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.
Friday 19th June 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Singing for Lung Health: The Basics
Dr Rachel B. Goldenberg
According to a 2016 study, nearly 1 in 5 people living in the UK have received a diagnosis of lung disease, making it highly likely that clinicians and voice teachers will encounter a singer living with a lung disease. Join Dr. Rachel B. Goldenberg, a singing teacher and speech-language pathologist, as she introduces the foundational concepts of Singing for Lung Health (SLH) and discusses the evolution of the field and its practical applications for respiratory health. While there was little research 15 years ago, SLH is now described as an "exploding field" that bridges the healthcare and music worlds!
Tuesday 23rd June 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Introduction to Vocal Psychotherapy: Songs of the Self
Dr. Diane Austin
This presentation draws on the methods and techniques of Vocal Psychotherapy, a new in-depth model of music psychotherapy developed by Dr. Austin, that incorporates breath work, natural sounds, vocal improvisation, and songs and dialogue within a client and therapist relationship to facilitate intrapsychic and interpersonal change and growth.
Thursday 2nd July 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Unclenching the Jaw: Options from the Physio Lens
Walt Fritz
“Jaw tension” is one of many potential problems facing the singer, and can cause a direct negative impact on the performance in both direct and indirect ways. The underlying cause of jaw issues is attributed to numerous factors (technique, posture, strength, range of motion, etc.), making it often difficult to identify common denominators. Join Walt Fritz as he examines the evidence supporting stretching, strengthening, and manual therapy interventions to address jaw-related concerns in vocal performers, taking into account their unique needs.