Short Courses & Events / Archive

Designing Exercises for the Classical and Contemporary Singer

Thursday 16th September 2021, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)

We are excited to present this highly informative, interactive workshop with John Nix on Designing Exercises for the Classical and Contemporary Singer. John will examine the following:

How do vocal exercises work? What are the variables?

  • Direction
  • Pattern
  • Length
  • Vowels
  • Consonants
  • SOVTs
  • Registers
  • Temp/note values
  • Repetition
  • Dynamic level

Other factors to consider when designing your own vocal exercises

  • Muscle activtation
  • Tissue fatigue
  • Motor learning aspects
  • Psychological factors
  • Musical factors

Looking at key examples involving

  • Plosive and close vowels – descending scales for light production
  • Exercises ideal for cross-training
  • Exercises for male classical versus male belt
  • Contrasting Classical and CCM exercises
  • Vocal agility
  • Messa di voce

Case scenario – exercise design

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...

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.

Music Theory Fundamentals for Voice Pedagogues
Tuesday 5th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 12th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 19th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 26th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 2nd June 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 9th June 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)

Music Theory Fundamentals for Voice Pedagogues

Dr David Cane

Voice pedagogy has advanced significantly in the last decades in relation to knowledge of the vocal apparatus (anatomy and mechanics), acoustics, and performance psychology (to name just a few subfields) – this is a wonderful thing! Nonetheless, musicianship and the foundations of music theory are still relevant to the teaching and coaching of singers and this course aims to empower voice teachers and coaches with skills to support the fundamental musicianship development of their students.

In Conversation With… Amanda Flynn
Wednesday 10th June 2026
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)

In Conversation With… Amanda Flynn

Dr Amanda Flynn

Join us for the first event in our new public interview series exploring vocal health and sustainability in musical theatre performance. Free and open to all!

Learning together: group singing and choral pedagogy
Friday 12th June 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
(London Time)

Learning together: group singing and choral pedagogy

Dr David Cane

The benefits of group singing are well documented and well known. Singing together can foster a sense of social connection and community as well enhancing wellbeing and mood.  However, group singing is not only a shared cultural and artistic experience, but can also be a powerful site of learning. While many of the developments in voice pedagogy have tended to centre around the one-to-one model of teaching, this course with Dr David Cane explores the pedagogical (and potentially the political) potential of teaching and learning to sing collectively.