The Emotional Voice: Past Theories, Present Practice
Thursday 5th February 2026, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM (London Time)
Thursday 5th February 2026, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM (London Time)
Theories of emotion across time and their application to voice practice (a 2-part course)
From the Greek actor Polus of Aegina carrying an urn of his own dead son’s ashes onstage in Sophocles’ Electra (Konjin, 1997) to the so-called American Method acting of Hollywood in the 20th Century, how performers work with and express emotion has been a vital part of their craft and how they are perceived by audiences.
Exactly what emotion is has been a hotly debated topic throughout history. In fact, the first time the word ‘emotion’ was used regularly in literature was the 19th century (Evans, 2019). There are many theories that have developed surrounding its definition, how emotions should be categorised, whether or not they are universal, and how we express them.
In this two-part course, we consider these questions:
How have theories of emotion developed over time?
How could understanding theories of emotion help voice practitioners in their coaching of singers and speakers?
Who is it for?
This course is for voice teachers (spoken or singing) who have an interest in emotion research and would like to know more about the history of the theories of emotion and how a deeper knowledge of these concepts can be applied in the voice studio. The first part of each section will be in a lecture format, but there will be plenty of opportunities for discussion.
Session 1: Theories of emotion, past and present
We will follow a brief history of emotion theories, looking at how the study of emotion has been connected with theology, ethics, art and science. We will consider where we are now in emotion research, and ask whether or not we as voice practitioners need to choose where we land on the topic.
Session 2: Application to practice in the voice studio
We will consider the theories of emotion on a more practical level and look at how these ideas impact our understanding of vocal expression and attitudes towards performance.
🏷️ 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
Louisa Morgan
Louisa Morgan is a lecturer, voice teacher and researcher, with a special focus on spoken and sung emotion. Louisa lectures with Voice Study Centre (spoken voice lead). Previously, Louisa taught technical singing for the MA/MFA Musical Theatre students at the Guilford School of Acting (GSA) and Italia Conti, and she was also a spoken and singing voice coach for the Acting students at the Cygnet Training Theatre.
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.
Tuesday 5th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 12th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 19th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 26th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 2nd June 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 9th June 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)
Music Theory Fundamentals for Voice Pedagogues
Dr David Cane
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.
Tuesday 19th May 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Staging A Coup: History meets science for the coup de la glotte!
Kourtney Austin
Historical vocal pedagogy, voice science, voice health, and performance practice come together in this presentation from Kourtney Austin! The session addresses the historical context for teaching the onset as a fundamental skill, along with a review of a recent publication examining the acoustic effects of different types of onset, and practical studio implementation of onset training. The aforementioned publication is the first known research to objectively measure the acoustic implications of the coup de la glotte, and delineate it from the hard glottal attack.
Thursday 21st May 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Letting the Text Live: Reading Aloud with Expression!
Louisa Morgan
This 2-hour interactive session is designed to help you make more deliberate, expressive choices in your speaking of the written word. It will involve plenty of practical exploration and will cover tips and techniques for working with the voice to lift the text off the page. Work with me to refine nuance, precision, and expressive range. We’ll explore a variety of text samples to cover a wide range of real-world situations, so you can get a feel for the different styles and approaches. If you want your spoken text to sound purposeful, engaging, and unmistakably yours, this session will invite you to play with some tools to do just that.