If You Can Talk, You Can Sing
Tuesday 28th May 2024, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
Frankie believes passionately that singing is our birthright. For thousands of years, our ancestors sang as naturally as they spoke. They sang to accompany everyday activities – at work, at play, at devotion and dance – and for their own pleasure. No one was excluded, so everyone’s skill and confidence developed naturally.
Some cultures do not even have a word for ‘singer’ as everyone sings, just as we do not have a word for ‘breather’! It’s only in the past couple of centuries that the notion that there are people who can’t or shouldn’t sing has come about, largely in white Western European culture. This elitist idea has impacted on millions of people, who have been told they are non-singers, have unacceptable voices or are ‘tone-deaf’. They have therefore never had the chance to experience the stepping stones that have traditionally encouraged people to sing - in the same way as they learned to talk. Hence they have been robbed of one of the essential forms of human expression.
To quote the Institute of Education, we now know 'music is hard-wired into us', and that it is criticism and judgment as a child that has robbed many people of their innate musicality. As voice practitioners and singing teachers, how can we help to unlock this innate capacity for those people?
Since 1975, Frankie has developed a teaching approach that provides stepping stones, with permission and encouragement, for people to explore confidence in their voices and self-belief in their musicality. She has used this in contexts including community groups, hospitals, theatre companies and schools, as well as at the National Theatre Studio, London, for over 20 years, and she has presented at international voice conferences in Europe, North America and Australia.
She uses the body and imagination to invite people to be curious and adventurous in exploring their voices in a non-judgemental atmosphere, without the need to "get it right”. The aim is to tap into the joy, strength and energy of singing with others, and to find a range of colour and expression in each of our voices.
Frankie Armstrong
Frankie Armstrong has has been singing professionally since 1964. In 1975, she began her pioneering voice workshops based on ethnic styles of singing, where singing is as natural as speaking.
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.
Monday 12th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Tuesday 13th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wednesday 14th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Thursday 15th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Tuesday 20th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wednesday 21st January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
(London Time)
Level One Certificate in Accents and Phonetics
Louisa Morgan
Are you a voice, acting, or singing coach looking to expand your expertise and add accents and phonetics to your teaching repertoire? This 6-session course covers essential topics such as articulatory, acoustic, and auditory phonetics, the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), and ethical approaches to accent and dialect coaching. By the end of this course, you'll be equipped with the knowledge and practical skills to start to bring phonetics and accent coaching into your coaching and provide more comprehensive support to your clients.
Tuesday 13th January 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday 14th January 2026
3:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Thursday 15th January 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Friday 16th January 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday 20th January 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday 21st January 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
(London Time)
Certificate In Applied Neuroscience And Voice with Voice Scientist Heidi Moss
This six-day course is designed to provide an introduction to the neuroscience of vocalization. It aims to provide a foundation for those who are looking to fuse science with art and understand that the voice is so much more than an instrument.
Tuesday 13th January 2026
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Tuesday 20th January 2026
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Tuesday 27th January 2026
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Tuesday 3rd February 2026
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Tuesday 10th February 2026
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
(London Time)
Introduction to Postgraduate Academic Skills - Join Live!
Debbie Winter
Are you ready to elevate your academic journey? Hosted by our very own Debbie Winter, join our comprehensive Introduction to Academic Skills course, designed to equip you with essential tools and strategies for success in higher education. Perfect for bridging the gap between undergraduate and postgraduate study, this course offers a pathway to our full MA for students without an existing degree. We offer both live, interactive sessions and standalone, pre-recorded content.