17 June 2023
Christopher Wiley
Media, Public Output, Research, Teaching
blog, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, Instagram, Music, musicology, news, research, Surrey, teaching, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley has started to maintain an Instagram account, posting at @dr_chris_wiley: https://www.instagram.com/dr_chris_wiley/.
Dr Wiley’s Instagram feed comprises news and events from the Department of Music and Media at the University of Surrey, including (but not limited to) that involving Dr Wiley and the BMus (Hons) Music programme.
Dr Wiley’s personal news highlights in research, teaching, and academic leadership will continue to be posted on this blog, although the Instagram feed will be the first to be updated.
News of Dr Wiley’s activities and achievements will also continue to be posted firstly at @dr_chris_wiley on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/dr_chris_wiley
1 December 2021
Christopher Wiley
Media, Publication, Research
Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, Company, film musicals, Gypsy, Into the Woods, media, Music, musical theatre, musicals, musicology, Stephen Sondheim, Surrey, Sweeney Todd, The Conversation, The Conversation UK, theatre, University of Surrey, West Side Story, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley has written an article for The Conversation (by invitation) on Stephen Sondheim (pictured), who died on 26 November 2021 at the age of 91.
Dr Wiley’s contribution, entitled ‘Five of Stephen Sondheim’s best shows’, was published just a few days later on 1 December 2021. It discussed Sondheim alongside his musicals West Side Story, Gypsy, Company, Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods, each of which was profiled in the article.
This is the fourth time that Dr Wiley has contributed to The Conservation, a global news website that offers commentary on news stories from leading academics. His most recent article, again on musical theatre, was published just over a year ago.
Bibliographic citation
Wiley, Christopher. ‘Five of Stephen Sondheim’s best shows’. The Conversation, 1 December 2021. <https://theconversation.com/five-of-stephen-sondheims-best-shows-172916>.
Update: Dr Wiley’s article has now been viewed over 30,000 times. It has been republished multiple times, including by The Theatre Times, Facts & Acts, and New York City News. It was the ninth most-read piece written by University of Surrey academics for The Conversation in 2021–22.
22 February 2021
Christopher Wiley
Media, Public Output, Research
BBC Radio Surrey, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, Dukes Court, Dukes Court Plaza, ethel smyth, feminism, gender studies, interview, Lesley McCabe, LGBT History Month, live interview, media, Music, musicology, North Surrey, radio, research, suffragettes, Surrey, University, University of Surrey, Wiley, Woking, women's enfranchisement, women's suffrage
Dr Christopher Wiley was interviewed live on BBC Radio Surrey for the ‘Breakfast on BBC Radio Surrey’ show presented by Lesley McCabe (pictured) on Monday 22 February 2021.
Dr Wiley was interviewed as an expert on Dame Ethel Smyth, who is due to be recognized in her home town of Woking with a statue as part of the development works for Dukes Court Plaza.
The full interview is available on BBC iPlayer here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p096gmrr (listen from 1.23.38-1.26.24)
Dr Wiley was previously interviewed on BBC Radio Surrey in 2018, in connection with the centenary of many women receiving the parliamentary vote in the UK.
13 January 2021
Christopher Wiley
Educational Research, Media, Public Output, Teaching
#LTHEchat, academic chat, blog, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, education, Further Education, Higher Education, learning, pedagogic research, SEDA, SEDA Special, SET, social media, student evaluation of teaching, Surrey, teaching, Twitter, Twitter chat, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley was invited to guest-host the first Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Twitter chat (#LTHEchat) of 2021, which took place on 13 January. #LTHEchat runs weekly on Wednesdays on Twitter from 8-9pm GMT and involves HE and FE practitioners from the UK and internationally at all stages of their career.
#LTHEchat No. 193, on the subject of ‘Evaluating Student Evaluation of Teaching’, anticipates the publication of the forthcoming SEDA Special, Student Evaluation of Teaching: From Performance Management to Quality Enhancement, which Dr Wiley has co-edited, and was also mindful of his pedagogic research on student evaluation of teaching (SET).
A graph representing the network of 186 Twitter users whose recent tweets included the hashtag #LTHEchat, or who were replied to or mentioned in those tweets, is available here: https://nodexlgraphgallery.org/Pages/Graph.aspx?graphID=245733
The Wakelet, which provides a digest of tweets received, is here: https://wakelet.com/wake/JTRN860aVYrfProCKj4r-
Dr Wiley previously guest-hosted #LTHEchat in February 2016, on ‘Using music creatively to enhance non-music teaching’.
10 November 2020
Christopher Wiley
Media, Publication, Research
A Chorus Line, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, film music, film musicals, Les Misérables, Mamma mia!, media, Music, musical theatre, musicals, musicology, Netflix, stage, Surrey, The Conversation, The Conversation UK, The Prom, theatre, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley contributed an article to The Conversation (by invitation) on film adaptations of stage musicals, published on 10 November 2020.
Entitled ‘The Prom: the challenges of adapting the stage to the screen’, Dr Wiley’s article was prompted by the upcoming release of the film adaptation of the musical The Prom on Netflix on 11 December 2020, while also discussing other examples such as A Chorus Line, Mamma mia!, and Cats.
This is the third time that Dr Wiley has written for The Conversation, his other articles being a piece on the 30th anniversary of the musical Les Misérables, and a scholarly response to Stephen Fry. Collectively these have received some 8,000 hits to date.
Founded in Australia in 2011 and launched in the UK in 2013, The Conversation is an independent global news website featuring stories and opinions from the scholarly community. The University of Surrey is one of its 13 founding UK partners.
Bibliographic citation
Wiley, Christopher. ‘The Prom: the challenges of adapting the stage to the screen’. The Conversation, 10 November 2020. <https://theconversation.com/the-prom-the-challenges-of-adapting-the-stage-to-the-screen-149783>.
9 January 2020
Christopher Wiley
Media, Publication, Research
Australia, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, Composer of the Month, ethel smyth, Limelight, Limelight magazine, magazine, Music, music history, musicology, opera, research, suffragette, Surrey, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley has contributed an article on Ethel Smyth for the January/February 2020 issue of Limelight, Australia’s classical music and arts magazine, for its ‘Composer of the Month’ feature.
In the four-page article (pp. 76–79), Dr Wiley, an internationally acknowledged expert on Smyth, introduces the composer to the readers, discussing her life story as well as drawing attention to salient features of her musical works.
The full text of the article may be read here: https://www.academia.edu/65115923/Ethel_Smyth_Composer_of_the_Month
15 September 2018
Christopher Wiley
Media, Presentation, Public Output, Research
ATD Fourth World, blue plaque, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, ethel smyth, Frimhurst, Frimhurst Family House, Frimley Green, Heritage Open Days, HOD, media, Music, music and literature, music history, musicology, presentation, research, suffragette, suffragette movement, Surrey, television, That’s Surrey TV, University, University of Surrey, Wiley, Woking, women's suffrage
Dr Christopher Wiley has given a talk on Ethel Smyth at her childhood home, Frimhurst Family House, Frimley Green, on Saturday 15 September 2018.
The event was organised for Heritage Open Days by Surrey Heath Museum and the charity ATD Fourth World, which now operates at Frimhurst Family House.
It marked the unveiling of blue plaques commemorating both Smyth and the philanthropist Grace Goodman, who transformed the house into its present function as recuperative facility for families in extreme poverty.
An acknowledged expert on Smyth, Dr Wiley previously gave a talk at Frimhurst Family House on the composer and suffragette back in 2016.
Further information on the event is available here: https://www.surreyheath.gov.uk/residents/surrey-heath-museum/museum-events/heritage-open-days-surrey-heath
Update: The following weekend, on Saturday 22 September, Dr Wiley attended a private ceremony (pictured, above) at which a blue plaque was unveiled at Smyth’s former house in Woking.
Dr Wiley’s interview about the event for That’s Surrey TV may be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiBN2ZXVPz0
Media coverage may also be found at the following link: http://surreyresidents.co.uk/2018/09/24/blue-plaque-marks-the-duchess-of-wokings-former-home/
As well as on Woking Borough Council’s website: https://www.woking.gov.uk/news/blue-plaque-marks-duchess-woking%E2%80%99s-former-home
28 August 2018
Christopher Wiley
Media, Public Output, Research
broadcast, Cathrine Winnes, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, ethel smyth, interview, Music, music history, musicology, research, Surrey, Sveriges Television, SVT, Swedish Television, television, University, University of Surrey, Wiley, Woking, women composers
Dr Christopher Wiley has been interviewed for Sveriges Television (SVT) as part of a mini-series of half-hour programmes focusing on orchestral music composed by women.
Talking about Ethel Smyth, Dr Wiley was filmed in conversation with the acclaimed Norwegian conductor, Cathrine Winnes.
Filming took place on Tuesday 28 August 2018 both in Dr Wiley’s office, and on location at Smyth’s former home in Woking.
This television appearance evidences Dr Wiley’s reputation as an internationally leading researcher on Smyth, and follows his previous interviews on Smyth for radio and television earlier in the year.
The television series is due to be broadcast in Sweden in early 2019.
25 August 2018
Christopher Wiley
Media, Public Output
Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, concert, gig, Guildford, live music, London, media, musical theatre, Musical Theatre Review, opera, popular music, review, reviewing, Surrey, theatre, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley has written 50 reviews since February 2014 for the digital magazine Musical Theatre Review, which covers a wide variety of live events internationally, ranging from pop gigs to opera in addition to musical theatre, and is Vuelio’s no.2 theatre blog.
Among the many highlights of Dr Wiley’s activity include reviews of Elaine Paige’s ‘Stripped Back’ tour, of Mandela Trilogy by Cape Town Opera at the Royal Festival Hall, London, and of the international première of Strictly Ballroom: The Musical at Sydney Lyric Theatre, Australia.
Other highlights include the 2014 revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel; Sinatra: The Main Event at Cadogan Hall, London, starring Richard Shelton; and solo shows by leading West End stars Daniel Koek and Nadim Naaman.
Coincidentally, Dr Wiley’s first and 50th reviews were of two shows written and performed by the same artist, comic songwriter Alexander S. Bermange. The artist most frequently reviewed by Dr Wiley is Pippa Winslow, who features in seven different reviews.
Dr Wiley has also reviewed student productions by many of the major performing arts institutions and organisations, particularly Guildford School of Acting and Youth Music Theatre UK; as well as many new works of musical theatre, and one-off productions in popular London venues such as The Pheasantry.
A complete listing of Dr Wiley’s reviews for Musical Theatre Review is available at the following link: http://musicaltheatrereview.com/?s=Christopher+Wiley
30 June 2018
Christopher Wiley
Conference, Media, Presentation, Research
#Emilymatters, Amy Zigler, arts, BAVS, British Association for Victorian Studies, Charlotte Mathieson, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, conference, Elizabeth Crawford, Emily Davison, Emily Wilding Davison, Emmeline Pankhurst, ethel smyth, feminism, feminist musicology, feminist opera, FWSA, gender and sexuality, gender studies, Grasp The Nettle, Jacqueline Mulhallen, Kate Willoughby, literature, Lucy Ella Rose, Lucy Stevens, Lynx Theatre, Lynx Theatre and Poetry, Music, music and literature, musicology, opera, presentation, research, School of Literature and Languages, SLL, suffragette, suffragette movement, Surrey, Sylvia, Sylvia Pankhurst, The Boatswain's Mate, The Feminist and Women’s Studies Association, University, University of Surrey, W.W. Jacobs, Wiley, women's history, women's suffrage
Dr Christopher Wiley served as one of three conference co-chairs for the two-day international conference ‘Centennial Reflections on Women’s Suffrage and the Arts – Local : National : Transnational’ held at the University of Surrey on 29-30 June 2018, together with two colleagues from the University’s School of Literature and Languages, Dr Charlotte Mathieson (pictured with Dr Wiley, right) and Dr Lucy Ella Rose.
The conference incorporated more than 25 papers including Dr Wiley’s own ‘Ethel Smyth, Music, and the Suffragette Movement: Reconsidering The Boatswain’s Mate as Feminist Opera’, which he had previously given at Edge Hill University earlier in the year. The panel on which he spoke, ‘Women’s Suffrage in/and Music’, led to an animated question and answer session (pictured, left).
Dr Wiley also convened and participated in a roundtable discussion (pictured, right) featuring three professional actresses who have recently developed shows on themes of women’s suffrage, Jacqueline Mulhallen (Sylvia, based on Sylvia Pankhurst), Lucy Stevens (Grasp The Nettle, on Ethel Smyth), and Kate Willoughby (#Emilymatters, a social media campaign inspired by Emily Wilding Davison), all of whom performed extracts from their plays as part of the conference.
Finally, Dr Wiley chaired a session on ‘Ethel Smyth, Suffrage, and Transnationality’, drawing on his reputation as an acknowledged expert on the composer, and was privileged to introduce Keynote speaker Elizabeth Crawford (pictured, left), who had been awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List earlier in the month for services to education in relation to women’s history.
The event attracted more than 40 delegates (pictured, below), with speakers ranging from University of Surrey academics and postgraduate researchers to museum-based archivists to international scholars from the UK, Continental Europe, and North America representing the disciplines of literature, music, film, and the visual arts.
The conference organizers gratefully acknowledge the support of the School of Literature and Languages at the University of Surrey; The British Association for Victorian Studies; and The Feminist and Women’s Studies Association UK & Ireland.
Further information may be found at the conference website: https://suffragecentennial.wordpress.com/
The full programme, including abstracts, is available here: https://suffragecentennial.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/suffrage-conference-programme-2018.pdf
Update: A news piece on the conference has appeared on the the University of Surrey’s website: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/news/surreys-centennial-reflection-womens-suffrage-and-arts
Several postgraduate research students have contributed reviews to the conference website: https://suffragecentennial.wordpress.com/reviews/
See also the reviews on the School of Literature and Language’s website: http://blogs.surrey.ac.uk/english/2018/08/02/looking-back-at-centennial-reflections-on-womens-suffrage-and-the-arts-local-national-transnational/
Update: An article co-authored by Dr Wiley and Dr Amy Zigler, entitled ‘The Suffragette Movement and the Music of Ethel Smyth: The String Quartet and The Boatswain’s Mate’, is available on the Exploring Surrey’s Past website: https://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/themes/subjects/womens-suffrage/suffrage-biographies/dame-ethel-smyth-composer-and-suffragette/the-suffragette-movement-and-the-music-of-ethel-smyth-the-string-quartet-and-the-boatswains-mate/
4 April 2018
Christopher Wiley
Media, Public Output, Research
arts, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, ethel smyth, gender studies, golf, Hook Heath, interview, Music, music and literature, music history, musicology, Pyrford TV, Pyrford TV ARTS, research, suffragette, suffragette movement, Surrey, television, The March of the Women, TV, University, University of Surrey, Wiley, Woking, Woking Golf Club, women's enfranchisement, women's suffrage
Dr Christopher Wiley is featured in an eight-minute segment for the Spring Edition 2018 of Pyrford TV ARTS, on Woking’s famous former resident, Dame Ethel Smyth.
Speaking to presenter Tim Matthews (see picture), Dr Wiley discussed Smyth’s activity as composer, author, and suffragette, as well as her passion for sports including golf.
The eight-minute segment was filmed at Woking Golf Club in Hook Heath, near Woking, of which Smyth was a member for many years. So keen was she on the sport that she had her house built adjacent to the golf course, where she lived from 1910 until her death in 1944.
Pyrford TV ARTS produces 20-minute programmes several times a year, featuring the arts and creative worlds of Pyrford, Woking, and North Surrey. The segment on Smyth was included to tie in with the centenary of women’s enfranchisement in the UK, which falls this year.
The segment on Ethel Smyth is available for viewing online here: https://vimeo.com/262660959
The full 23-minute programme may be viewed here (the segment on Smyth starts at 09:18): https://youtu.be/fFAuVmbmmPw
The programme is also available at the Pyrford TV ARTS website: https://www.pyrfordtvarts.com/
In addition, it is featured on the webpage of the Woking Remembers 2018 programme, part of the Celebrate Woking festival: https://www.celebratewoking.info/woking-remembers
Credits: Pyrford TV (video); Surrey History Centre (images); Retrospect Opera (musical excerpt from Smyth’s opera The Boatswain’s Mate)
6 February 2018
Christopher Wiley
Media, Public Output, Publication, Research
arts, BBC Radio Surrey, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, Darling Magazine, ethel smyth, feminism, gender studies, Get Surrey, Guildford, Hannah Dodd, interview, James Cannon, Lesley McCabe, LGBT History Month, live interview, Lucy Ella Rose, Mary Watts, media, Music, musicology, North Surrey, radio, Representation of the People Act, research, Shona Duthie, suffragettes, suffragists, Surrey, Surrey Advertiser, Surrey Heath, The March of the Women, University, University of Surrey, video, Wiley, Woking, women's enfranchisement, women's suffrage
Dr Christopher Wiley has given expert comment to the media on the 100th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act 1918, which granted the vote to over 8 million women in the UK for the first time.
Coverage of Dr Wiley focussed on his research on Ethel Smyth, who, in addition to being an internationally successful composer, was active for two years as a leading suffragette in the early 1910s, developing a close friendship with Emmeline Pankhurst.
Together with a University of Surrey colleague, Dr Lucy Ella Rose, a leading expert on the suffragist Mary Watts and author of Suffrage Artists in Partnership: Gender, Word, and Image, Dr Wiley gave a live interview on BBC Radio Surrey for the ‘Breakfast on BBC Surrey’ show hosted by James Cannon and Lesley McCabe on Tuesday 6 February 2018.
Dr Wiley was also featured alongside Dr Rose in an article in Get Surrey, ‘Suffragette Vote 100 anniversary: University celebrates two Surrey women who were highly influential during the suffrage movement’, by Shona Duthie and Hannah Dodd.
The online Get Surrey article includes a video in which both academics give interviews on their respective research subjects, with Dr Wiley performing Smyth’s famous suffragette anthem, ‘The March of the Women’, on piano.
The full Get Surrey article, including video, may be viewed here: https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/suffragette-vote-100-anniversary-university-14249832
The BBC Radio Surrey live interview may be heard here: https://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=7180&DateTime=2%2F6%2F2018+8%3A52%3A52+AM&Term=University+of+Surrey&PlayClip=TRUE
The live interview is also available on BBC iPlayer (listen from 2:52:11): http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05vm2m4
Update: A text on Ethel Smyth contributed by invitation by Dr Wiley has been printed in the North Surrey edition of darling magazine for Spring 2018 (see image above). It may be viewed online here (see pp. 12–13): https://issuu.com/darlingmagazine/docs/darling-north_surrey-spring_2018
An article on Smyth written by Dr Wiley, ‘Dame Ethel Smyth: Remembering a Pathbreaking Artist, Suffragette, and Lesbian’, has appeared on the LGBT History Month website here: https://lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/lgbt-history-month-resources/desarticle2018/
23 May 2016
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Media, Teaching
academic management, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, Dance, Drama, Drama & Dance, Guardian, Guardian league tables 2017, Guildford School of Acting, Higher Education, league tables, Music, Music & Sound Recording, School of Arts, student experience, student satisfaction, Surrey, teaching, The Guardian, theatre, undergraduate, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
The School of Arts at the University of Surrey is celebrating excellent rankings in The Guardian’s UK University League Tables 2017, published today as part of the Guardian University Guide.
The Guardian league tables rank the University of Surrey No. 1 nationally for Music, No. 2 nationally for Drama & Dance, and No. 4 nationally in the overall league table.
As Director of Learning & Teaching for the School of Arts, Dr Christopher Wiley has taken a lead in developing the School’s learning & teaching and student experience strategies. This has included the initiatives by which its students have been engaged in completion of the National Student Survey, the latest results for which similarly placed the School’s subject areas at No. 1 and No. 2 nationally.
The Guardian league tables represent one of the most influential rankings of UK universities, and incorporate multiple metrics from the National Student Survey including student satisfaction with teaching, satisfaction with feedback and assessment, and overall satisfaction with the course.
Further information on the successes of the School of Arts in The Guardian league tables 2017 may be found here: http://blogs.surrey.ac.uk/arts/2016/05/23/guardian-league-table-2017-results-music-at-no-1-drama-dance-at-no-2/
3 February 2016
Christopher Wiley
Media, Public Output, Teaching
#LTHEchat, blog, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, education, Higher Education, learning, Music, social media, Surrey, teaching, Twitter, Twitter chat, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
On 3 February 2016, Dr Christopher Wiley was invited to guest-host the 44th Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Twitter chat, which runs weekly on Wednesdays from 8-9pm GMT using the hashtag #LTHEchat, and involves HE practitioners from across the UK and beyond at all stages of their career.
Dr Wiley’s #LTHEchat, on the subject of ‘Using music creatively to enhance non-music teaching’, generated a large volume of lively debate from its many contributors and resulted in some 500 tweets in the course of the scheduled 60 minutes. A SocioViz visualisation of the network of participants during the chat is pictured above right, and a Storify of the session is available here: https://storify.com/LTHEchat/tweetchat-no-44
Update: Following the #LTHEchat, Dr Wiley was invited to contribute a guest post to the University’s Surrey Social Media blog, on Twitter chats and their value to academics. He discusses his experiences of #LTHEchat in his post, ‘Twitter chats – why are they useful and how do they benefit academic staff?’, which appeared on 5 February and may be read here: http://blogs.surrey.ac.uk/socialmedia/twitter-chats-why-are-they-useful-and-how-do-they-benefit-academic-staff/
28 January 2016
Christopher Wiley
Media, Research, Teaching
#SurreyInReview, Annual Review 2015, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, education, Music, research, Surrey, teaching, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley is featured in the University of Surrey’s Annual Review 2015, as one of 3 Inspiring Academics and 6 Exceptional Students across the institution.
Dr Wiley (profiled on p.11 of the Annual Review) discusses highlights of the past year including the Opportunities & Networking Event and ‘Careers in the Arts’ panel discussion, being nominated for the Students’ Union Academic Staff Member of the Year award, gaining Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, and writing a report on the use of electronic voting systems in arts and humanities teaching, as well as his prolific activity in 2015 as a research-active Musicologist, publishing book chapters, organising an international conference, presenting papers at major UK universities, and giving talks for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Glyndebourne Tour.
The Annual Review may be downloaded in full here: http://ow.ly/XEIuO
7 October 2015
Christopher Wiley
Media, Publication, Research
30th anniversary, Boublil and Schönberg, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, film music, Les Misérables, media, Music, musical theatre, musicals, musicology, stage, Surrey, teaching, The Conversation, The Conversation UK, theatre, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley has contributed an article to The Conversation on the enduring popularity of Les Misérables, the world’s most successful musical, ahead of the 30th anniversary of its London production on 8 October 2015.
Dr Wiley’s article, ‘Les Misérables at 30: breaking hearts and records’, discussed aspects of the show’s plot and musical score, the role played by writers Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and by producer Cameron Mackintosh, as well as more recent developments such as Tom Hooper’s 2012 film adaptation.
The full article may be read here: https://theconversation.com/les-miserables-at-30-breaking-hearts-and-records-48535
This is the second time that Dr Wiley has written for The Conversation, the first being a scholarly response to Stephen Fry, which has received 4,000 hits to date.
Founded in Australia in 2011 and launched in the UK in 2013, The Conversation is an independent global news website featuring stories and opinions sourced from the scholarly community. The University of Surrey is one of its founding UK partners.
Update: Dr Wiley’s Les Misérables article received over 1,300 hits by the end of 8 October (UK time), with readers fairly evenly distributed between the UK, US, Australia, and Continental Europe.
12 August 2015
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Media, Teaching
academic management, BMus, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, Creative Music Technology, Dance, Guildford School of Acting, HEFCE, Higher Education, Higher Education Funding Council for England, Music, National Student Survey, National Student Survey 2015, NSS, NSS 2015, School of Arts, student experience, student satisfaction, Surrey, teaching, teaching excellence, undergraduate, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
The School of Arts at the University of Surrey is celebrating excellent results in the 2015 National Student Survey (NSS), including a score of 95% for overall satisfaction, with Dance and Music reaching No. 1 and No. 2 in the national subject rankings, respectively.
The School made gains in every one of the survey’s 22 questions, including a score of 99% satisfaction overall in the ‘Teaching on the course’ category. Three programmes – BMus Music, BMus Creative Music Technology, and BA Dance – all scored the maximum 100% for overall satisfaction.
As Director of Learning and Teaching for the School of Arts, Dr Christopher Wiley has taken a lead in developing the School’s student experience strategy, including the initiatives by which its students were engaged in completion of the NSS.
The National Student Survey is an independently conducted annual survey of final-year undergraduate students across the UK, and has become a high-profile measure of student satisfaction nationally since its introduction ten years ago.
Further information on the achievements of the School of Arts in the 2015 National Student Survey may be found here: http://blogs.surrey.ac.uk/arts/2015/08/12/national-student-survey-2015/
1 May 2015
Christopher Wiley
Educational Research, Media, Public Output, Research
blog, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, educational research, electronic voting systems, film music, Michael Jackson, module evaluation, music and literature, musical theatre, musicology, research, SRI, Surrey, Surrey Research Insight, Turning Technologies, TurningPoint, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley has recently been profiled in an interview on the Surrey Research Insight blog as well as a case study written by Turning Technologies.
Turning Technologies’ feature on Dr Wiley’s pioneering use of electronic voting systems (EVS) in arts and humanities teaching, ‘TurningPoint in the Arts: Electronic Voting Systems as a Springboard for Student Engagement’, was published on their website on 14 April 2015. It discussed various aspects of Dr Wiley’s use of EVS in higher education teaching including multiple-choice questions that test deep-level understanding, game-based learning employed alongside flipped classroom techniques, and the technology’s moment to moment and demographic comparison features.
Surrey Research Insight (SRI), which manages the open access repository of academic publications for the University of Surrey, interviewed Dr Wiley in a blog post entitled ‘SRI talks to Dr Christopher Wiley’, which appeared on 1 May 2015. Dr Wiley spoke about his published work on Michael Jackson (which is available on open access), his interests in musical theatre and film music, and his current research on literature and music and on student evaluation of teaching.
The full texts may be viewed at the following links:
Surrey Research Insight: https://surreyresearchinsight.wordpress.com/2015/05/01/sri-talks-to-dr-christopher-wiley/
Turning Technologies: http://www.turningtechnologies.com/pdf/content/INTLCaseStudy-UniSurrey-DrWiley.pdf
20 February 2015
Christopher Wiley
Media, Public Output
Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, concert, gig, Guildford, live music, London, media, musical theatre, Musical Theatre Review, popular music, review, reviewing, Surrey, theatre, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley has contributed 20 reviews over the past year to the digital magazine Musical Theatre Review, which covers a wide variety of live musical theatre events internationally.
Highlights of Dr Wiley’s activity include reviews of the acclaimed revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel at the Arcola Theatre, London; of Sinatra: The Main Event at Cadogan Hall, London, starring Richard Shelton; and of the international première of Strictly Ballroom: The Musical at Sydney Lyric Theatre, Australia.
Dr Wiley has also enjoyed reviewing student productions by Guildford School of Acting, Performance Preparation Academy, and Youth Music Theatre UK; as well as new musical theatre works presented in Guildford and the neighbouring areas, and several live gigs at The Pheasantry, London. His reviews have attracted much attention on social media.
A complete listing of Dr Wiley’s reviews for Musical Theatre Review is available at the following link: http://www.scoop.it/t/christopher-wiley-bibliography-of-reviews
16 December 2014
Christopher Wiley
Media
Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, Disney, Eagle Radio, education, film music, Frozen, Higher Education, learning and teaching, Let It Go, media, Music, music and the moving image, musical theatre, musicology, newspaper, popular music, press, radio, Radio Verulam, study, Surrey, The Independent on Sunday, The Telegraph, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley has contributed expert comment to an article appearing in The Telegraph on 16 December 2014, on the continuing success of ‘Let It Go’ from Disney’s Frozen.
‘5 reasons why Frozen’s Let It Go is so addictive’ by Alice Vincent may be read at the following link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/11296986/Frozen-let-it-go-why-so-popular.html (subsequently republished on 25 December 2016)
Dr Wiley is quoted a total of six times in the course of the article, as a specialist in musical theatre and music and the moving image.
This press appearance comes three weeks after comments from Dr Wiley opened an article in The Independent on Sunday, ‘All you need is a music qualification’ by Widget Finn (23 November 2014), on studying Masters degrees in music.
Update: Dr Wiley has also given interviews on the Frozen news story for Surrey and Hampshire’s Eagle Radio (30 December, four bulletins) and West Hertfordshire’s Radio Verulam (28 December, live). An article featuring Dr Wiley was published on Eagle Radio’s website on 30 December (now cached).
Update: Dr Wiley was also quoted in this iTech Post article from 26 December 2016: http://www.itechpost.com/articles/68632/20161226/frozens-go-experts-explain-songs-popularity-through-science.htm
Update: Separately from the above, Dr Wiley was quoted on Frozen in this South Wales Life article from 17 January 2020: https://southwaleslife.com/frozen-the-musical/
16 June 2014
Christopher Wiley
Media, Public Output, Research
#PeoplesQs, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, education, ethel smyth, Higher Education, media, Music, musicology, People's Questions, research, Surrey, Twitter, Universities Week, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley was among the researchers and academics who took questions from members of the public via Twitter as part of Universities Week 2014.
Using the hashtag #PeoplesQs, Dr Wiley took questions about his research on the music of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and on Dame Ethel Smyth, as well as on challenges faced by music education today.
A round-up of the week’s activity from University of Surrey academic staff may be viewed here: https://storify.com/UniOfSurrey/universities-week-2014 (click on the ‘Read next page’ button for some details of Dr Wiley’s contribution)
The complete list of panellists is available here: http://www.universitiesweek.org.uk/stories/Pages/PeoplesQs.asp
8 May 2014
Christopher Wiley
Media, Public Output, Publication, Research
blog, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, ethel smyth, Music, music and literature, musicology, OUPblog, Oxford Journals, Oxford University Press, research, Surrey, The Musical Quarterly, University, University of Surrey, Wiley, Woking
Dr Christopher Wiley has contributed a text to the OUPblog, Oxford University Press’s Academic Insights for the Thinking World, to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the death of Dame Ethel Smyth, the pioneering composer and writer, on 8 May 1944.
Dr Wiley’s 1,000-word post, ‘Five facts about Dame Ethel Smyth’, may be read here: http://blog.oup.com/2014/05/facts-dame-ethel-smyth/
This blog entry follows Dr Wiley’s article on Smyth published in Oxford journal The Musical Quarterly last year.
To mark the anniversary, Dr Wiley also organized a lunchtime recital of Smyth’s music which took plan on 8 May 2014 in Woking, the town where she was resident from 1910 until her death.
Update: Dr Wiley’s blog entry was subsequently selected as one of the Editor’s Picks, appearing on the front page of the OUPblog for some weeks.
22 January 2014
Christopher Wiley
Educational Research, Media, Public Output, Teaching
arts and humanities, BETT, BETT Show, BETT Show 2014, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, education, electronic voting systems, Higher Education, learning, Surrey, teaching, teaching excellence, Turning Technologies, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley has been featured on the BETT Show 2014 Blog in an post entitled ‘How Hand-Held Electronic Voting Systems Add A New Dynamic To Lectures’, which profiles his work using EVS as a University lecturer in the arts and humanities.
One of the major annual international trade shows for educational technology, BETT (formerly the British Educational Training and Technology Show) celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Its 2014 event is being held on 22-25 January at ExCeL London.
The full blog post on Dr Wiley may be read here: http://www.bettshow.com/page.cfm/action=library/libID=12/libEntryID=47
13 August 2013
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Media
2013, BMus, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, City, City University London, HEFCE, Higher Education, Higher Education Funding Council for England, London, Music, National Student Survey, NSS, programme director, student experience, student satisfaction, teaching, teaching excellence, undergraduate, University, Wiley
City University London’s BMus Music programme has been ranked as top in the UK with 100% student satisfaction in the 2013 National Student Survey (NSS), voted by the students themselves.
Dr Christopher Wiley assumed the position of BMus Programme Director in 2009, following a year when student satisfaction – as determined by the final question of the NSS, ‘Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the course‘ – was at just 31%. Under his leadership, student satisfaction has steadily increased to 62% (2009), 68% (2010), and to 81% last year.
Other highlights of the programme’s 2013 survey results included responses to the questions ‘Staff are good at explaining things’ and ‘Staff have made the subject interesting’ (both 100%); ‘Staff are enthusiastic about what they are teaching’, ‘The course is intellectually stimulating’, and ‘I have been able to contact staff when I needed to’ (all 97%); and six other scores in the 90s.
Launched in 2005, the NSS is an annual national survey of final-year undergraduate students, conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and provides the standard measure of student satisfaction used in a number of major league tables. The full results of the 2013 National Student Survey are available from HEFCE’s website.
The University’s statement on its 2013 student satisfaction scores acknowledged Music’s top position in the UK.
12 August 2013
Christopher Wiley
Media, Publication, Research
Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, City, City University London, ethel smyth, London, media, Music, musical biography, musicology, Publication, research, Stephen Fry, Surrey, teaching, The Conversation, The Conversation UK, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley has contributed an article to The Conversation UK, reflecting on aspects of Stephen Fry’s open letter on Russia’s controversial new anti-gay laws (which called for a ban on the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi) from his own perspective as musicologist, scholar, and teacher.
One claim that Fry made in his letter about the potential consequences of exploring Tchaikovsky’s sexuality and its relationship to his life and work under Russia’s controversial new legislation prompted Dr Wiley to reconsider elements of his own research on musical biography, not just on Tchaikovsky but also on Britten and Ethel Smyth.
Published on 12 August 2013 shortly after Fry’s letter went viral, Dr Wiley’s article, ‘Academics should stand with Fry against anti-gay Russia’, broke new ground for The Conversation UK for its content. It soon received thousands of views, helped in part by a mention by Fry himself on Twitter three days after it originally appeared.
The Conversation UK is an independent news and commentary website offering in-depth analysis, research, news, and ideas from academics and researchers, and has received over 300,000 visitors since its launch three months ago. Modelled on its successful Australian counterpart, its founding partners comprise 13 UK universities including City University London and the University of Surrey.
27 June 2013
Christopher Wiley
Media, Prizes & Awards, Teaching
award, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, City, City University London, education, HEA, Higher Education, Higher Education Academy, London, Music, National Teaching Fellow, National Teaching Fellowship, NTF, teaching, University, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley was among the 55 UK higher and further education staff awarded a 2013 National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy. As the highest national award in learning and teaching in Higher Education, there are fewer than 600 National Teaching Fellows across the whole of the UK sector.
The Fellows were chosen from nominations submitted by some 350 eligible higher and further education institutions across England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Submissions were assessed against three criteria: individual excellence, raising the profile of excellence, and developing excellence. Successful Fellows receive an award of £10,000, to support their professional development in teaching and learning.
The names of the successful 2013 National Teaching Fellows were announced on 27 June, and they will officially receive their awards at a ceremony due to take place in London on Wednesday 9 October.
Further information
Dr Wiley’s profile at the Higher Education Academy website: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/contacts/detail/ntfs/2013/Wiley_Christopher_profile_ntfs_2013
News item by City University London: http://www.city.ac.uk/news/2013/jun/two-city-staff-awarded-national-teaching-fellowships-for-2013
The Guardian article on the 2013 National Teaching Fellows: http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-hea-partner-zone/national-teaching-fellows-2013-hea
14 June 2013
Christopher Wiley
Media
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Dr Christopher Wiley was interviewed live on global radio station Monocle 24, as part of the show ‘The Briefing’, Episode 422, broadcast on 14 June 2013.
‘The Briefing’ is intended to provide an analysis of the day’s major news stories, and is broadcast at 12noon London time on weekdays. It also functions as the station’s ‘drivetime show for the US East Coast’.
The subject of Dr Wiley’s interview was the recently filed lawsuit challenging the copyright to ‘Happy Birthday to You’. Dr Wiley was interviewed in his capacity as a music historian.
The interview may be heard at the following link: http://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-briefing/422/ (listen from 22.55-27.40 for Dr Wiley’s interview). The episode is also available for download in iTunes.
13 January 2013
Christopher Wiley
Media
Alexander S. Bermange, Bermange, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, media, Music, musical theatre, musicology, radio, Radio Verulam, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley returned to Radio Verulam on 6 and 13 January 2013 as a guest on the Arts Programme, speaking in his capacity as a professional musicologist based in the St Albans area.
Presenter Alexander S. Bermange interviewed Chris live on a variety of recent developments in the world of music and musical theatre, including the UK release on 11 January of the film version of Les Misérables, whose all-star cast is led by Hugh Jackman.
Chris has become a semi-regular guest on the show in recent months, having made five appearances since April last year (see here).
Chris (left) and Alexander (right) are pictured below at the Radio Verulam studio.
Chris spoke on Radio Verulam again a few months later, on 5 May, giving a live telephone interview on Ghost: The Musical, which had recently returned to London.
18 December 2012
Christopher Wiley
Media, Publication, Research
Chris Wiley, Christopher R. Smit, Christopher Wiley, City University London, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson studies, Music, musical biography, musicology, Publication, research, Wiley
An interdisciplinary volume of essays on Michael Jackson published earlier this year, Michael Jackson: Grasping the Spectacle, includes a chapter on musicology written by Dr Christopher Wiley.
Informed by his participation in the international press coverage of Jackson’s death in 2009 and crystallizing around the iconic tracks ‘Thriller’ and ‘Black or White’, Dr Wiley’s essay, ‘Putting the Music Back into Michael Jackson Studies’, seeks to refocus attention on Jackson’s music in relation to discussion of his music videos and their sociocultural contexts.
It concludes by exposing the danger of over-interpreting the art through the lens of the biography of the originating artist, asking whether Jackson’s celebrity will ultimately rest on his contribution to the late twentieth-century entertainment industry or on the serious controversies with which he became associated.
Bibliographic citation
Wiley, Christopher. ‘Putting the Music Back into Michael Jackson Studies’, in Michael Jackson: Grasping the Spectacle, new essays ed. by Christopher R. Smit. Farnham: Ashgate, 2012, pp. 101–16.
Full text
Dr Wiley’s essay is available for download from City Research Online, the University’s research repository, at the following link: http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/1211/
15 December 2012
Christopher Wiley
Media
BMus, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, City, City University London, Jane McConnell, London, Music, programme director, University, Wiley
The current issue (Vol.25, No.4) of Ireland’s Education magazine includes a major feature, ‘A unique music degree in London’, on City University London’s BMus Music course.
Describing the degree as ‘a very attractive package for those wishing to pursue a career in music or the self-expression that music involves’, the double-page spread includes an interview with Dr Christopher Wiley, Director of Undergraduate Studies, who is quoted as saying that ‘We are very averse to sending away interesting and well-qualified candidates. We like to engage with people as individuals not as statistics or a series of grades.’
The feature also includes information about the course structure, admissions, performance possibilities, and employment prospects, as well as a profile of second-year BMus student Jane McConnell.
Appearing on pages 16-17 of the magazine, the article may be viewed at the following link: http://issuu.com/educationmagazine/docs/education_magazine_25-4?mode=window&viewMode=doublePage
22 November 2012
Christopher Wiley
Media, Teaching
BMus, BMus degree, careers, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, City, City University London, Dionysios Kyropoulos, dissertation supervision, employability, employment, London, media, Music, music degree, press coverage, programme director, teaching, The Independent, University, Wiley
An article published today (22 November) in the Creative Arts supplement of The Independent newspaper features quotations from Dr Christopher Wiley as well as a profile of his recently-graduated BMus student Dionysios Kyropoulos.
In ‘Notes on working in music’, by journalist David Crookes, Chris tops a list of UK academics quoted in the article, who between them explain that a music degree can open up a wealth of career opportunities for the aspiring student. Chris notes that ‘There certainly is more to being a successful musician than simply playing an instrument’, before outlining some of the many career-enhancing benefits of studying music at university.
Dionysios, whose dissertation on historically-informed gestures in Baroque vocal performance was prepared under Chris’s supervision, explains how his passion for classical singing and opera led him to the UK (from Greece) and to City University London, in order to benefit from solid academic foundations for his studies in tandem with high-quality singing training.
Click here to read the full article in scanned form, or here to read the article at The Independent website.
31 October 2012
Christopher Wiley
Conference, Educational Research, Media, Prizes & Awards, Teaching
award, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, City, City University London, conference, Distinguished Educator, education, electronic voting systems, Higher Education, London, Music, presentation, recognition, research, teaching, teaching innovation, Turning Technologies, University, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley, Senior Lecturer in Music at City University London, has been appointed as a Distinguished Educator by Turning Technologies, global leader in voting, polling, and assessment systems used by schools, universities, and corporations.
In this role, Dr Wiley will be responsible for sharing with the company’s growing community of users in the UK and Europe best practice, pedagogical applications, and his own experience as a music lecturer using Turning Technologies’ response technology.
Dr Wiley, who joins the Programme as the first Distinguished Educator to be appointed from the Arts and Humanities, will sit alongside world-renowned educators such as Dr Eric Mazur, Harvard Professor and creator of the highly successful peer instruction method of teaching, as well as other HE professionals from across the world.
Commenting on his appointment, Dr Chris Wiley said, “I have been using Turning Technologies’ electronic voting systems since 2008 and was awarded a University Prize for Teaching Innovation the following year for my pioneering work in this area. I was invited to join the Distinguished Educator programme following my presentation at Turning Technologies’ User Conference at Aarhus University, Denmark in June 2012.
“As a role centred on the provision of academic expertise for a commercial enterprise, the Distinguished Educator position also embodies City University London’s unique focus on ‘academic excellence for business and the professions’.”
Read the full news release here:
http://www.prlog.org/12005628-dr-christopher-wileysenior-lecturer-in-music-at-city-university-londonto-join-turning-technologies.html
http://www.cisionwire.com/livewire-pr/r/dr-christopher-wiley–senior-lecturer-in-music-at-city-university-london–to-join-turning-technologi,c9322676
http://www.24dash.com/news/education/2012-11-01-Dr-Christopher-Wiley-Senior-Lecturer-in-Music-at-City-University-London-to-join-Turning-Technologies-Distinguished-Educator-Programme
28 June 2012
Christopher Wiley
Media
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Dr Christopher Wiley has contributed expert comment to an article that appeared earlier today (28 June 2012) in the BBC News Magazine.
Speaking about ‘Survival’ by British band Muse, which was recently unveiled as the official song of the 2012 London Olympic Games, Dr Wiley is quoted as saying that ‘It’s epic. It’s inspirational. I’m sure that’s why it was chosen’.
The article, written by journalist Jon Kelly, also quotes Dr Wiley as saying that ‘There are sections that sound like a marathon and others that sound like the 100m’, alluding to the song’s varied and multi-sectional nature.
The full article may be accessed here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18624954.
21 April 2012
Christopher Wiley
Media
Alexander S. Bermange, Bermange, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, media, Music, musicology, radio, Radio Verulam, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley was featured as a guest on Radio Verulam throughout its specially extended two-hour Arts Programme on Easter Day (8 April) 2012, in which he was introduced to listeners as a professional musicologist based in the St Albans area.
Presenter Alexander S. Bermange chatted with Chris throughout the two-hour show, interviewing him live on topics including James Horner’s and Céline Dion’s musical contributions to James Cameron’s film Titanic (recently re-released in 3D) and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s television talent discovery shows.
Chris (left) and Alexander (right) are pictured below at the Radio Verulam studio.
Chris returned to the show just a few weeks later on 13 May, giving a series of live interviews about the Eurovision Song Contest and this year’s entries from Ireland, Israel, and the UK.
Update: Chris returned to the show again on 22 and 29 July 2012 (see here and here) to discuss Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest television show, Superstar, which was being broadcast at the time on ITV, and on 30 September 2012 to talk about the production for which this show cast the lead role, Jesus Christ Superstar, which had been presented that week at London’s O2 Arena.
DR CHRISTOPHER WILEY 
Dr Christopher Wiley is quoted in BBC News Magazine article
28 June 2012
Christopher Wiley Media 2012 London Olympic Games, BBC, BBC News Magazine, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, City, City University London, expert comment, London, media, Music, University, Wiley Leave a comment
Dr Christopher Wiley has contributed expert comment to an article that appeared earlier today (28 June 2012) in the BBC News Magazine.
Speaking about ‘Survival’ by British band Muse, which was recently unveiled as the official song of the 2012 London Olympic Games, Dr Wiley is quoted as saying that ‘It’s epic. It’s inspirational. I’m sure that’s why it was chosen’.
The article, written by journalist Jon Kelly, also quotes Dr Wiley as saying that ‘There are sections that sound like a marathon and others that sound like the 100m’, alluding to the song’s varied and multi-sectional nature.
The full article may be accessed here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18624954.