Singing and Listening as an Intermaterial Vibrational Practice
Thursday 10th October 2024, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
'In this session, I will discuss my practice-based research which focuses on the materiality of singing and listening. I will ground the discussion in my book, Sensing Sound: Singing and Listening as Vibrational Practice (Duke University Press, 2015), offering participatory exercises to help students begin to build their own vocal theory based on their practices.
Brief background:
After decades of working as a voice teacher and singer, I developed a framework for thinking about the physical voice, singing, listening, and the materials through which we sense the voice (for example, air) as vibrational practice. If we consider a vocal sound to be a node along an unrepeatable intermaterial vibrational continuum, concepts such as “in tune/out of tune,” “good/bad,” or “right/wrong” no longer make sense. This idea also forwards the ethical dimensions of singing and listening: to hear a voice is to sense its vibration through your body. Moreover, it refutes the notion that singing is for the sense of audiation alone, allowing us to explore the multi-sensoriality of both singing and listening.'
Nina Eidsheim
Nina Eidsheim is the author of Sensing Sound: Singing and Listening as Vibrational Practice and The Race of Sound: Listening, Timbre, and Vocality in African American Music, and co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of Voice Studies and Refiguring American 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 25th November 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)
Singing In Regional Accents: Introducing a Strategy!
Jennifer Rhodes
Do you find your students lean towards a particular accent when they sing? Is there a discrepancy between their spoken and sung accent, or have they have been instructed to change their accent when they sing? Changing an accent can change the way a song is sung, and may unearth unforeseen technical vocal challenges. Join Jennifer Rhodes as she unpicks the latest research on this topic!
Wednesday 26th November 2025
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
(London Time)
Voice Study Centre Online Symposium 2025
Join us for our very first online symposium, dedicated to bridging the gap between artistic training and athletic conditioning for performers! Bridging the gap between artistic training and athletic conditioning, a diverse group of speakers and researchers will be delivering presentations and papers, focusing on promoting longevity and health of musical theatre performers. This symposium aims to elevate awareness surrounding the unique demands of performers, define best practices for training and care, and bridge the gap between different disciplines.
Tuesday 2nd December 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)
Vocal Health, Well-being and Hindustani Classical Music
Dr Sunny Sandhu
Join Dr Sunny Sandhu for a 2-hour course that introduces participants to the ancient practice of kharaj exercises in the Dhrupad tradition, focusing on the deep and resonant lower octave of the voice. Through guided breathing, slow tonal exploration, and sustained notes, students will learn techniques that strengthen the vocal cords, expand range, and develop clarity and stability in sound production!