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.
Thursday 30th October 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Creative Articulation
Annie Morrison
Most of us have little idea of HOW we speak, or what to do to make speech more muscular. Join Annie Morrison (creator of the 'Morrison Bone Prop') for this two hour session on Creative Articulation, a holistic and haptic approach to the touchings and feelings of the articulators in the dance of speech. Seeing articulation as a purely mechanical skill is detrimental to an actor's process: it is crucial to understand what language is doing on a biological level.
Tuesday 4th November 2025
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
(London Time)
The Belt Voice in R&B/Soul Singing: Vocal Characteristics & Physiology
Dr Matt Allen
The belt’s got soul! This course offers a deep dive into the vocal artistry and biomechanics of R&B/soul singing, with a particular focus on the belt voice—a powerful and expressive vocal technique central to the genre. Drawing from over 80 years of stylistic evolution, the course explores how R&B/soul singing has shaped contemporary commercial music and investigates the unique vocal traits that define its sound.
Tuesday 4th November 2025
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
(London Time)
The Science of Sound: Optimizing Vocal Acoustics for Contemporary Styles!
Dr Ana Flavia Zuim
This course explores the scientific principles underpinning vocal production, acoustics, and the care of the singing voice, drawing from both foundational texts and contemporary research. Students will engage deeply with concepts from Titze’s Principles of Voice Production and Bozeman’s Practical Vocal Acoustics, including the nature of sound, pressure waveforms, harmonics, formants, and the spectral envelope. Emphasis is placed on understanding both linear and non-linear source-filter models, highlighting how the glottis produces sound and how the vocal tract selectively reinforces harmonics to enhance vocal power, timbre, and efficiency.