Research

Dr Ana Borisova Stefanova teaches the methodology of folk singing at St Cyril and St Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo.

She studies what she does every day: how a folk song is learned, what is hardest in it and in what order it is mastered. The results are in twenty publications, one dissertation and one songbook.

The publications The texts to download

Ana Borisova with her colleagues from the Detelina kindergarten and Associate Professor Jolene Pearson — With colleagues from the Detelina kindergarten and Associate Professor Jolene Pearson, Dryanovo, 2026

20 publications in Bulgarian and international journals

14 years of research, from 2012 to 2026

15 full texts free to read, in two languages

3 kindergartens in the experiment for her habilitation

Four threads

01 · 2015

The dissertation

Stages in mastering ornamentation. The order in which the ornaments are learned, the hardest part of a folk song.

About ornamentation 02 · 2024

“Singing Mirror”

Her own model: two learners face to face, each hearing themselves in the other. Tested with children, adults and university students.

How the model works 03 · 2015

The songbook

“Severnyashki slavei, part I”: folk songs with piano accompaniment, St Cyril and St Methodius University Press.

About the songbook 04 · 2025 - 2026

Right now

An experiment in three kindergartens and a joint project with Northumbria University in the United Kingdom.

What is happening now

The cover of the 1978 music notebook, inscribed “Dryanovo songs, sung by Denka Poptodorova, written down by Ventseslava Todorova” — The 1978 notebook the songs on “Dryanovki murafetliyki” come from. The notes hold the melody; the ornamentation is learned from voice to voice.

01 · The dissertation

Ornamentation is what sets the Bulgarian folk song apart. And it is the hardest thing to teach.

On 23 February 2015 she defended a dissertation entitled “Stages in mastering ornamentation in the teaching of folk singing” and was awarded the degree of doctor of the methodology of music education.

The work sets out the order in which the ornaments are mastered: what comes first, what can wait, and why certain pupils stumble in the same place.

03 · The songbook

Severnyashki slavei

Folk songs with piano accompaniment, part I. December 2015.

In December 2015 she published “Severnyashki slavei, part I. Folk songs with piano accompaniment”, compiled by her and published by St Cyril and St Methodius University Press, Veliko Tarnovo.

The songbook shares its name with the two “Severnyashki slavei” competitions that the Anna-FolkArt Association ran until 2014: a national one in Veliko Tarnovo and an international one in Suhindol.

The “Severnyashki slavei” competitions

A poster for the spring concert with students of the Department of Music — Spring concert, Department of Music

A poster for the graduation concert of students of the folk singing class — Graduation concert by students of the class

A poster for the graduation concert of Miglena Georgieva — Graduation concert by Miglena Georgieva

04 · Right now

2025 - 2026

Habilitation

Three kindergartens

A research experiment in three kindergartens in the Gabrovo and Veliko Tarnovo regions, on which she is preparing her habilitation thesis.

International

Northumbria University

A joint research project with Northumbria University in the United Kingdom. In 2025 she also gave a solo concert in Newcastle.

Before that

Fulbright, Seattle

Teaching and research in Seattle, USA, during the 2017/2018 academic year, and the World Musical Cultures seminar.

20 titles

Publications

Papers and articles in Bulgarian and international academic publications. The full texts of 15 of them, 187 pages, are free to read.

All of them to download

2026 2 titles

Teachers’ attitudes to links between the arts in taking in the Bulgarian folk song in pre-school education Proceedings of the eighth conference “Current policy and practice in education”. Pleven Pedagogical College, 24 - 25 April 2026, pp. 390-401. ISBN 978-619-93227-1-0 Pre-school education as ground for passing on the Bulgarian folk song tradition, now that the handover between the generations has changed XIII International Scientific Conference, Ruse, 22 - 24 April 2026. In press.

2025 6 titles

Aformal learning of folk singing: tradition and the present day Yearbook of the Faculty of Education, vol. 2, issue 1, pp. 86-110. St Cyril and St Methodius University Press, Veliko Tarnovo, 2025. ISSN 3033-2826 An innovative pedagogical framework for vocal training of students in higher music pedagogy specialties, based on the author’s “Singing Mirror” model In press. Testing an innovative vocal teaching method based on the author’s “Singing Mirror” model with children and adults learning in an informal setting Education and Technologies, vol. 16/25, issue 1, 2025, p. 62. ISSN 1314-1791 How primary school children take in Bulgarian folk songs when the teacher sings them Yearbook of Shumen University, Faculty of Education, vol. XXIX D. Bishop Konstantin Preslavski University Press, 2025, pp. 69-79. ISSN 1314-6769 Building a critical ear for online music platforms as part of present-day one-to-one aformal learning of Bulgarian folk singing Proceedings of the sixth international conference “Education: the classical and the modern”. St Cyril and St Methodius University Press, Veliko Tarnovo, 2025, pp. 151-159. ISSN 2815-5475 A study of parents’ attitudes to links between the arts in learning Bulgarian folk songs at pre-school level Proceedings of the XII international conference “Teacher education: tradition and the present day”, 20 November 2025, Veliko Tarnovo, pp. 513-522. ISSN 2534-9317

2024 2 titles

Stages in mastering ornamentation in the teaching of folk singing XI international conference “Teacher education: tradition and the present day”, 2024. I and B Publishing, Veliko Tarnovo. ISSN 2534-9317

The place of one-to-one folk singing teaching at primary level, in formal and informal settings XI international conference “Teacher education: tradition and the present day”, 2024. I and B Publishing, Veliko Tarnovo. ISSN 2534-9317

2022 1 title

A new look at singing Bulgarian folk songs in pre-school music education International conference “Education: the classical and the modern”, Vratsa, October 2022.

2021 2 titles

One-to-one teaching of Bulgarian folk singing to music education students at a distance. Improving the teaching approach Proceedings of the eighth international conference “Teacher education: tradition and the present day”. I and B, 2021, pp. 98-105. ISSN 2534-9317 The “knock” in Bulgarian folk singing. Teaching aspects Proceedings of the conference “Music education today”, 2 July 2021.

2019 1 title

From grandparents to grandchildren: On the issue of cross-generational cultural transmission and the enculturational process Anniversary conference marking 25 years of the Music Education programme at St Cyril and St Methodius University. University Press, 2019. ISBN 978-619-208-6

2017 1 title

Bulgarian folk singing in the training of student teachers (voice placement and repertoire) International conference “Folklore and education”, October 2017. In press.

2015 1 title

Folk singing: authentic and “academic” Proceedings of the anniversary international conference “50 years of the University of Veliko Tarnovo”, 10 May 2013. University Press, 2015, pp. 473-479. ISBN 978-619-208-001-3

2013 3 titles

The folk singing lesson as ground for qualitative research in education Proceedings of the second research seminar for doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers and young scholars of the University of Veliko Tarnovo, 6 June 2013. Faber, 2013. ISBN 978-954-400-985-4

Features of folk singing teaching in out-of-school community centre classes and in university music education programmes Hisarya, 2013.

Mastering the ornamentation of the Bulgarian folk song in the singing lesson as a basis for building vocal skill Proceedings of the first research seminar for doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers and young scholars of the University of Veliko Tarnovo, 17 January 2013. Faber, 2013, pp. 676-687. ISBN 978-954-400-957-1

2012 1 title

The ornamentation of the Bulgarian folk song: folkloristic and pedagogical aspects Proceedings of the Angel Kanchev University of Ruse, 2012, vol. 51, series 6.3, pp. 237-241. ISSN 1311-3321

To download

Documents

The full texts she has provided for this site. Free to read and to download.

2026 Curriculum vitae of Ana Borisova Her full curriculum vitae, research, awards and public work, in her own words.

For research cooperation

Joint research, reviewing, and taking part in conferences and seminars on the teaching of folk singing.

Get in touch “Singing Mirror”