Voice & Parkinson’s disease
MusVIP explores music-based voice intervention for people with Parkinson’s disease, with attention to voice production and quality of life.
ACADEMIC PROFILE
Performance informs
discovery.
Associate Professor Cav. Dr. Ang Mei Foong
Head, Department of Music · Faculty of Human Ecology
Universiti Putra Malaysia
ARTIST & SCHOLAR
A voice for
music and wellbeing.
Mei Foong’s academic work brings performance, voice health, community engagement and music education into conversation.
Her expertise spans Western classical vocal and opera performance; art song interpretation; Malaysian art song programming and documentation; vocal health and music-based voice rehabilitation; and music curriculum design.
She founded the Music-Based Voice Intervention Protocol (MusVIP) and has worked with the Malaysian Parkinson’s Disease Association. Her teaching includes vocal studies, choir and postgraduate research methods.
RESEARCH & COMMUNITY
Music that reaches beyond the stage.
Long COVID & rehabilitation
Project lead for research into a music-based rehabilitation framework for long-term post-COVID symptoms (2021–2024).
Malaysian art song
Research on intercultural meaning and the formation of the musical-Malaysia through art song and performance practice (2023–2025).
Education & cultural heritage
Curriculum development for Malaysian Chinese independent schools, alongside research into musical heritage, learning and performance.
Community projects
Sing for Parkinson’s (2017–2018) · Come Together: A Music Program of Hope and Happiness (2021) · Music Painting (2020, 2022) · Melodies of Mine (2024) · Tune-up Together
CURRICULUM & MUSIC EDUCATION
Shaping music education in schools.
Mei Foong contributes her expertise to the design and development of music education for Chinese independent secondary schools in Malaysia.
She serves as an advisor to Dong Zong’s Curriculum Division, as well as a subject advisor for Music and Performing Arts. Her work includes writing music curricula for both junior middle school and senior middle school levels.
Bringing together her experience as a performer and educator, she also serves as chief editor and author of several chapters in the published school music books.
The junior middle school publications shown here are 《音乐》 (Music) and 《乐理与视唱作业簿》 (Music Theory and Sight-Singing Workbook).
Buy the textbooks ↗
Chief editor and contributing chapter author: Ang Mei Foong.
WRITING FOR THE GENERAL READER
Music for everyone.
BOOK FOR GENERAL READERS · MARCH 2026
《听音乐在说话》
Language: Chinese. This book is written in Chinese.
Listen to Music Speak is a collection of accessible writing about music for the general public. It brings together nearly 100 essays on music by Dr. Ang Mei Foong, the Malaysian soprano and vocal artist whose honours include a Global Music Awards Silver Medal and the BOH Cameronian Arts Award for Best Solo Performance (Vocal).
Drawing on her extensive experience on stage and in the classroom, Mei Foong combines musical expertise with warmth and a thoughtful human perspective.
The book is organised into six sections. The first three introduce musical foundations, exploring differences between Chinese and Western notation, the background of classical music, the fundamentals of vocal practice, and composers’ lives and musical spirit. The final three explore the art of listening and appreciating music, guiding readers towards a deeper understanding of classical music and vocal artistry.
Publisher: Empress Culture / 三三出版社
Series: 三言书系 (Sanyan Series), No. 08
SCHOLARLY WORK
Research publications.
Journal publications & research pipeline
References are arranged alphabetically by author in APA style. Accepted and ongoing manuscripts are listed separately.
- Ang, M. F. (2018). Voice characteristics of people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP): An overview on baseline vocal characteristics and guidelines for therapeutic singing. Malaysian Journal of Music, 7, 208–224.
- Ang, M. F., Chang, L. Y., & Tan, A. G. (2022). Singing in an odd time: Choristers’ perspectives on virtual choir experience and live choir experience. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences.
- Ang, M. F., & Selvarajah, I. (2021). Exploring the reception of the tele-based music programme in people with Parkinson’s disease during the period of the movement control order due to the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences.
- Chang, L. Y., & Ang, M. F. (2021). Parental attitudes and awareness of parental roles in children's musical instrument learning. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences.
- Chang, L. Y., Ang, M. F., & Musib, A. F. (2024). Evaluation of vocal and pulmonary health through acoustic analysis of voice and respiratory measurements in people with long COVID-19 symptoms. Journal of Voice.
- Chen, J., Ang, M. F., & Geng, H. (2026). Unveiling the knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward Middle Chinese pronunciation in the recitation of Tang poetry: A survey among Malaysian poetry enthusiasts. Humanities and Social Sciences Letters, 14(1), 280–297. https://doi.org/10.18488/73.v14i1.4705
- Cheng, F., & Ang, M. F. (2025). Reliability and validity testing of the Chinese version of the Self-Directed Learning Scale among middle school students. Frontiers in Psychology.
- Cheng, F., Ang, M. F., Yu, J., Li, R., & Li, C. (2025). Evaluation of secondary school students’ informal learning practices in popular music and their creativity. International Journal of Music Education.
- Du, J., & Ang, M. F. (2023). We-media for digital vocal music education: A reflection of feasibility of a technology-based vocal classroom. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(18). https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v13-i18/19977
- How, D. S., & Ang, M. F. (2021). A vocal health survey among primary school teachers in Klang valley, Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(7), 1687–1697.
- Huang, X., & Ang, M. F. (2022). Value flow in music content production: A case study. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences.
- Huang, X., & Ang, M. F. (2024). Factors predicting singers’ work efficiency and singers’ singing peak. International Journal of Music Business Research, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.2478/ijmbr-2024-0004
- Lin, Z., & Ang, M. F. (2025). Coexistence of tradition and modernity for cultural sustainability: The Teochew opera approach in Malaysia. Arts.
- Lin, Z., Chieng, J. C. Y., & Ang, M. F. (2024). Symbolism in ritual: An example of Teochew opera performance among the Malaysian Chinese. Pakistan Journal of Life and Social Sciences, 22(2), 7715–7731. https://doi.org/10.57239/PJLSS-2024-22.2.00582
- Liu, Q., & Ang, M. F. (2026). Factor structure and validation of the Chinese version of the Mazzarolo Music Performance Anxiety Scale (M-MPAS-Cn). International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(4). https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v16-i4/28046
- Liu, Q., Ang, M. F., & Daud, M. N. (2026). The relationship between self-compassion and music performance anxiety among undergraduate music students. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v15-i2/28073
- Long, S., & Ang, M. F. (2024). Narrative review on the development and challenges of pipa education in China. Multidisciplinary Review.
- Long, S., Madon, Z., Norowi, N. M., & Ang, M. F. (2025). A mixed-methods systematic review of mental health activities among urban left behind children (ULBC) in mainland China. Frontiers in Public Health.
- Selvarajah, I. V., & Ang, M. F. (2019). The MusVIP protocol: Perspectives from Malaysian older adults with Parkinson’s on music therapy. Jurnal Pengguna Malaysia, 33, 117–135. https://jpmjurnal.com/jpm/article/view/109
- Yan, Y., & Ang, M. F. (2022). Research on the application of chorus in mental health education in primary and secondary schools and its enlightenment. Psychiatria Danubina, 34(Suppl. 4), 1091–1095.
- Yang, Y., Selvarajah, I., & Ang, M. F. (2024). A comprehensive review of musical creativity through the lens of bibliometric analysis. Artseduca, 2024(39), 107–128. https://doi.org/10.58262/ArtsEduca.3909
- Zhang, L., & Ang, M. F. (2026). Assessment of the Vocal Risk Screening for Choristers Scale. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 34(S1). https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.34.S1.08
- Zhang, X. P., Loo, F. C., Ang, M. F., & Yeoh, P. S. (2025). Interpreting music sonority and performance techniques from the staccato notations in Wang Jianzhong’s “Three Variations of the Plum Blossom Melody”. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v14-i1/24818
- Zhang, Z., & Ang, M. F. (2026). Functional, emotional, and physical dimensions of voice fatigue among music teachers at a private arts university in Sichuan, China: A cross-sectional survey. Frontiers in Public Health.
- Zhao, L., & Ang, M. F. (2024). The place reconstruction, government practice, and ethnic identity of Chinese folk song Zhangjiachuan hua’er. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(5), 858–877. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v14-i5/21459
- Zhao, L., & Ang, M. F. (2025). Travel through times of Hua’er: Cultural integration and historical transformation in Northwest China. Asian Culture and History, 17(1), 73–86. https://doi.org/10.5539/ach.v17n1p73
- Zhao, L., & Ang, M. F. (2026). Intervention of artificial intelligence individualized music therapy on emotion and memory function of elderly people with mild cognitive impairment. Journal of Mechanics in Medicine and Biology.
Accepted & ongoing manuscripts
- Du, J., & Ang, M. F. (2026). A systematic review of Guqü literature (1993–2024) [Manuscript in preparation].
- Koh, S. K., & Ang, M. F. (in press). Poetry, memory and melody: Audience responses to “Bunga Popi” and the Malaysian art song. Malaysian Journal of Music.
- Yang, Y., & Ang, M. F. (2026). The effect of creative teaching module based on music learning sequence on children’s music audiation [Manuscript submitted for publication].
Conference contributions & public writing
Presentations include the Asia-Pacific Symposium on Music Education Research (2007), the Voice Foundation’s 53rd Annual Symposium: Care of the Professional Voice (2024), and seminars on art song, opera interpretation and quantitative music research at Chongqing University (2023).
A former columnist for Sin Chew Daily, Mei Foong wrote on music education, voice, opera, listening and cultural life. Her CV lists 99 columns from 2016 to 2020.
EDUCATION & RECOGNITION
A lifelong musical education.
Training & qualifications
- PhD · Universiti Putra Malaysia
- Master of Music Performance · University of Melbourne · 2007
- One year of training · Conservatorio di Musica Santa Cecilia, Rome
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music) · National Taiwan Normal University · 2003
Vocal training with Prof. Ren Rong, Rebecca Berg and Merlyn Quaife.
Selected recognition
- Global Outstanding Overseas Compatriot Student Alumni Award · Arts & Sports · OCAC, Taiwan · 2025
- National Academic Award · Arts and Creativity · 2019
- BOH Cameronian Arts Award · Best Solo Performance (Vocal) · 2019
- Berliner International Music Competition · Gold · 2018 & 2019
- Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy · 2018
- Global Music Awards · Silver, Outstanding Achievement · 2014
- Melbourne International Research Scholarship & Fee Remission Scholarship · 2006
LEADERSHIP & PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Building musical communities.
Academic leadership
- Head of the Department of Music, UPM · since December 2021
- Associate Professor, UPM · July 2026
- Adjunct Professor, School of Arts, Chongqing University · 2023–2024
- Postgraduate supervision and thesis examination at master’s and doctoral levels
- Music curriculum advisor and textbook chief editor · Dong Zong
Artistic & scholarly service
- Founder & Artistic Director · The Song Weavers
- Founder · Music-Based Voice Intervention Protocol (MusVIP)
- Goodwill Ambassador · Malaysian Parkinson’s Disease Association · appointed 2018
- Journal reviewing including Journal of Voice and BMC Psychology
- Editorial board · World Journal for Choral Research, Practice and Leadership
- Masterclasses, adjudication and professional training