A Voice Teacher’s Guide to Temporomandibular Disorders
Tuesday 4th February 2025, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
Have you or your singing students ever experienced jaw pain or tension during or after singing? This class is for you!
Temporomandibular Disorders are characterized by pain and functional limitations affecting the temporomandibular joints and surrounding structures. While this group of disorders is prevalent, conversations with voice teachers, voice pedagogy literature, and social media all suggest an incomplete understanding of TMDs among voice teachers and singers.
The purpose of this class is to outline a practical, science-based guide to Temporomandibular Disorders that would be relevant to singing and applicable for the voice teaching studio.
The class will begin with an overview of the anatomy and pathophysiology of the TMJ from the perspective of the biopsychosocial medical model and a summary of the literature describing the relationship between TMDs and the voice. How do TMDs affect the voice? What causes TMDs in singers? Does singing make TMDs worse? How can the singer mitigate the impact of TMDs?
We will then continue the discussion from the perspective of what to do as a voice teacher if you suspect your student may have a TMD. Topics include how to screen for a TMD, the voice teacher's role in diagnosis and management of TMDs, considerations for voice teacher response, and recommendations for adaptations in the voice studio.
The lecture portion of the class will conclude with a summary of major takeaways for voice teachers and a discussion of possible areas for future research.
There will also be a hands-on portion of the class, during which we will learn and practice an array of possible functional and vocal exercises that the voice teacher may offer for management of TMDs in singing. 10 minutes at the end of class will be reserved for question and answer.
Dr. Jane Clukey
Dr. Jane Clukey, mezzo soprano, is an active performer and teacher of classical and commercial singing styles from Maine, USA. She appears frequently throughout Maine as a presenter, adjudicator, lecturer, music director, and workshop facilitator.
Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.
Learn MoreSorry, 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.
Monday 12th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Tuesday 13th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wednesday 14th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Thursday 15th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Tuesday 20th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wednesday 21st January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
(London Time)
Level One Certificate in Accents and Phonetics
Louisa Morgan
Are you a voice, acting, or singing coach looking to expand your expertise and add accents and phonetics to your teaching repertoire? This 6-session course covers essential topics such as articulatory, acoustic, and auditory phonetics, the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), and ethical approaches to accent and dialect coaching. By the end of this course, you'll be equipped with the knowledge and practical skills to start to bring phonetics and accent coaching into your coaching and provide more comprehensive support to your clients.
Monday 12th January 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)
Emerging and Developing Voice: Singing and Speech
Karen Brunssen
How does the singing voice influence the speaking voice? How does the speaking voice influence the singing voice? When is there a disparate relationship between the two? Can they help each other? Can one harm the other? How can we use them positively in the voice studio. During this short course we will consider the voice as we sing and as we speak. The acquisition of language is a very interesting journey from birth through old age. We will broach the topics of “lexical” which refers to learning words, and “semantic” which is how we use words in the context of language.
Monday 12th January 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Perfectionism: A Theoretical & Clinical Overview
Dr David Juncos
What exactly is meant when we label ourselves or someone we know a perfectionist? It is a good to be this way? Or are you setting yourself up for failure? Can a performance psychologist or a other performance-related practitioner help you if you’re a perfectionist? In this short course, you will learn how perfectionism is defined according to popular models in clinical psychology, and whether it is maladaptive or adaptive. You will also learn how perfectionism impacts on music performance anxiety, in addition to other areas of importance for performing musicians, like work-related stress and burnout, and procrastination with one’s practice.