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.

MA Voice Pedagogy: Online Information Session & Q&A
Tuesday 13th October 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
(London Time)

MA Voice Pedagogy: Online Information Session & Q&A

Debbie Winter

Considering our MA Voice Pedagogy? Join our Director for a focused online presentation and discussion to explore the course, ask questions, and discover whether postgraduate study at Voice Study Centre is right for you.

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Tuesday 13th October 2026
2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
(London Time)

Musical Theatre Singing Pedagogy: A Framework for Teaching Musical Theatre Singers!

Amanda Flynn

Join Amanda Flynn for this extended 2.5 hour session on the the pedagogy of teaching musical theatre singing. She will begin by exploring the flexibility needed for musical theatre singing through definitions, listening exercises, and some historical context.

Thinking Outside the Voice Box: Adolescent Female Voice Change
Wednesday 14th October 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
(London Time)

Thinking Outside the Voice Box: Adolescent Female Voice Change

Dr Bridget Sweet-Manternach

Join Dr Bridget Sweet for this 2 hour session as she unpacks this fascinating topic. The purpose of this course is to bring attention to adolescents who experience an estrogen-dominant voice change and to encourage new and holistic ways of thinking about [assigned at birth] female voices. While considering physical changes during adolescence, we will unpack basic vocal anatomy and physiology and then discuss what happens to the vocal mechanism during voice change for females vs. [assigned at birth] males.