Digging Deeper into Mechanisms: How Exercises and Stretching Impact the Voice
Thursday 21st March 2024, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
Deeply embedded into voice care, interventions such as stretching and exercise have a simple premise: stretch what’s tight and strengthen what’s weak. Tight and weak muscles are often seen as culprits needing remediation, but what goes into these interventions? Though pleasantly simple narratives, the mechanisms behind such interventions are nuanced and variable. This short course will guide the learner into a deeper understanding to provide a more straightforward path to client instruction.
Paralleling problems in more general research, outcome-based studies often fail to thoroughly examine the traditional underlying explanations for why a problem exists and how change occurs via the intervention. Those mechanisms are the gap between a problem and a successful outcome. Witness the myriad of approaches claiming success with various aspects of voice. Based on a general complaint, each method tends to claim problems (tightness, weakness, poor form or technique, sub-optimal posture, incorrect breathing, etc.) and set forth to devise a study to remediate the problem. When the problem is helped, the work is seen as a success, but the logic used often falls into post hoc fallacy issues.
Fully vetted and accepted mechanisms of action for voice interventions are rare. How an intervention works is nuanced and can be viewed from various perspectives. Each model tends to be not wrong but also not entirely correct. Does this sound confusing? Join me as we explore this uncertainty and clear a path forward.
Walt Fritz
Walt Fritz, PT, has evolved traditionally taught tissue-based approaches into a unique interpretation of manual therapy. This approach advances views of causation and impact from historical tissue-specific models into a multifactorial narrative, leaning heavily on biopsychosocial influences.
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.
Thursday 23rd April 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Friday 24th April 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)
Singing and the Brain: A Harmonious Connection!
Dr Patricia Izbicki
Unlock the transformative power of music with our two-part lecture series that delves deep into the fascinating intersection of neuroscience, music education, and music therapy.
Thursday 23rd April 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
The Neuroscience of Speech and Song
Dr Michel Belyk
The Neuroscience of Speech and Song offers an engaging and accessible introduction to the fascinating interface between the brain and some of the things that we use it for. This course is designed to unravel the complex processes underlying how we speak and sing, using simple and accessible language. This course will start from basics and assume very little prior knowledge. We will cover the basic structure of the brain and how it works in general, then narrow in on specific processes that are relevant to speech and song.
Monday 27th April 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Tuesday 28th April 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wednesday 29th April 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Thursday 30th April 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
(London Time)
Certificate in Coaching Emotional Vocal Expression
Louisa Morgan
Understanding emotions is crucial for coaching performers towards more authentic and compelling performances. However, working with emotions can be challenging, both physiologically and mentally. This course will introduce you to theories of emotion and the connections between the brain, body, and voice. We will then discuss how to work effectively with emotions when coaching speakers or singers, considering the physical and mental demands.