The Use of Vibrato in Belt and Legit Styles of Singing in Professional Female Musical Theatre Performers
Tuesday 17th March 2026, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
Shaped by the popular music of its time, musical theatre blends storytelling with an ever-evolving range of vocal styles—from classical legit singing to jazz, hip-hop, and powerhouse belting. Whether it’s the lush, operatic sound of South Pacific, the jazzy bite of Chicago, or the rap-driven score of Hamilton, each musical reflects its musical influences while still drawing from shared vocal techniques. As MT has evolved from the Golden Age to today, performers are now expected to master both legit and belt styles. One of the clearest signals separating these styles is vocal vibrato. However, to what degree vibrato is used for different styles by the same performer has not been well studied. Despite its importance, much of what we understand about vibrato comes from laboratory-based studies that strip singing of its musical, stylistic, and performance context. This raises an important question: how do professional musical theatre performers employ vibrato in various styles?
This course takes vibrato out of the lab and into real-world performance. Drawing on recordings from five well-known professional musical theatre performers, the study examines vibrato use in live performances. By examining authentic performances rather than controlled vocal tasks, this work offers a rare glimpse at how vibrato functions as a stylistic tool in professional musical theatre singing.
This course connects current research with real-world pedagogy, revealing how elite musical theatre performers strategically use vibrato to shape style and storytelling, and showing how these insights can be applied in the voice studio to train stylistic flexibility and control.
Dr. Alyssa Becker
Dr. Alyssa Becker serves on the voice faculty at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she teaches applied voice, vocal pedagogy, and maintains a private voice studio. She is also the artistic director the Drake University Voice Intensive, a high school vocal training program she co-founded. Dr. Becker combines performance, research, and teaching, with a focus on preparing singers to navigate a wide range of vocal styles.
Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.
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Wednesday 4th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday 11th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday 18th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday 25th March 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday 1st April 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday 8th April 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
(London Time)
Learn to Coach RP and SSBE – a Certificate in Accent Coaching
Louisa Morgan
This six-week course is an opportunity to learn about both Received Pronunciation and Standard Southern British English. Rather than a course in learning how to speak RP/SSBE (there are many brilliant available courses for this already), this course is about learning how to coach it.
Tuesday 7th April 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Leaning Into Discomfort: Supporting Regulation and Resilience in Voice Care
Dr Carol Krusemark
Working with the singing body and nervous system, whether in teaching, coaching, therapy, or performance, often means navigating moments of stress, vulnerability, and uncertainty. In these moments, both teachers and clients can find themselves operating from a heightened autonomic stress response that affects communication, learning, and vocal function. Join Dr Carol Krusemark as she explores how an understanding of the autonomic nervous system can inform more effective and compassionate voice work!
Thursday 9th April 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 16th April 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 23rd April 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 30th April 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 7th May 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)
Introduction to Postgraduate Academic Skills - Join Live!
Debbie Winter
Are you ready to elevate your academic journey? Hosted by our very own Debbie Winter, join our comprehensive Introduction to Academic Skills course, designed to equip you with essential tools and strategies for success in higher education. Perfect for bridging the gap between undergraduate and postgraduate study, this course offers a pathway to our full MA for students without an existing degree. We offer both live, interactive sessions and standalone, pre-recorded content.