The Use of Music in the Speech Recovery and Confidence Rebuilding After Laryngectomy
Thursday 20th February 2025, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
Laryngectomy is the surgical removal of the voice box, a life changing operation mostly indicated by throat cancer. The post-operative anatomical changes affect voice, swallow, smell and taste. As a result up to 30% of the affected population suffer from anxiety, depression and/or social isolation.
We explore the use of singing, acting and beatboxing techniques in the speech recovery after laryngectomy. We showcase how laryngectomy choir activities including performances and writing poetry help to rebuild confidence and inform, even inspire, the laryngectomy, healthcare, science and broader communities.
We will discuss the rationale behind the introduction of music and writing poetry into the alaryngeal speech recovery, demonstrate audio-samples before and after the use of singing techniques and learn from feedback from audience and participants. The talk will include examples of poetry and performance by the laryngectomy choir. At the end of the lecture there will be room for Q&A.
The talk will be structured as follows:
- introduction to laryngectomy and its post-operative anatomical changes.
- The importance of respiratory function and breathing techniques.
- How Singing techniques can improve the quality of the laryngectomy voice.
- Music as a motivational tool in rehabilitation.
- Beatboxing: every sound counts.
- A choir: group activity on steroids.
- The importance of multiplural co-creation.
- The healing and educational effect of putting things to paper.
- The power of performance.
🏷️ 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
Dr Thomas Moors
A Belgian, London based, awarded medical doctor with special interest in voice and integration of art into healthcare. His mission is to use multi plural co - creativity and bring positive attention towards small and scattered groups (overlooked) in medicine, research and society.
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.
Monday 12th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Tuesday 13th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wednesday 14th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Thursday 15th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Tuesday 20th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wednesday 21st January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
(London Time)
Level One Certificate in Accents and Phonetics
Louisa Morgan
Are you a voice, acting, or singing coach looking to expand your expertise and add accents and phonetics to your teaching repertoire? This 6-session course covers essential topics such as articulatory, acoustic, and auditory phonetics, the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), and ethical approaches to accent and dialect coaching. By the end of this course, you'll be equipped with the knowledge and practical skills to start to bring phonetics and accent coaching into your coaching and provide more comprehensive support to your clients.
Monday 12th January 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)
Emerging and Developing Voice: Singing and Speech
Karen Brunssen
How does the singing voice influence the speaking voice? How does the speaking voice influence the singing voice? When is there a disparate relationship between the two? Can they help each other? Can one harm the other? How can we use them positively in the voice studio. During this short course we will consider the voice as we sing and as we speak. The acquisition of language is a very interesting journey from birth through old age. We will broach the topics of “lexical” which refers to learning words, and “semantic” which is how we use words in the context of language.
Monday 12th January 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Perfectionism: A Theoretical & Clinical Overview
Dr David Juncos
What exactly is meant when we label ourselves or someone we know a perfectionist? It is a good to be this way? Or are you setting yourself up for failure? Can a performance psychologist or a other performance-related practitioner help you if you’re a perfectionist? In this short course, you will learn how perfectionism is defined according to popular models in clinical psychology, and whether it is maladaptive or adaptive. You will also learn how perfectionism impacts on music performance anxiety, in addition to other areas of importance for performing musicians, like work-related stress and burnout, and procrastination with one’s practice.