Short Courses & Events / Archive

Singing and the Brain: A Harmonious Connection

Thursday 24th April 2025, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (London Time)

Friday 25th April 2025, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (London Time)

Unlock the transformative power of music with our two-part lecture series that delves deep into the fascinating intersection of neuroscience, music education, and music therapy. This comprehensive exploration will expand your horizons in the following key areas:

  1. Neuroscience and Music: Gain insights into the fundamental mechanisms underlying the profound connection between music and the brain. Uncover the intricate ways in which music impacts cognitive and emotional well-being, leading to remarkable changes in brain structure and function.

  2. Neuroscience of Music Education & Music Therapy: Discover how music education and therapy serve as catalysts for neuroplasticity, enhancing cognitive abilities and promoting lifelong brain health. Learn about the myriad benefits of these practices, from fostering healthy aging to their overall positive impact on well-being.

  3. The Science of Singing Throughout the Lifespan: Uncover the science behind the human voice and its evolution from infancy to later years. This segment provides a solid foundation of research on the art and science of singing, offering valuable insights for educators, practitioners, and researchers.

This course aims to achieve three distinct objectives: to demonstrate the multifaceted benefits of music training and therapy, to equip you with a neuroscience-informed perspective for teaching, practice, and research, and to provide a comprehensive understanding of the science of singing across all stages of life. Join Dr Patricia Izbicki on this captivating journey and unlock the secrets of music's impact on the brain and human development.

🏷️ Price £50 (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

Dr Patricia Izbicki

Dr Patricia Izbicki is a neuroscientist and medical science liaison at Octave, as well as a classical pianist and harpsichordist. Her research focuses on understanding the brain mechanisms of complementary therapies, such as music training, in aging adults and persons with Parkinson's disease.

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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.

Certificate in Executive Voice Coaching and Communication
Monday 28th September 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Tuesday 29th September 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Wednesday 30th September 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 1st October 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Friday 2nd October 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)

Certificate in Executive Voice Coaching and Communication

Louisa Morgan

This five-day course is designed for professional coaches who want to extend their practice into executive coaching, leadership communication, and professional corporate voice work.

Muscle Tension Dysphonia in the Singing Voice!
Friday 2nd October 2026
12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)

Muscle Tension Dysphonia in the Singing Voice!

Dr Claire Thomas

Join Dr Claire Thomas for a practical 2-hour workshop for singing teachers and voice practitioners! Building upon the previous course to create a practical teacher pathway in order to recognise what is happening, reduce unnecessary effort, transfer coordination into singing, manage load and recovery and know when to refer back. Not one size fits all, but a guide to making informed choices with voice users. Based on a five-year investigative project, the course equips singing teachers with the knowledge and practical tools needed to confidently understand MTD, and support singers experiencing MTD beyond their initial therapeutic input.

Inspired Not Bound: The Promise of Science-Informed Voice Pedagogy
Tuesday 6th October 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Inspired Not Bound: The Promise of Science-Informed Voice Pedagogy

Lynn Helding

Lynn Helding defines Science-Informed Voice Pedagogy in her upcoming book Practicing Science-Informed Voice Training as, “A type of hybrid singing voice pedagogy that unites science and art by researching current voice science, translating it, combining it with extant historic voice knowledge, and transmitting it to singers.” Join Lynn Helding as she seeks to understand human behaviour of both sides of the “Science versus Art” debate via research from the fields of cognitive science and behavioural science, focussing particularly on lessons learned due to several societal shifts.