Inspired Sound: Unlocking the Science of Choral Acoustics
Tuesday 16th December 2025, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (London Time)
This session will explore the fascinating science behind choral sound, offering choir singers and directors valuable insights into achieving a cohesive and expressive ensemble, no matter what their standard. The concept of choral blend will be examined —what it is, how it can be cultivated, and the roles of intonation and vibrato will be analysed. The decisions that have to be made around intonation when tuning thirds or dealing with modulations over the course of an a cappella piece will be explained in the context of existing research and different singing styles such as barbershop singing and solo voice ensembles.
The session will consider timbre and loudness and how different vocal qualities influence overall ensemble colour, gaining practical strategies to enhance sound quality. The session will also address the importance of synchronization between singers, how it has been measured in recent research at different levels (from onsets and consonants to heart rate variability) including techniques for aligning vowel shapes, entrances, and dynamic gestures.
Additionally, the influence of room acoustics and spacing will be examined, demonstrating how physical environment and positioning can amplify or diminish choir balance and clarity. This course will deepen your understanding of choir acoustics, empowering participants to refine their individual and collective practice for a more resonant, expressive, and confident ensemble performance!
🏷️ 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
Professor Helena Daffern
Helena is currently a Professor in Music Technology in the School of Physics, Engineering and Technology. She completed her PhD in Music Technology in the School of Physics, Engineering and Technology at the University of York in 2008 and obtained a Masters degree in singing performance from the University of York before training as a postgraduate at Trinity College of Music.
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.
Tuesday 3rd March 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Sex differences in VOICE!
Dr Richard Lissemore
This two-hour workshop, led by performer, articulatory phoneticist, and voice physiologist, Dr. Richard Lissemore, will examine in detail the role that biological sex plays in the perception and pedagogy of singing voices. We'll consider how parameters such as anatomy, physiology, articulation, resonance, and radiated acoustics influence the perceptions and pedagogical decision-making of singing teachers.
Wednesday 4th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday 11th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday 18th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday 25th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday 1st April 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday 8th April 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
(London Time)
Learn to Coach RP and SSBE – a Certificate in Accent Coaching
Louisa Morgan
This six-week course is an opportunity to learn about both Received Pronunciation and Standard Southern British English. Rather than a course in learning how to speak RP/SSBE (there are many brilliant available courses for this already), this course is about learning how to coach it.
Thursday 5th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 12th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)
Acting Emotion: Perspectives from the Masters
Louisa Morgan
Stanislavski said, “our artistic emotions are, at first, as shy as wild animals and they hide in the depths of our souls.” Michael Chekhov said, our bodies should be like a “sensitive membrane, a kind of receiver and conveyor of the subtlest images, feelings, emotions and will impulses.” And Meisner said we should be “living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” Join Louisa Morgan in this 2-part course as she explores a range of well-known acting practitioners to investigate what they believed (or believe) about emotion and how they approached it in their work. She'll compare their work to see where they align and where they diverge.