Short Courses & Events / Archive

Online Research Symposium: Singing, Wellbeing and Social Inclusion

Friday 24th September 2021, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM (London Time)

The Voice Study Centre and De Montfort University’s Mary Seacole Research Centre are delighted to announce their next online symposium on Singing, Wellbeing and Social Inclusion on 24 September 2021 between 9am and 12:30pm (BST).

The symposium will be held on Zoom and is free of charge.

Programme:

9:00 Welcome with Prof Raghu Ragavan (Mary Seacole Research Centre, De Montfort University) and Debbie Winter (Voice Study Centre)

9:15 Prof Johann van der Sandt, University of Bozen/Bolzano, Italy

Musical Habits and Wellbeing of adolescent choir singers in Italy, Austria and Finland during Covid-19 Lockdowns

9:45 Dr Sanna Salminen, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Benefits of Singing reflected in the conceptual framework of social inclusion

10:15 Celi Barberia, Sing Up Foundation, UK

Sing Up: Children and Young People and the benefits of singing

10:45 Emily Foulkes, Singing for Health Network and Voice Study Centre, UK

Singing for Health

11:15 Dr Motje Wolf, De Montfort University and Voice Study Centre, UK

The Effect of Covid-19 Lockdowns on Performer Identities of Professional Singers in the UK

11:45 Plenary

12:15 Good-bye

Dr Motje Wolf

Dr Motje Wolf was awarded a PhD in Music Education from De Montfort University Leicester (UK) and an MA from the University of Leipzig (Germany) in Musicology and Dramatics. Her research focuses on vocal pedagogy, epistemology and pedagogic knowledge exchange.

Emily Foulkes

Emily gained a Distinction in her Master’s in Voice Pedagogy, specialising in Singing for Mental Health, Pain Management, and Trauma-Informed Practice...

Johann van der Sandt

Johann van der Sandt completed his studies at the University of Pretoria, and his choral conducting at the Institute of Choral Conducting in Gorinchem, Netherlands. He is a sought after juror, composer and choral clinician.

Dr Sanna Salminen

Dr Sanna Salminen is an acknowledged music educator in her home country. She works as a university teacher in Music Pedagogy under the Department of Education at the University of Jyväskylä.

Celi Barberia

Celi Barberia has been working in music education for over 15 years, through fundraising and policy roles at Youth Music and then communications and marketing roles at Sing Up and has had a lifelong passion for the arts, education and working in charities.

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.

Music Theory Fundamentals for Voice Pedagogues
Tuesday 5th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 12th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 19th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 26th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 2nd June 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 9th June 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)

Music Theory Fundamentals for Voice Pedagogues

Dr David Cane

Voice pedagogy has advanced significantly in the last decades in relation to knowledge of the vocal apparatus (anatomy and mechanics), acoustics, and performance psychology (to name just a few subfields) – this is a wonderful thing! Nonetheless, musicianship and the foundations of music theory are still relevant to the teaching and coaching of singers and this course aims to empower voice teachers and coaches with skills to support the fundamental musicianship development of their students.

Letting the Text Live: Reading Aloud with Expression!
Thursday 21st May 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Letting the Text Live: Reading Aloud with Expression!

Louisa Morgan

This 2-hour interactive session is designed to help you make more deliberate, expressive choices in your speaking of the written word. It will involve plenty of practical exploration and will cover tips and techniques for working with the voice to lift the text off the page. Work with me to refine nuance, precision, and expressive range. We’ll explore a variety of text samples to cover a wide range of real-world situations, so you can get a feel for the different styles and approaches. If you want your spoken text to sound purposeful, engaging, and unmistakably yours, this session will invite you to play with some tools to do just that.

Exploring Group-Voice for all Ages and Stages!
Tuesday 26th May 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Exploring Group-Voice for all Ages and Stages!

Cynthia Vaughn

Teaching group-voice classes is an exciting and fun way to teach singing. It affords the singer and teacher opportunities to experience many different aspects of singing in ways that are not possible when working one-one. Join Cynthia Vaughn as she explores the many benefits gained from working in a group, such as opportunities for each student to participate and hear others, chances to experiment with different techniques, styles, and sounds, guided learning from peers, increased awareness of vocal efficiency and effectiveness, and more confidence (and less self-consciousness) in sharing and performing.