Singing With Your Whole Self: An Introduction to Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement
Thursday 20th July 2023, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
How does one develop an internal feel for what sounds good? How do you learn to use all of yourself when singing? What is the relationship between the felt (kinesthetic) sense, effort, and good sound?
The intention of every committed voice teacher is to guide the student to find the freest, most beautiful, expressive sound and to develop that voice until it becomes consistently accessible.
The Feldenkrais Method is a self-discovery process using movement Its aim is to produce an individual organized to perform with minimum effort and maximum efficiency. Efficient organization is developed using the “organic” learning style of our early childhood; the way we learned to hold our head up, crawl, and so on. As such, it is an open-ended developmental learning process which, like making music, offers infinite possibilities for refinement. The movements are simple, gentle, pleasant, exploratory, and fun. They are usually repeated a number of times to clarify and enhance performance. The focus is always on the how to of the movement, not the how much, how fast, or how hard. The movement always starts where the person is now. People are asked only to perform what they can do comfortably; they are discouraged from moving outside their comfort range.
During our time together, we explore fundamentals of the Feldenkrais Method, including how its originator, Moshe Feldenkrais, developed this approach and what constitutes Awareness Through Movement (ATM).
This is an interactive, experiential course in which participants will learn about the method and be led through several ATMs (some short mini-ATMS, others a portion of a full ATM).
Workshop Description:
- Introduction and overview of the Feldenkrais Method
- Initial focus on body, breath and voice
- “Pre-test” before Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement experience
- Participants are guided through selected ATM lessons (Mini-ATMs and excerpted full lessons)
- “Post-test” discoveries and discussion
- If time, volunteers may receive a short ATM lesson specific to individual needs
- Question/ answer discussion and conclusion
Elizabeth Blades
Elizabeth Blades holds both Doctor of Musical Arts and Masters of Music Degrees from the
Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY...
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 16th December 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)
Inspired Sound: Unlocking the Science of Choral Acoustics
Professor Helena Daffern
In this session, Professor Helena Daffern will explore the fascinating science behind choral sound, offering choir singers and directors valuable insights into achieving a cohesive and expressive ensemble, no matter what their standard. The concept of choral blend will be examined —what it is, how it can be cultivated, and the roles of intonation and vibrato will be analysed. The decisions that have to be made around intonation when tuning thirds or dealing with modulations over the course of an a cappella piece will be explained in the context of existing research and different singing styles such as barbershop singing and solo voice ensembles.
Tuesday 16th December 2025
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.
Thursday 18th December 2025
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
(London Time)
Improving Lyric Italian Diction for Classical Singers
Professor Conroy Cupido
Join Professor Conroy Cupido as he offers an in-depth exploration of the most frequent pronunciation errors made by classical singers in Italian lyric diction. Designed for both emerging and advanced singers, the course provides a structured and practical approach to mastering Italian pronunciation as used in opera, oratorio, and art song.