Sex Steroid Hormones: An Overview Of Their Impacts On Voice
Thursday 26th May 2022, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM (London Time)
The first evidence that there is a relationship between sex steroid hormones and voice quality is found in the historical recordings and descriptions of the voice of the Castrati.
Later on, histological observations of the mucosa of the larynx showed the presence of specific receptors for these hormones, i.e., oestrogens, progesterone and testosterone in several vocal fold mucosal subunits.
Therefore, it is not surprising that voice quality changes during puberty, with the menstrual cycle, during pregnancy and at menopause.
Besides physiological and acoustical changes observed in association with sex steroid hormonal variations, this workshop will show how these changes affect singer’s performance and career choices.
Filipa M.B. Lã
Filipa M.B La (soprano) holds a Ph.D. and Master’s Degree in Music (Singing) and a Licentiate in Biology (Education). The interdisciplinary nature of her background encouraged...
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.
Tuesday 17th February 2026
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
(London Time)
Simultaneous Singing and Dancing in Musical Theatre: A Cross-Disciplinary Evidence Review
Debbie Winter
Dr Claire Thomas
This short course invites participants to critically examine the latest cross-disciplinary evidence on the physical and vocal demands of musical theatre performance. Drawing on a comprehensive literature review conducted by Debbie Winter and Claire Thomas (Voice Study Centre, University of Essex), the course explores research from voice science, dance medicine, sports science, and performance pedagogy.
Thursday 19th February 2026
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
(London Time)
It’s not a virus! Reconceptualizing and De-pathologizing Music Performance Anxiety
Rebecca Herman
Performance Anxiety is one of the most widespread and debilitating challenges facing musicians across all ages, nationalities and musical genres. Despite decades of research and the development of numerous interventions, we do not yet have an established way of supporting performers experiencing performance anxiety. Aimed at performers, teachers, researchers and students, this presentation will first summarise the current state of play in performance anxiety research, before exploring alternative ways to think about performance anxiety, drawing on new research outside of performance psychology...
Thursday 19th February 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 26th February 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)
Performing Pain: Vocal Health in Emotional Roles!
Louisa Morgan
How connected are acted emotions to our real-life emotions? Are they expressed differently? Do they feel different in the body? This 2-part course with Louisa Morgan looks at the potential impact of acted emotion on vocal health, why we should consider it as voice practitioners, and how to care for our performers needing to work with it.