Soul-Training: Riffs, Runs, & R&B Singing
Tuesday 2nd September 2025, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
In this interactive workshop, participants will have an opportunity to explore soul singing and R&B vocal styles with deep roots in the African American musical tradition (Rhythm & Blues).
After a brief history detailing how African-American music laid the foundations of soul and R&B vocal techniques, we’ll be focusing on the R&B styles that emerged from the 1960s through early 2000s. Lisa Popeil will share insights gained from her years of study and practice, with singers, voice teachers, and anyone interested, guiding participants through the techniques of this style. And no discussion of Soul-Singing would be complete without exploring the art of “vocal runs, riffs or licks”, which are a core improvisational language within the tradition.
Other vital topics related to singing soulfully regard having a particular relationship to “the beat”, compared to how classically trained singers might consider core beats and rhythms in general. R&B singing exhibits rapid dynamic, adduction, and resonance shifts as well as specific resonator shapes that help produce the most authentic sound.
The movement of the body and how that relates to soulfulness in singing will be explored, so dress comfortably!
Finally, we’ll be studying many great artists and their methods such as Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, James Brown, Luther Vandross, and Aretha Franklin to see what we can learn and model from their individual approaches to this vocal style.
🏷️ Price £30 (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
Lisa Popeil
Lisa Popeil, MFA in Voice, has studied voice for 60 years and has taught professionally in a variety of styles of singing for over 40 years. Based in Los Angeles, California, Lisa is the creator of the Voiceworks® Method, the Total Singer DVD and the Total Singer Workshop.
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 17th February 2026
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
(London Time)
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Debbie Winter
Dr Claire Thomas
This short course invites participants to critically examine the latest cross-disciplinary evidence on the physical and vocal demands of musical theatre performance. Drawing on a comprehensive literature review conducted by Debbie Winter and Claire Thomas (Voice Study Centre, University of Essex), the course explores research from voice science, dance medicine, sports science, and performance pedagogy.
Thursday 19th February 2026
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
(London Time)
It’s not a virus! Reconceptualizing and De-pathologizing Music Performance Anxiety
Rebecca Herman
Performance Anxiety is one of the most widespread and debilitating challenges facing musicians across all ages, nationalities and musical genres. Despite decades of research and the development of numerous interventions, we do not yet have an established way of supporting performers experiencing performance anxiety. Aimed at performers, teachers, researchers and students, this presentation will first summarise the current state of play in performance anxiety research, before exploring alternative ways to think about performance anxiety, drawing on new research outside of performance psychology...
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.