Best Practices: How to make the most out of your performance preparation time!
Monday 26th January 2026, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (London Time)
There’s no substitute for being prepared as well as you possibly can be for a performance. But peak performance requires smart, sufficient practice – not too much, not too little, but just right, like Goldilocks and the Three Bears! What is practice, what is the difference between practice and performance, and how does optimal practice occur?
This course will review what is known from research on motor learning about how we best learn to do activities like singing. We’ll define important terms, such as practice, learning, and performance, and examine different kinds of practice (massed vs. distributed; constant versus variable; blocked versus random) and when they are most useful. This impacts how we organize our practice time, how we plan teaching others, and even how we warm up before a performance.
We’ll look at various strategies for reflecting on our practicing, tracking our progress, and seeing patterns in how we are or are not making progress. These include daily, weekly and monthly reflections, having practice partners and lesson partners, planning schedules for major performances, goal setting, musical and character study prompts, and various apps to track what you do.
Time will be left for questions and sample materials will be available for your use.
Professor John Nix
John Nix is Professor of Voice and Voice Pedagogy and chair of the voice area at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His mentors include Barbara Doscher...
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 28th July 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
“Too Much, Too Little, Just Right!” - The Balancing Act Model
Robert Edwin
The Balancing Act Model encourages singers to explore the extremes of singing, and from those extremes, establish their most efficient (balanced) voice and performance techniques. Join the renowned singer/actor and author Robert Edwin as he covers many aspects of the singing process including breathing, phonation, resonation, articulation, and attitude. If you’re involved in music theater or opera, you’ll find the Model to be especially helpful in developing character voices for roles such as Nathan and Adelaide in Guys and Dolls. If you’re just looking to find out what your body and voice can do, The Balancing Act Model can provide many answers!
Thursday 30th July 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)
A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS | Person-Centred Singing Teaching
William Leigh Knight
Only around 3% of the population fall into the category of amusia while over 17% consider themselves ‘tone-deaf’; and this does not account for non-singers, a wider group sometimes described as ‘tuneless’. So, who are ‘the voiceless’? Join William Leigh-Knight as he unpicks this question and considers the purpose of training a voice, when it is considered such a natural human attribute, and he expands on the principles that drive his own practice, which may be summarised as ‘person-centeredness’
Monday 3rd August 2026
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Tuesday 4th August 2026
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Wednesday 5th August 2026
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 6th August 2026
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Friday 7th August 2026
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)
Level Two Certificate in Accents and Phonetics with Louisa Morgan
Louisa Morgan
Build on your foundational knowledge of accents and phonetics in this week‑long lunchtime course designed specifically for voice teachers. Whether you have completed our Level 1 Certificate or already possess a basic working knowledge of phonetics and accent work, this Level 2 course will help you deepen your skills, sharpen your analytical ear, and expand your practical toolkit for teaching.