Short Courses & Events / Archive

From Flow Ball To Flow Phonation

Thursday 23rd June 2022, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM (London Time)

Unlike instrumentalists, singers need to coordinate non-visible internal systems (i.e., breathing, vibratory, resonatory and articulatory) to produce sounds capable of conveying musicality.

To allow this, tools that facilitate visualisation are very useful.

A new real-time visual feedback tool for displaying airflow during phonation is presented: the flow ball (FB).

The FB acts as a flow meter; thus, its use assists the quality of the primary sound source, i.e., the pulsating transglottal airflow.

It allows efficient vocal fold closure, encourages vocal health and vocal efficiency during singing.

We call this state: Flow phonation

Filipa M.B. Lã

Filipa M.B La (soprano) holds a Ph.D. and Master’s Degree in Music (Singing) and a Licentiate in Biology (Education). The interdisciplinary nature of her background encouraged...

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.

Creative Articulation
Thursday 30th October 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Creative Articulation

Annie Morrison

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.

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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.

The Science of Sound: Optimizing Vocal Acoustics for Contemporary Styles!
Tuesday 4th November 2025
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
(London Time)

The Science of Sound: Optimizing Vocal Acoustics for Contemporary Styles!

Dr Ana Flavia Zuim

This course explores the scientific principles underpinning vocal production, acoustics, and the care of the singing voice, drawing from both foundational texts and contemporary research. Students will engage deeply with concepts from Titze’s Principles of Voice Production and Bozeman’s Practical Vocal Acoustics, including the nature of sound, pressure waveforms, harmonics, formants, and the spectral envelope. Emphasis is placed on understanding both linear and non-linear source-filter models, highlighting how the glottis produces sound and how the vocal tract selectively reinforces harmonics to enhance vocal power, timbre, and efficiency.