Short Courses & Events / Archive

Practical Magic*: The Art & Science of Balancing Voices with SOVTs and VFEs

Wednesday 22nd January 2025, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)

Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises (SOVTs) and Vocal Function Exercises (VFEs) are celebrated tools in voice care and training, combining science, artistry, and practicality to promote vocal health, efficiency, and resilience.

SOVTs, or Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises, harness the power of back pressure and airflow efficiency to create an optimal environment for vocal fold vibration. By balancing the relationship between airflow and vocal fold closure, SOVTs are uniquely effective in promoting vocal efficiency, reducing strain, and enhancing resonance—laying the foundation for healthy and functional voice use. Building on this foundation, VFEs are often described as the perfect blend of semi-occlusion, resonant voice training (RVT), and thyroarytenoid (TA) engagement. They are uniquely effective in promoting strength, balance, and coordination across vocal subsystems.

To fully unlock the potential of these powerhouse techniques, we need more than theory—we need practical skills for teaching, adapting, and applying them in real-world contexts.

In this hands-on, interactive workshop, Melanie Tapson—a professional singer, interdisciplinary voice specialist, and clinical voice therapist—explores the intersection of art and science in using these techniques to rebalance and refine vocal function.

You’ll discover:

  • the mechanics of SOVTs and VFEs and how they leverage airflow, back pressure, and engagement for vocal efficiency.
  • how VFEs combine principles of SOVTs, RVT, and TA engagement to create a balanced, functional voice across a variety of styles.
  • practical strategies for teaching and adapting these exercises for diverse needs, from singers and speakers to clinical voice therapy clients.

Through live demonstrations, group practice, and peer coaching, you’ll learn how to:

  • teach SOVTs and VFEs with clarity and precision.
  • integrate their principles to support vocal health, recovery, and stylistic flexibility.
  • troubleshoot challenges and adapt exercises for individualized results.

Interactive breakout activities will give you the chance to brainstorm new approaches, practice techniques, and build confidence in applying these tools in your own practice. Whether you’re focused on artistry, therapy, or pedagogy, this workshop will equip you with the skills to help your clients and students achieve vocal balance and success.

Join us for an evidence-based, practical, and engaging deep dive into the magic of SOVTs and VFEs — and leave inspired to bring balance to every voice you work with.

🏷️ 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

Melanie Tapson

Melanie Tapson is a professional singer, Singing Voice Specialist, and speech-language pathologist whose practice specializes in voice assessment and therapy...

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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.

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Some successful pop stars are celebrating career lengths of over sixty years, having been around since the 1950s when pop music emerged and diversified from jazz, so pop singing has been in existence sufficiently long now that, for teaching purposes, we can observe and analyse what type of approach serves it best.

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Tuesday 21st October 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
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Establishing a Jazz Voice Curriculum
Tuesday 21st October 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Establishing a Jazz Voice Curriculum

Dr Tish Oney

As the jazz voice major represents a relatively new program of comprehensive singing study in higher education, it most often absorbs the course requirements of other related majors with which it is grouped. Join Dr Tish Oney for a short course that will reach across a multitude of program requirements in three academic contexts: grouping jazz singers with jazz instrumental majors; grouping jazz singers with voice majors; and grouping jazz singers with commercial music majors. Tish tackles this topic with the authority of one who has pioneered the way for student jazz singers while teaching in jazz departments, classical voice departments, and commercial music departments!