Certificate In Vocal Pedagogy, The ‘What, Why And How’ Of Vocal Pedagogy with Voice Scientist Kerrie Obert
While this course delivers the most up-to-date information available, it is Kerrie's greater hope that you leave with a better sense of how to analyse new information and changing processes so that when changes come (whether they be in the form of new styles of singing or new scientific information)— and they will come - that you will remain relevant in a changing world.
Spring immersive course
Mondays and Wednesdays: 4th March -15th May 2024
Time 3:00pm - 5:00pm London Time
- Fully online
- 11-week course
- Live classes led by Voice Scientist, Kerrie Obert
- Accredited by The Institute of Training and Occupational Learning (ITOL)
- Upon completion of the course, you will receive an official ITOL-accredited certificate, a badge for your website/social media and a profile on our student page
Overview
We are offering a 10% Early Bird Discount on this course until 30th November 2023. Please use code EARLYBIRD10 at checkout.
Welcome to Voice Study Centre’s course for teachers: A Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy for the Modern Voice Studio.
Twenty years ago, voice teachers were expected to be proficient at teaching music from the Western Classical tradition with the occasional extension into the Golden Era of Musical Theatre. People who sang music outside these genres often did not take voice lessons or were encouraged to learn “traditional ways of singing” in the hopes that the skills learned therein would somehow transfer to whatever style they preferred. Today’s students know better and expect more. My name is Kerrie Obert, and I am the course instructor for this neatly designed ten-week course.
I was one of those students many moons ago; a musical theatre major who was expecting to learn to sing the music of the stage. But my first college voice teacher insisted I only sing classical music. I should have known upon spotting the ancient Lilli Lehmann voice placement chart amidst the mounds of Schubert and Donizetti scores that I wouldn’t be singing Sondheim anytime soon. I switched studios after my first semester and might as well have committed murder in the building. That voice teacher never spoke to me again.
My new voice instructor, Julie Fortney, was modern, motherly, and she had studied with Berton Coffin and “knew stuff” the others didn’t. Words that were mostly whispered in the night, words like “belting” and “growl,” were suddenly legitimized in her studio. She retired after teaching more than forty years; still modern, still motherly. When I think about what made her modern, even in her final years of teaching, it was her incredible passion for life-long learning. She was and is a breath of fresh air, and she remains one of the most important figures from my life.
Being a modern voice teacher is less about knowing every genre of singing and more about understanding how to deconstruct the latest timbres and styles in order to reconstruct them into a meaningful teaching methodology. The deconstruction process requires knowledge of how the body works, perception and acoustics. The restructuring process includes integration of teaching methodologies spanning neuroscience, psychology, and body mapping. In this course I hope to cultivate curiosity within the voice community by sharpening eyes and ears and words—all in the service of helping others.
While this course does deliver the most up-to-date information available, it is my greater hope that you leave with a better sense of how to analyze new information and changing processes so that when changes come (whether they be in the form of new styles of singing or new scientific information) - and they will come - that you will remain relevant in a changing world. Your students need you and I want you to succeed.
This course is fully accredited by The Institute of Training and Occupational Learning (ITOL).
Upon completion of the course you will receive an official ITOL branded certificate to confirm your accreditation.
Mondays and Wednesdays: 4th March - 22nd May 2024
Time 3pm to 5pm London Time
Syllabus
The course syllabus is shown below - timings and content may change slightly
Week 1
| DATE | READINGS | TOPICS | GROUP ACTIVITY |
|---|---|---|---|
Monday 4th March 2024 |
Course Workbook Chapters 1, 2, and 3 |
Course Introduction Evidence Based Vocal Pedagogy The Brain
|
|
Wednesday 6th March 2024 |
Course Workbook Chapters 4 & 5 |
Science of Sound
The ear
|
Week 2
| DATE | READINGS | TOPICS | GROUP ACTIVITY |
|---|---|---|---|
Monday 11th March 2024 |
Course Workbook Chapters 6, 7 & 8
|
Phonation
Psychoacoustics
|
|
Wednesday 13th March 2024 |
Course Workbook Chapters 9 & 10 |
The respiratory system
Breathing methodologies
|
Week 3
| DATE | READINGS | TOPICS | GROUP ACTIVITY |
|---|---|---|---|
Monday 18th March 2024 |
Course Workbook Chapters 11, 12 & 13 |
Laryngeal/pharyngeal anatomy and physiology
Vocal fold onset and mass
Vocal health
|
|
Wednesday 20th March 2024 |
Course Workbook Chapters 14, 15, & 16 |
Vocal Tract Shaping Part 1-Velum
Part 2-Larynx height
Part 3-Pharyngeal constrictors and pyriforms
|
- |
Week 4
| DATE | READINGS | TOPICS | GROUP ACTIVITY |
|---|---|---|---|
Monday 25th March 2024 |
Course Workbook Chapters 17, 18, & 19 |
Vocal Tract Shaping Continued Part 4-Tongue
Laryngeal Shaping Part 1-False vocal folds
Part 2-Thyroid cartilage (tilt)
|
|
Wednesday 27th March 2024 |
Course Workbook Chapters 17, 18, & 19 |
Posture/alignment
Body-based methodologies for posture/alignment
Using Emotion and body-based movements in coaching
|
- |
Week 5
| DATE | READINGS | TOPICS | GROUP ACTIVITY |
|---|---|---|---|
No class 1st April 2024 |
|||
Wednesday 3rd April 2024 |
Course Workbook Chapter 20 |
Diction
|
Week 6
| DATE | READINGS | TOPICS | GROUP ACTIVITY |
|---|---|---|---|
Monday 8th April 2024 |
Course Workbook Chapter 21 |
|
|
Wednesday 10th April 2024 |
Course Workbook Chapter 22 |
Standards of practice
|
Week 7
| DATE | READINGS | TOPICS | GROUP ACTIVITY |
|---|---|---|---|
Monday 15th April 2024 |
Course Workbook Chapter23 |
Identifying opportunities for change and making a plan |
|
Wednesday 17th April 2024 |
Identifying opportunities for change and making a plan |
Week 8
| DATE | READINGS | TOPICS | GROUP ACTIVITY |
|---|---|---|---|
Monday 22nd April 2024 |
Course Workbook Chapters 24 & 25 |
The laryngeal exam
Stroboscopic assessment
|
|
Wednesday 24th April 2024 |
Course Workbook Chapters 26 & 27 |
The laryngeal examination-Part 2
Vocal hygiene
Warm-ups and Cool-downs
|
Week 9
| DATE | READINGS | TOPICS | GROUP ACTIVITY |
|---|---|---|---|
Monday 29th April 2024 |
Course Workbook Chapters 28 & 29 |
Acoustic registers
Acoustic strategies
Extended vocal techniques
|
|
Wednesday 1st May 2024 |
- |
Live interactive coaching sessions with volunteers |
Week 10 / 11
| DATE | READINGS | TOPICS | GROUP ACTIVY |
|---|---|---|---|
No class 6th May 2024 |
|||
Wednesday 8th May 2024 |
- |
Live interactive coaching sessions with volunteers |
|
Monday 13th May 2024 |
- |
Live interactive coaching sessions with volunteers |
|
Wednesday 15th May 2024 |
Wrap-up class with time for discussion and Q & A |
We are offering a 10% Early Bird Discount on this course until 30th November 2023. Please use code EARLYBIRD10 at checkout.
Assessment
Assessment:
The assessment will consist of a written portfolio and a video of your teaching. The portfolio will consist of a rationale for the exercises included in your video. You will receive feedback on your teaching with further follow-up work where needed.
Qualification:
You will receive a Voice Study Centre certificate and website badge to boost your credentials.
Can I work towards the MA?
Yes, if you complete the course and then continue to the full MA programme, we will discount the cost of the course from the MA fees. For more information on the fees and assignments please view our MA page. Do not forget to check out our student stories.
Course Details
Where will the course take place?
Online
What time will the course take place?
You will be part of a cohort and you will be encouraged to work together.
Although consistent attendance is encouraged, you will be able to watch sessions on playback.
Course Dates: Mondays and Wednesdays from 4th March to 15th May 2024 (excluding UK bank holidays)
Class Times: 3-5pm London Time
Cost: £995
Class Instructor: Kerrie Obert, MA., CCC/SLP, E: Kerrie@voicestudycentre.com
Kerrie Obert is one of the world’s leading experts in voice training and pedagogical practice. An internationally acclaimed speech-language pathologist and singing voice specialist with over 25 years in clinical and private practice, her love of teaching voice and witnessing the remarkable responses from her clients/students/patients has been the driving force to her success.
Part scientist and part performer, Kerrie’s unique perspective on singing and the voice has always included a combination of research and clinical practice in conjunction with onstage experience. After completing her M.A. in speech-language pathology at The Ohio State University (OSU), Kerrie joined their clinical staff and worked alongside some of the top laryngologists in the country, performing thousands of endoscopies, and collaborating in research as a part of the voice and swallowing disorders division. She helped launch the singing health specialization at OSU and served as the director of medical arts for the program.
As Kerrie transitioned from full-time clinical work to adjunct status to expand her private studio, she began traveling extensively as an invited lecturer, helping clients achieve their singing and teaching goals. As a performer, Obert sang in bands, music directed stage productions, conducted choirs, and worked as a soloist. While maintaining a private studio, she taught contemporary commercial voice at Capital University Music Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio, coaching students through the challenges that come with performing live and in recordings.
She continues to collaborate on several research projects with the OSU Department of Otolaryngology and Speech and Hearing Science and is noted for her ground-breaking discoveries on twang quality and tongue root. Her research has included collaborations in Japan, Greece, and across the United States. She is published in peer-reviewed journals such as Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology, The Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal, and Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, and has co-authored four books on voice, including The Owner’s Manual to The Voice. A frequent public speaker, she gave the keynote address for the 2019 Voice Geek Conference in Colchester, England, and was a featured guest for the National Association of Teachers of Singing’s NATS Chat.