Short Courses & Events / Archive

From Broadway to the West End: Teaching Musical Theatre in a Modern Era

Tuesday 21st January 2025, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)

As the world of musical theatre evolves, voice professionals face the unique challenge of preparing singers for an industry that demands not only vocal excellence but also stylistic versatility and resilience. In this engaging two-hour workshop, Melanie Tapson - a professional performer, interdisciplinary voice specialist and clinical voice therapist - focuses on equipping voice educators with practical tools to help their students thrive at every stage of their career, all the way to Broadway, the West End, and beyond.

Through a voice-centred lens, this workshop will explore:

  • the essential vocal techniques shaping contemporary musical theatre, from belting and pop/rock mixing to strategies for vocal conditioning (and re-conditioning, too)
  • current trends in vocal styles and sound preferences across genres, and what they reveal about industry shifts
  • practical approaches for bridging the gap between classical and contemporary musical theatre training, helping singers build versatility with a priority focus on vocal health

Melanie will blend practical pedagogy with voice science, sharing research-backed insights into anatomy, physiology, and acoustics. You’ll discover:

  • how to teach singers to connect technical choices with emotional storytelling in song analysis and acting through song.
  • how to prepare students for real-world challenges, such as adapting quickly to new material, managing vocal demands during long contracts, and auditioning with confidence.
  • tools you can use to help analyse resonance and optimize vocal production.

Interactive exercises and case-based discussions will guide participants in developing actionable teaching strategies tailored to the needs of today’s performers. Whether you’re helping singers identify their “hit” roles, expand their stylistic range, or sustain vocal excellence under pressure, this workshop will provide the insights and tools to make your teaching more effective and impactful.

Join us for a practical, research-driven exploration of musical theatre pedagogy designed specifically for voice professionals, and leave inspired to help vocalists take centre stage!

🏷️ 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

Melanie Tapson

Melanie Tapson is a professional singer, Singing Voice Specialist, and speech-language pathologist whose practice specializes in voice assessment and therapy...

CPD Course Logo

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

Learn More

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.

Simultaneous Singing and Dancing in Musical Theatre: A Cross-Disciplinary Evidence Review
Tuesday 17th February 2026
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
(London Time)

Simultaneous Singing and Dancing in Musical Theatre: A Cross-Disciplinary Evidence Review

Debbie Winter
Dr Claire Thomas

This short course invites participants to critically examine the latest cross-disciplinary evidence on the physical and vocal demands of musical theatre performance. Drawing on a comprehensive literature review conducted by Debbie Winter and Claire Thomas (Voice Study Centre, University of Essex), the course explores research from voice science, dance medicine, sports science, and performance pedagogy.

It’s not a virus! Reconceptualizing and De-pathologizing Music Performance Anxiety
Thursday 19th February 2026
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
(London Time)

It’s not a virus! Reconceptualizing and De-pathologizing Music Performance Anxiety

Rebecca Herman

Performance Anxiety is one of the most widespread and debilitating challenges facing musicians across all ages, nationalities and musical genres. Despite decades of research and the development of numerous interventions, we do not yet have an established way of supporting performers experiencing performance anxiety. Aimed at performers, teachers, researchers and students, this presentation will first summarise the current state of play in performance anxiety research, before exploring alternative ways to think about performance anxiety, drawing on new research outside of performance psychology...

Performing Pain: Vocal Health in Emotional Roles!
Thursday 19th February 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 26th February 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)

Performing Pain: Vocal Health in Emotional Roles!

Louisa Morgan

How connected are acted emotions to our real-life emotions? Are they expressed differently? Do they feel different in the body? This 2-part course with Louisa Morgan looks at the potential impact of acted emotion on vocal health, why we should consider it as voice practitioners, and how to care for our performers needing to work with it.