Short Courses & Events / Archive

How to Hack Your Next Audition: The Limbic Response

Tuesday 17th June 2025, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)

We all know the feeling: staring down an audition panel, we lock up, our knees and hands shake, our breath stops, and we’re in emotional free fall.

This is your limbic system going into hyperdrive. In the audition setting, when the limbic system or paleomammalian cortex kicks into action in the face of a perceived conflict, we experience the body’s answer to stressors from people and social interactions.

Meant to optimize our chance of survival, this primeval reaction activates our freeze, flight and fight response and might make us feel like we should do anything but sing opera.

While it is a natural and understandable response meant to ensure our success, at the heart of the problem is a paradox that there is no physical danger, but rather a threat of judgment or failure that all performers can relate to.

This course will walk you through steps to work with your limbic response and choose the most appropriate course of action to nail your next audition while honouring your internal mental and emotional landscape.

As performers, it is crucial that we understand the basic functioning of our vocal instruments and limbic brain, how their interaction impacts our daily experience and what messages we send to the outside world. This is essential for our understanding of ourselves as performers and auditionees, and helpful for audition panellists as well – ultimately, finding a balance between our vocalism and limbic messaging will provide us with advantages in auditions, lessons, performances, and our daily social lives.

🏷️ 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 Katherine Skovira

Katherine Skovira, D.M.A. (she/her) is a nationally recognized contemporary music performer and researcher. Of her work, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, “The diabolical enthusiasm of Katherine Skovira… left me nearly begging for mercy...the artistic equivalent of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft.”

 

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.

Introduction to statistics and working with quantitative data for Voice Professionals: 8-Session Online Bootcamp
Monday 7th July 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 8th July 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday 9th July 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Friday 11th July 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Monday 14th July 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 15th July 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday 16th July 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Friday 18th July 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)

Introduction to statistics and working with quantitative data for Voice Professionals: 8-Session Online Bootcamp

Dr David Cane

This certificated statistics course is ideal for individuals interested in laying a solid foundation in quantitative research methods. By focusing on essential statistical principles, you will be equipped with the tools to understand and apply quantitative research techniques effectively. Statistics is a crucial component of quantitative research; mastering it will enable you to grasp quantitative methods more confidently and precisely.

Emotion and Performing Accents and Dialects: why does Emotion Get in the Way?
Wednesday 16th July 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)

Emotion and Performing Accents and Dialects: why does Emotion Get in the Way?

Louisa Morgan

At points of heightened emotion, it is common for actors working in an accent to default to their natural speech. How do we help performers to avoid this issue and provide them and their directors with the confidence they need regardless of the emotional demands of the piece? What can we learn from research in vocal expression of emotion to help actors to embody the emotion and keep control of their voice and accent? Our very own Louisa Morgan will guide participants through the latest research and offer practical suggestions for working with performers needing to navigate this challenge.

Certificated Public Speaking Coach qualification - with John Henny
Tuesday 22nd July 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 29th July 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 5th August 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 12th August 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 19th August 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 26th August 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Certificated Public Speaking Coach qualification - with John Henny

John Henny

Would you like to be a certified public speaking coach? Join the renowned John Henny for this exciting new online course! This six-week online certification course is designed to equip voice teachers with the specialised skills needed to work with public speakers, corporate trainers, educators, and presenters. Unlike a general public speaking course, this program is specifically tailored to train-the-trainer, giving voice professionals structured methodologies, coaching techniques, and applied skills to enhance vocal delivery, confidence, and influence in professional speakers.