The Acoustics of Choir Singing
Thursday 13th February 2025, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
To be a chorister is quite a challenge: you are supposed to look at the conductor, control your voice, listen to everyone else, and during rehearsal also read both the notes and the lyrics. When many people are singing together in a room, a number of phenomena present themselves that beg for a scientific inquiry. What can knowledge of acoustics do to help the singer and the conductor? In this session, we will look at some aspects of voice production, room acoustics and auditory perception that all contribute to the success of the choir singer, and ultimately, to the audience’s satisfaction. Here are some of the topics that will be covered, time permitting:
- How is choir singing different from solo singing?
- If I cannot hear my own voice in the choir, what can be done about it?
- How many voices does it take to make a choir?
- Can I trust my voice to produce the right pitch?
- Can I trust my ears to hear the right pitch?
- What do spacing and placement do to the sound of a choir?
- Why would I rather sing next to Edward than next to George?
- Virtual acoustics: is there some app that I can practice with at home,
that simulates the sounds of the others and the concert hall?
There will be many sound examples, so configure your Zoom app for stereo and music listening, and use headphones.
🏷️ 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
Sten Ternström
Sten Ternström is Professor of Music Acoustics and Voice Acoustics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, at the department of Speech, Music and Hearing which was founded in 1951 by Gunnar Fant.
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.
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This course is designed to break down the fundamentals of acoustics for both spoken and sung voice in a beginner-friendly, accessible way — so you can easily understand and apply these concepts to your teaching or research.
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Voice pedagogy has advanced significantly in the last decades in relation to knowledge of the vocal apparatus (anatomy and mechanics), acoustics, and performance psychology (to name just a few subfields) – this is a wonderful thing! Nonetheless, musicianship and the foundations of music theory are still relevant to the teaching and coaching of singers and this course aims to empower voice teachers and coaches with skills to support the fundamental musicianship development of their students.