Stammering: vocal hindrance or vocal liberator?
Tuesday 11th June 2024, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
What connects Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Ben’s Brother and The Who? The answer is they’ve all produced songs containing stammered lyrics. Integrating stammering, a communication difference often viewed as something to be fixed through therapy, within musical art may, superficially at least, appear to be an unusual decision but what if we could see beauty in stammering and represent it in art, poetry, song, flags and even font? Come to this workshop to find out how this has been done.
The recent brain research highlighting stammering as a form of neurodivergence is shifting therapy approaches with increasing emphasis on the value of stammered voices. They encourage us to reflect on what matters in conversation and how stammering can add dimension and freedom to vocal performances.
This session will present what stammering is (and isn’t), link the approach-avoidance conflict with performance anxiety and consider what it means to be fluent. The potential physical and emotional struggle contained within the stammering experience is acknowledged alongside opportunities to view stammering through alternative, more supportive lenses, with opportunity to consider what you might do in your practice as a stammering ally.
By the end of this workshop, you’ll understand why King George VI practised speeches with a gramophone playing in the background, where metronomes have been used in therapy and know why speaking with marbles in your mouth is never a good idea!
Carolyn Andrews
Carolyn Andrews is an independent speech and language therapist and senior teaching fellow at the University of Strathclyde. With 25 years’ clinical experience she specialises in adult voice problems and adult stammering, and enjoys walking alongside her clients and students to build their knowledge, practice and voice use.
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 21st January 2025
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
(London Time)
Introduction to gender-affirming voice coaching
Gillie Stoneham
This introductory short course is aimed at those who work in voice coaching and/or therapy who wish to develop some basic knowledge and skills in working with trans and gender-diverse people to support voice and communication exploration.
Tuesday 21st January 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
From Broadway to the West End: Teaching Musical Theatre in a Modern Era
Melanie Tapson
In this engaging two-hour workshop, Melanie Tapson—a professional performer, interdisciplinary voice specialist and clinical voice therapist— focuses on equipping voice educators with practical tools to help their students thrive at every stage of their career, all the way to Broadway, the West End, and beyond.
Wednesday 22nd January 2025
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
(London Time)
The Acting Through Song Toolkit: a 3-part course
Louisa Morgan
Do you work with students who struggle to connect their acting skills with their singing skills? Are your students currently auditioning for professional work, drama schools or entering competitions? Perhaps you are a singing teacher needing to work on performance, but you don’t have a background in acting.