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Preparation for the operatic stage means that for some students their voice will undergo significant transformation during training. For most operatic singers, voice type will determine future roles, the music they perform and potential career trajectory. Voice type becomes a facet of identity and position within the operatic world. This article presents a narrative thematic analysis of a young woman's account of her teaching and learning experiences in preparation for a career on the operatic stage. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted, and beliefs and values about her singing and voice type were elicited. This article discusses how significant changes to her voice have affected her self-concept, singer identity and potential career in opera. Also discussed is the impact of conservatorium environment, peers and mentors on her feelings of self-belief.

This article reports on a case study of three directors of large ensembles within a large conservatoire and the ways in which they attempted to scaffold their students into professional music careers. The core aim in this article is to respond to the question "What is the role and function of the ensemble experience on the training of the professional musician?" The study reported on here formed part of a larger project into ensemble assessment practices. However as the study progressed, it became clear that each director perceived that their responsibilities to their students extended well beyond the institutional imperatives of reporting on progress and assessment practices. The sub-questions that relate to this aspect of the study therefore included: "What is the rationale for activities within the ensemble?" "How does the ensemble director facilitate and enable this learning experience?" and "What activities does the director see as intrinsic to the overall ensemble experience?" Using a case study approach, the ensembles involved were observed and their directors were interviewed. Artifacts were also used to support the data generated. These included course outlines, detailed rehearsal expectations and other university prerequisites. The data are presented as narrative accounts of each director. While Directors centered their practices on short-term rehearsal and performance outcomes, they were also keenly aware of the need for students to develop generic musicianship skills and to ensure the development of self-management strategies for life after the conservatoire. (Contains 1 note.)

Participation in an ensemble is a significant aspect of tertiary music experience. Learning and assessment practices within ensembles have rarely been investigated in Australia and the perceptions of staff and students as to how they learn and are assessed within ensembles remain largely unexplored. This paper reports on part of a larger project that investigated learning and assessment practices within ensembles at an Australian Conservatorium of Music. Ensembles contribute to approximately 25% of student work in each semester, and the assessment contributes to a final grade for the semester. Using a case study methodology, four music ensembles were studied. The data generated were coded into themes including assessment practices and processes; collaborative learning practices; the development of the professional musician; and communication and transparency between participants and the institution. Findings revealed that both staff and student participants in this study perceived ensemble participation to be valuable to the development of a professional musician, but that assessment procedures did not always support this goal. Institutional demands were found to be an inhibiting factor in the assessment of ensembles, and both students and teachers had problems with current assessment procedures, resulting in confusion and lack of transparency about how ensembles are assessed. Approaches to the development of the professional musician became a dominant discussion point and a substantial finding of the research. By examining dominant and subjugated knowledge in this domain, institutional power relations were interrogated, existing practices were challenged, and assessment practices rethought.

Background: There are more than 7,800 people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Victoria, Australia. Crucial in maximising the individual and population level benefits from antiretroviral therapy (ART) is understanding how to achieve patient retention in care and the factors that drive it. This study was an expansion of a 2015 assessment of HIV-care retention in Victoria, which sought out to determine whether the inclusion of a broader range of HIV-healthcare sites would yield more accurate estimates of retention in HIV-care. We aimed to improve our understanding of HIV-care retention in Victoria, Australia, identify people living with HIV (PLHIV) with unknown outcomes, and attempt to re-engage PLHIV in care. Methods: A network of 15 HIV-care sites was established in Victoria, Australia across diverse care settings which ranged from low-caseload rural sites to high-caseload metropolitan GP clinics and hospitals. Individuals who had an HIV viral load (VL) performed in both calendar years of 2016 and 2017 were classified as retained in care. Individuals with a VL test in 2016 but not in 2017 were considered to potentially have unknown outcomes as they may have been receiving care elsewhere, have disengaged from care or died. For this group, an intervention of cross-referencing partially de-identified data between healthcare sites, and contact tracing individuals who still had unknown outcomes was performed. Results: For 5223 individuals considered to be retained in care across 15 healthcare sites in the study period, 49 had unconfirmed transfers of care to an alternative provider and 79 had unknown outcomes. After the intervention, the number of unconfirmed care transfers was reduced to 17 and unknown outcomes reduced to 51. These changes were largely attributed to people being reclassified as confirmed transfers of care. Retention in care estimates that did not include the patient outcome of confirmed transfer of care ranged from 76.2 to 95.8% and did not alter with the intervention. However, retention in care estimates which considered confirmed transfers and those that re-entered care at a new site as retained in care significantly increased across five of the sites with estimates ranging from 80.9 to 98.3% pre-intervention to 83.3–100% post-intervention. Individuals whose outcomes remained unknown post-intervention were more often men who have sex with men (MSM) when compared to other categories (person who injects drugs (PWID), combined PWID/MSM, men who identify as heterosexual or unknown) (74.5% vs. 53.5%, [p = 0.06]) and receiving ART at their last HIV-care visit (84.3% vs. 67.8% [p = 0.09]). Conclusion: This study confirmed high retention in HIV-care and low numbers of people disengaged from HIV-care in Victoria. This was demonstrated across a larger number of sites with varying models of care than a prior assessment in 2015. These data align with national and state targets aiming for 95% of PLHIV retained in HIV-care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 has had enormous impact on health and social systems, with stringent public health measures enacted across Australia. The virus itself disproportionately affects immunocompromised individuals including people without functioning spleens. We thus sought to characterise the psychological and physical impact of COVID-19 and such measures upon this oft-neglected patient group., Methods: Adults ≥ 18 years old identified from the Spleen Australia (SA) database were invited to participate in an online survey in November to December 2021 to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stata (v17, StataCorps, Texas, USA) was used to conduct descriptive and frequency analyses., Results: 2864 respondents were surveyed. The majority were female (1473/2838, 51.9%), Australian-born (2257/2835, 79.6%), and living in Victoria (1755/2822, 62.2%). The largest age group was 61-70 years-old (841/2858, 29.4%). Trauma was the commonest reason for asplenia (826/2724, 30.3%). Respondents reported the pandemic reduced their ability to visit a GP (753/2864, 26.3%), access food (153/2864, 5.3%), medications (179/2864, 6.3%) or spleen-specific vaccines (120/2864, 4.2%), maintain relationships (503/2864, 17.6%), or care for children (127/2864, 4.4%). 84.8% of participants reported at least one impact of COVID, including negative physical health (1463/2864, 51.1%), mental health (733/2864, 25.6%) and financial repercussions (509/2864, 17.8%). 96.9% (2743/2831) had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines., Conclusions: Overall, we found detailed evidence of the negative psychological and physical impacts of the pandemic upon this cohort. We recommend that providers consider people without functioning spleens as requiring extra social and psychological support in circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the delivery of adult, maternal and childhood immunisation services in Australia in 2020 prior to the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, and to understand the adaptations made at a service delivery level that may have contributed to the successful delivery of immunisation services during the first year of the pandemic., Methods: An electronic survey was sent to immunisation providers and pharmacists in all states and territories in Australia between November 2020 and December 2020. It explored interruption to the delivery of immunisation services, strategies implemented to maintain services, prioritisation of populations, and self-reported challenges and solutions initiated by providers., Results: A total of 850 people responded to the survey. Of these, the most common professional groups identified were pharmacists followed by nurse immunisers, nurses/midwives and general practitioners. Several changes were implemented including relocation of vaccination clinics, change to bookings rather than walk-in appointments, infection prevention measures, clients waiting in cars pre- and post-vaccination and reduced observation period post-vaccination., Conclusion: The pandemic has provided opportunities for services to trial new and innovative strategies such as electronic pre-assessment, electronic consent and drive-through vaccination services., Implications for Public Health: Immunisation providers mostly viewed these changes positively and intend to continue many post-pandemic. The experience gained from the trialling of these strategies may be adapted for vaccine delivery and National Immunisation Program vaccines beyond the pandemic., (© 2022 The Authors.)