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.

Performing Pain: Vocal Health in Emotional Roles!
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.

Incorporating CBT principles within vocal health and voice care
Tuesday 24th February 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Incorporating CBT principles within vocal health and voice care

Dr Luke Aldridge-Waddon

Join Dr Luke Waddon as he introduces the principles and techniques within cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) in relation to the voice and voice care. He will discuss psychological factors relevant to the development and maintenance of voice disorders and how these might be approached from a cognitive-behavioural perspective. He will describe theoretical concepts and therapeutic components often used within CBT and consider how these might be applied when working with voice users.

Sex differences in VOICE!
Tuesday 3rd March 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Sex differences in VOICE!

Dr Richard Lissemore

This two-hour workshop, led by performer, articulatory phoneticist, and voice physiologist, Dr. Richard Lissemore, will examine in detail the role that biological sex plays in the perception and pedagogy of singing voices. We'll consider how parameters such as anatomy, physiology, articulation, resonance, and radiated acoustics influence the perceptions and pedagogical decision-making of singing teachers.