The Neuroscience of Speech and Song
Wednesday 2nd October 2024, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
Every syllable and every song comes from a 1kg lump of cells in our skulls that we call the brain, and that’s not half of what it does! Understanding how the brain works is important, but understandably this can get a little complicated and sometimes even a little intimidating.
The Neuroscience of Speech and Song offers an engaging and accessible introduction to the fascinating interface between the brain and some of the things that we use it for. This course is designed to unravel the complex processes underlying how we speak and sing, using simple and accessible language.
The mind and the brain are two sides of the same coin. You would expect an expert in digestion to have a working knowledge of the stomach, wouldn’t you? In just the same way we might expect that an expert in certain kinds of human behaviours -like speaking and singing- should have some understanding of how the human brain is able to do these things.
This course will start from basics and assume very little prior knowledge. We will cover the basic structure of the brain and how it works in general, then narrow in on specific processes that are relevant to speech and song. Examples may be drawn from clinical cases such as Parkinson’s Disease because understanding ways in which the brain sometimes does not work as it should can help us understand how it typically would.
Dr Michel Belyk
Dr Michel Belyk is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Edge Hill University. He studies the human voice, all the things that it says, and how it is able to say them.
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.
Thursday 24th October 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
The Race of Sound – Why Do We Think We Can Hear Race Vocally?
Nina Eidsheim
Why and how do we make assumptions about a person’s race, gender, or age based on the timbre of their voice? We will examine historical precedents for racialized listening to voices as well as contemporary realities, utilizing a framework for critically interrogating the racializing processes embedded in vocal and listening practices.
Tuesday 29th October 2024
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
(London Time)
‘Disarming’ Performance Anxiety: Re-engaging the joy of performing by becoming more resilient in our innate vulnerability
Dr Mark Seton
In this workshop, Dr Mark Seton will offer practical, playful and holistic strategies to ‘dis-arm’ three factors of being human that can impact our capacity to perform: doubt, shame and trauma.
Thursday 31st October 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Dosimetry Measurement of Vocal Demands in Contemporary Musical Theatre
Celia Stewart
Singers are highly skilled vocal athletes who master specialized vocal requirements when cast to perform in a musical theatre production. Their participation is physically, vocally, and emotionally challenging.