Short Courses & Events / Archive

A Tonguecentric Pedagogy: Reframing The Conversation About This Important Structure

Thursday 24th February 2022, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)

The tongue is the most flexible structure in the vocal tract.

The pharynx, while not a square, does have four “sides” that include the back, two sides and the front.

The back wall is not moveable. The side walls can narrow and release to create high frequency energy (twang).

The front wall, the back of the tongue, is super flexible and can move in myriad ways!

It is the primary shaper of voice quality and can make or break a performer’s production.  The fourth “wall” is used to create ring and darkness, and is involved in control of vibrato rate. It shapes vowels and consonants and can fix or cause vocal problems. “Holy Moly,” what doesn’t it do?

I now believe it is the most important structure to learn about in singing and have shifted my pedagogical approach toward a “TongueCentric” one instead of one centered around the vocal folds.

After all, the folds are only a small portion of the overall sound created.

Join us for this “TongueCentric” course.

Sorry, this is an archived short course...

We have plenty of upcoming short courses coming soon. See details of some of them below or look at the full list of short courses.

The Voice in Neurodiversity Affirmative Music Therapy with Autistic People
Tuesday 23rd April 2024
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
(London Time)

The Voice in Neurodiversity Affirmative Music Therapy with Autistic People

Hilary Davies

This lecture, delivered from a lived experience perspective, will begin with an explanation of the key concepts around neurodiversity, the neurodiversity paradigm, and some neurodiversity-informed theories within autism research, including a brief exploration of autistic communication and culture.

Queering Country Music: Conceptualising LGBTQIA+ Voices in a Contested Genre
Thursday 25th April 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
(London Time)

Queering Country Music: Conceptualising LGBTQIA+ Voices in a Contested Genre

James Barker

This course considers the way songs by LGBTQIA+ artists navigate country music aesthetics and definitions of genre, looking at the voice as a medium for articulating and reworking ideas of authenticity and genre identity. The presentation explores particular songs in depth...

Mental Health Informed Practitioner Certificate with Dr George Musgrave (4 week course)
Tuesday 30th April 2024
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
(London Time)

Mental Health Informed Practitioner Certificate with Dr George Musgrave (4 week course)

Dr George Musgrave

Join Dr George Musgrave – co-author of Can Music Make You Sick? Measuring the Price of Musical Ambition (2020), an Amazon Number 1 Bestseller in the Sociology of Work – for a deep dive into the social and psychological experiences of musical career creation and development, as well as the effects of the music industry and its practices on mental health.