Bitchin’ Pitchin’: Teaching the ‘tone-deaf’ singer
Thursday 29th August 2024, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
This course will dig deep into why some singers struggle to match pitch and how voice teachers can help them develop this skill.
Many beginner singers identify as ‘tone-deaf’ but Amusia only affects around 3% of the population (significantly less than the percentage who struggle to sing in tune). For most poor-pitch singers there are underlying neurological reasons for their struggles. In this course, the neurological processes that must co-ordinate in order for someone to match pitch successfully will be reviewed. These include accurate pitch interpretation, pitch production, internal feedback evaluation and, crucially, pitch translation and the involvement of memory within this sensorimotor loop.
A variety of strategies that can be used to enhance a singer’s pitch accuracy will be shared and demonstrated so that course attendees will leave feeling better equipped to recognise the potential causes of a singer’s pitch inaccuracy and have a list of strategies they can draw from in order to guide singers to accuracy.
Heather Baker
Heather Baker is a Contemporary Voice Teacher based in the North of England and a Founding Director of the Institute for Vocal Advancement (IVA), delivering global training to voice teachers.

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 18th March 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Tuesday 25th March 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Tuesday 1st April 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
(London Time)
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Joshua Lee-Cummins
This three-week course provides voice professionals with a structured and interactive approach to defining their identity, connecting with their audience, and implementing small but impactful changes to enhance their practice.


Tuesday 1st April 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Female Musical Theatre Belting in the 21st Century

Dr. Christianne Roll
In the almost 100 years since the origin of the female musical theatre belt voice, the sound has become almost synonymous with Broadway itself, and has continued to develop and evolve, based on the storytelling needs of the musical theatre artform...

Thursday 3rd April 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Thursday 17th April 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Tongue Tie: The Hidden Limitation Destroying Singers’ Technique, Progress, and Potential

Jessica Luffey
It holds true that improving vocal technique creates better sound and vocal freedom. But what if I told you there’s a hidden physical issue preventing some singers from progressing—one that most pedagogues, teachers, and even medical professionals are unaware of…?