Short Courses & Events / Archive

Do you practice what you preach? Strategies for optimal practice

Tuesday 28th October 2025, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (London Time)

“Best practices.” “Practice makes perfect.” “Practice what you preach.” There are many popular phrases about practice that people toss about in conversation – but what is practice anyway, how does it work, and what is the relationship between practicing, learning, and performance?

This course will examine current evidence from motor learning research on how we learn motor skills like singing.  We’ll define practice, learning, and performance, and the importance of distinguishing learning from performance in how we practice.  Next, we’ll look at the different kinds of practice and how they impact learning and performance.  We’ll look at examples of each kind of practice and when we might want to use them.  Then, we’ll consider how what we know about practice might impact how we structure a lesson, how we prepare for a recital/stage role/gig, and how we warm up immediately before a performance.

We’ll also talk about goal setting, weekly practice reflections, diaries/journaling, and performance road maps, and how they can help us better track our progress and detect trends in our practicing.  We’ll also talk about the role of technology in assisting our practice.

There will be ample time for questions and sample materials you can use in improving your practice and that of your students.  

🏷️ 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

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...

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Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.

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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.

Voice Study Centre Online Symposium 2025
Wednesday 26th November 2025
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
(London Time)

Voice Study Centre Online Symposium 2025

Join us for our very first online symposium, dedicated to bridging the gap between artistic training and athletic conditioning for performers! Bridging the gap between artistic training and athletic conditioning, a diverse group of speakers and researchers will be delivering presentations and papers, focusing on promoting longevity and health of musical theatre performers. This symposium aims to elevate awareness surrounding the unique demands of performers, define best practices for training and care, and bridge the gap between different disciplines.

Vocal Health, Well-being and Hindustani Classical Music
Tuesday 2nd December 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)

Vocal Health, Well-being and Hindustani Classical Music

Dr Sunny Sandhu

Join Dr Sunny Sandhu for a 2-hour course that introduces participants to the ancient practice of kharaj exercises in the Dhrupad tradition, focusing on the deep and resonant lower octave of the voice. Through guided breathing, slow tonal exploration, and sustained notes, students will learn techniques that strengthen the vocal cords, expand range, and develop clarity and stability in sound production!

(R)evolutionary Voice Training: harnessing human instinct to accelerate vocal transformation!
Thursday 4th December 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

(R)evolutionary Voice Training: harnessing human instinct to accelerate vocal transformation!

Maddie Tarbox

Human beings and our vertebrate ancestors have been communicating via vocalization for millions of years – those sounds did not start as complex language, but as animal mimicry, acoustic cuing, and emotional primal sounds. Join Maddie Tarbox for this two hour session as she unpicks the repertoire of instinctive shortcuts that can lower cognitive load and accelerate vocal change!