Are kids just young adults? Paediatric voice disorders, anatomy, and physiology
Thursday 13th March 2025, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
Over one million children in the United States suffer from voice problems. Dysphonia takes a toll on both their psychological well-being and academic performance. Hence early identification and restoration of optical vocal health is critical. But how well do we understand paediatric anatomy and physiology?
Are children simply young adults when it comes to their voice? This short course will dive deep into paediatric voice disorders, exploring the key anatomical and physiological differences between children’s vocal development and that of adults. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for effective diagnosis and treatment of voice disorders in children, emphasizing the need for age-specific approaches in clinical practice.
We will challenge the idea that children are just “young adults” and break down how their anatomy, acoustics, aerodynamics, and vocal fold vibratory motion differ from adults. We will also cover common voice disorders in children, equipping you with knowledge to choose the best strategies and approaches for working with young voices.
This session will provide insights into how children’s voices mature and how to develop vocal skills tailored to their unique physiological capabilities. Learn to identify the limitations and characteristics of a child’s voice and gain the knowledge needed to choose appropriate vocal training or music that supports their evolving vocal health.
🏷️ Price £30 (UK VAT inclusive)
🎥 Recording automatically sent to all who book (even if you cannot attend live)
▶️ Rewatch as many times as you like
📜 Certificate of attendance available
Dr. Rita Patel
Dr. Rita Patel is a speech language pathologist with specialization in the area of voice. Dr. Patel’s career is a blend of ground-breaking research, clinical expertise, and passionate advocacy for voice health.
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.
Tuesday 17th February 2026
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
(London Time)
Simultaneous Singing and Dancing in Musical Theatre: A Cross-Disciplinary Evidence Review
Debbie Winter
Dr Claire Thomas
This short course invites participants to critically examine the latest cross-disciplinary evidence on the physical and vocal demands of musical theatre performance. Drawing on a comprehensive literature review conducted by Debbie Winter and Claire Thomas (Voice Study Centre, University of Essex), the course explores research from voice science, dance medicine, sports science, and performance pedagogy.
Thursday 19th February 2026
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
(London Time)
It’s not a virus! Reconceptualizing and De-pathologizing Music Performance Anxiety
Rebecca Herman
Performance Anxiety is one of the most widespread and debilitating challenges facing musicians across all ages, nationalities and musical genres. Despite decades of research and the development of numerous interventions, we do not yet have an established way of supporting performers experiencing performance anxiety. Aimed at performers, teachers, researchers and students, this presentation will first summarise the current state of play in performance anxiety research, before exploring alternative ways to think about performance anxiety, drawing on new research outside of performance psychology...
Thursday 19th February 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 26th February 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)
Performing Pain: Vocal Health in Emotional Roles!
Louisa Morgan
How connected are acted emotions to our real-life emotions? Are they expressed differently? Do they feel different in the body? This 2-part course with Louisa Morgan looks at the potential impact of acted emotion on vocal health, why we should consider it as voice practitioners, and how to care for our performers needing to work with it.