The Magic* of Vocal Function Exercises!
Tuesday 6th June 2023, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM (London Time)
Vocal Function Exercises, or VFEs, developed by Joseph Stemple, are a set of 4 systematic exercises designed to improve strength, balance, adduction, and coordination - and anecdotally, also improve control, flexibility, and range. They are each intended to be executed with specific vocal qualities, vowel shapes, and volumes on set pitches, and are most effective when performed 2x each, 2x a day for 6 weeks with a taper schedule that is similarly exacting.
You may find yourself asking “But aren’t vocal exercises of any kind ultimately designed to improve function? Why these particular exercises when we already have so many functional exercises for the voice designed to improve strength, coordination, flexibility, and range? Why be so seemingly prescriptive? Aren’t all our exercises, by design, Vocal Function Exercises?”
Ah, but if only it were so! VFEs are different. Rarely do we see a set of exercises so prescriptively detailed, so extensively researched, and yet seemingly so impossible to do despite the near mythical status they’ve come to enjoy. And I’m beyond excited to show you this magic*!
This workshop will demystify the four VFEs, explain how they address rebalancing each of the voice subsystems, and help you determine what’s most important about both modeling and explaining them to help your client succeed.
We’ll get super practical as we learn and practice all four exercises together, and you’ll have the chance to ask questions and get feedback on your production. We’ll try different prompts and cues to elicit each target sound, and I’ll even share a tracking sheet to help your client keep track and stay accountable. We’ll also discuss how to know when a vocalist is on the right track or off the rails, and what - if anything - we can do about it.
And lastly, whether you’re calling it pivoting, individualizing, adapting, or winging it, we’ll look at how and where we can intentionally tailor these magical* exercises to each vocalist for maximum results. You’ll leave loving the fact that you gave VFEs an honest try.
Melanie Tapson
Melanie Tapson is a professional singer, Singing Voice Specialist, and speech-language pathologist whose practice specializes in voice assessment and therapy...
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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5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
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Dr Brenda Smith
There is intrinsic value in lifelong singing. Singing with others is a noble deed that brings immeasurable satisfaction. Singing together involves teamwork and offers myriad rewards. It can enhance personal well-being, develop skill sets, and promote friendship. At any age, singing improves mental agility and calms an agitated mind. It is an activity everyone can include in daily life anywhere and at any time. Singing should have no expiration date. Lifelong singing should not be a lofty ambition, but rather a way of life. Our interactive workshop will involve choral vocal exercises (warmups and cooldowns) as well as skill building strategies for tone quality and range that are age and size appropriate for older singers.
Thursday 11th September 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
The Tongue as a Gateway to Voice, Resonance, Style and Intelligibility
Dr Angelika Nair
Healthy vocal production depends on a finely tuned, athletic apparatus—a symphony of muscular interaction engaging the respiratory system, the laryngeal mechanism, and the resonance spaces of the pharyngeal, oral, and nasal cavities. Among these, the tongue stands out as one of the most critical yet least understood contributors to voice production. Join Dr Angelika Nair as she unpicks the essential anatomical insights that reveal the tongue’s role in shaping sound, influencing resonance, and impacting style and intelligibility!