Female Musical Theatre Belting in the 21st Century
Tuesday 1st April 2025, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
The female musical theatre belt sound originated on the Broadway stage in 1930, mostly associated with Ethel Merman and her vocal performance of the song “I Got Rhythm,” in the Gershwin musical, Girl Crazy. 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.
With this in mind, it is imperative that singers and teachers have up to date strategies and techniques to create this exciting vocal production.
This 2-hour short course will begin with a brief discussion of the history and theatrical purpose of the female belt sound. Then, various categories of the female belt sound will be explored and demonstrated, as well as different types of female belt vocal repertoire and roles. During the last portion of the course, vocal exercises to enhance belt voice ability and range will be explained and demonstrated. During this part of the course, participants will be encouraged to sing and personally experience these exercises to enhance their own vocal production and teaching strategies.
🏷️ 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
Dr. Christianne Roll
Dr. Christianne Roll received her BFA in musical theatre from New York University, where she was a Tisch Scholar. Her doctorate is from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she focused her research on musical theatre vocal pedagogy.
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.
Wednesday 29th October 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
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Hilary Davies
In recent years, the music therapy profession has begun to consider the application of the neurodiversity paradigm to music therapy practice, in particular In relation to autism, and an increasing amount of literature embracing this perspective has been published. This lecture, delivered from a lived experience perspective, will provide an explanation of the key concepts around neurodiversity - particular consideration will be given to the use of the voice, both one's own but also to the neurodivergent individual’s particular ways of using language, song and vocal sounds.
Thursday 30th October 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
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Most of us have little idea of HOW we speak, or what to do to make speech more muscular. Join Annie Morrison (creator of the 'Morrison Bone Prop') for this two hour session on Creative Articulation, a holistic and haptic approach to the touchings and feelings of the articulators in the dance of speech. Seeing articulation as a purely mechanical skill is detrimental to an actor's process: it is crucial to understand what language is doing on a biological level.
Tuesday 4th November 2025
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
(London Time)
The Belt Voice in R&B/Soul Singing: Vocal Characteristics & Physiology
Dr Matt Allen
The belt’s got soul! This course offers a deep dive into the vocal artistry and biomechanics of R&B/soul singing, with a particular focus on the belt voice—a powerful and expressive vocal technique central to the genre. Drawing from over 80 years of stylistic evolution, the course explores how R&B/soul singing has shaped contemporary commercial music and investigates the unique vocal traits that define its sound.