The Empathetic Voice Teacher
Tuesday 23rd January 2024, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (London Time)
Studies show that empathic voice teachers generate more successful singers. This is unsurprising as empathy is considered to be one of the most important emotional characteristics among teachers as it enables successful communication and connection with students. For voice teachers specifically, empathy is further considered essential for training students both physically and psychologically.
But how exactly do we demonstrate empathy in voice teaching?
Join Dr Heather Fletcher (The University of Melbourne) and Dr Amanda E. Krause (James Cook University) as they delve into the impact empathy has on voice teaching practices. In this session, you will learn how fostering empathy in one-to-one lessons can facilitate the voice teacher’s ability to:
- listen and communicate effectively;
- generate positive, moral, caring, and trustworthy relationships;
- support a student’s ability to cope in the performing arts industry; and
- assist in diagnosing vocal issues in students.
They will further draw on their research on expert voice teachers to discuss how successful empathic teaching facilitates student success. You will learn how to integrate these aspects into your own pedagogy and consider how such skills might benefit your teaching, your studio, and your students.
Dr Heather Fletcher
Dr Heather Fletcher is a lecturer and voice teacher at The University of Melbourne. Her PhD in music psychology focused on the practices of expert voice teachers in Australia and her research has been disseminated in both academic journals and conferences worldwide.
Dr Amanda E. Krause
Dr Amanda E. Krause is a Lecturer (Psychology) in the College of Healthcare Sciences at James Cook University (Queensland, Australia). She also currently serves as President of the Australian Music & Psychology Society.
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.
Thursday 11th December 2025
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
(London Time)
Picking Up Good Vibrations: Pedagogical and Clinical Voice Analysis!
Dr Calvin Baker
Voice teachers and clinicians strongly rely on auditory perceptual modes of voice evaluation. These are considered the gold standard for assessing voice quality and training effects (e.g., a singer’s progress from lesson to lesson or across voice therapy). Join Dr Calvin Baker as he explores techniques for instrumentally analysing the singing voice. Specific considerations for the challenges of obtaining reliable, robust, and comparable data will be presented, and practical recommendations for recording and analysing the singing voice in pedagogical and clinical contexts will be made.
Thursday 11th December 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
The Pedagogy of Vibrato: Integrating Science and Studio Practice
Dr Justin John Moniz
Vibrato is more than just a shimmer in the sound—it’s one of the voice’s most powerful tools for artistry and expression. In this dynamic course, Justin John Moniz—Associate Director of Vocal Performance and Coordinator of Vocal Pedagogy at NYU Steinhardt, and Associate Editor of the Journal of Singing—pulls back the curtain on vibrato, blending history, science, and studio know-how into an engaging exploration for singers and teachers alike.
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.