Michael Bonshor

Course Director, Music Psychology in Education, Performance and Wellbeing, University of Sheffield
I received my PhD and MA in Music Psychology from the University of Sheffield, where I am currently the Course Director of the MA in Music Psychology in Education, Performance and Wellbeing, and an Honorary Research Fellow. I am a longstanding Fellow of the Incorporated Society of Musicians (recently renamed as the Independent Society of Musicians), a registered trainer for the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

After an early career as a professional singer with international contracts, I developed a diverse portfolio of work as a performer, teacher, conductor, choral arranger, director and workshop leader. I have run my own professional theatre company, opera group and jazz ensemble, alongside maintaining a well-established private teaching practice. I have also taught extensively in primary and secondary schools, Further Education colleges and Higher Education institutions, including York St John University and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

My research interests include performance anxiety management; confidence building for performers; music and wellbeing; ensemble leadership; and group dynamics in musical contexts. I have a special interest in the practical applications of research, and regularly lead public engagement and training events based on my research, teaching and professional experience.

My participatory workshops have included voice training for transgender and non-binary people; group singing for people who self-identify as ‘non-singers’; using singing-related skills to support people with respiratory conditions and vocal disorders; music and wellbeing sessions for mental health service users; practical applications of performance psychology for singers, conductors and choir leaders; and developing confident performance in a wide range of musical and non-musical settings.