performance, voice science, and somatic pedagogy, with significant contributions to interdisciplinary voice education methodologies.

Her educational background includes:

• D.M.A. in Vocal Performance, Arizona State University, 2013
• M.M. in Vocal Performance and M.M. in Vocal Performance Pedagogy, Arizona State University, 1997
• B.A. in Music, Smith College, 1994

Dr. Day's research centers on Voice Science, Acoustics, and Voice Pedagogy, with specialized investigations into Voice Production and the Brain, Motor Learning, Somatic Learning, Body-mapping, and Psychoacoustics. Her work integrates neuroscience with practical vocal training, developing evidence-based approaches to enhance vocal health through somatic practices like Bones for Life and CoreSinging. This interdisciplinary framework examines how body awareness and motor learning principles directly impact vocal production and rehabilitation.

Her scholarly output demonstrates consistent focus on somatic-vocal integration, exemplified by her 2021 Voice and Speech Review article analyzing the Bones for Life method's application for vocalists. This research reflects broader trends in voice science toward embodied cognition and biomechanical approaches to vocal pedagogy.

Dr. Day maintains active professional service through leadership roles including Membership Director for the Pan American Vocology Association (2019-2023) and multiple chair/adjudicator positions for the National Association of Teachers of Singing. She advises the American Choral Directors Association student group and has facilitated extensive student conference participation across national events.

As a performing artist, she maintains an active recital schedule featuring diverse repertoire from classical to contemporary works, with frequent solo appearances in Handel's Messiah and other major choral compositions, demonstrating the practical application of her research in professional performance contexts.