Scientific knowledge of vocal function and vocal health has increased greatly in recent decades, with new technology capable of displaying the larynx in operation, measuring muscular effort, and acoustically analysing vocal sound. This research addresses five key questions: 1/. What is the current body of voice science knowledge relevant to singing? 2/. What do singing teaching practitioners currently know about the voice? 3/. How do practitioners' understandings of voice influence their teaching of vocal techniques? 4/. How does singing teaching in Australia relate to bel canto precepts? 5/. How does singing teaching in Australia relate to voice science? Data was collected from surveys conducted to answer these questions. Analysis of survey data indicates that practitioners see themselves less as teachers than as singers who teach, and that this role perception carries values that moderate voice knowledge and approaches to teaching. The implications of this conclusion for the professional training of singing teachers in Australia are discussed and suggestions made for further research. In particular, voice scientists and singing teachers need to collaborate more actively in research. Scientific research into singing would have broader application if a model appropriate to both male and female voices were utilised and if larger and better chosen selections of experimental subjects were used. Further research is needed into how the physical skills of singing are best imparted to students / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)