Short Courses & Events / Archive

The Vocal Health Challenges for Actors and Singers!

Thursday 14th May 2026, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)

Friday 15th May 2026, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)

Vocal health principles are inextricably and symbiotically linked with singing and acting voice pedagogy: Good vocal health allows the singer and actor to more easily and effectively achieve their technical and artistic goals, and good teaching reinforces vocal technique that diminishes the risk of vocal injury.

The singing world now recognizes that singers and actors are in fact vocal athletes who are testing the limits of the human voice, which places them at higher risk for vocal injury than those who do not have comparable vocal demands. The unfortunate reality, however is that many singers and actors have limited understanding of basic vocal anatomy, physiology and acoustics and may be underinformed or misinformed about critical health information regarding the care and maintenance of their primary instrument. 

21st century singing and acting teachers face unique and challenging demands and opportunities relative to instructing their students. On the one hand, traditional instruction is expected to enable the student to establish a solid vocal technique, to gain insight into the specific musical, stylistic, artistic, and linguistic demands of a given genre, to gain an understanding of various career pathways and the necessary life-style adjustments and in many cases, to learn to effectively utilize amplification systems so critical to numerous performance settings. We now also recognize the necessity for singers and actors to understand how their instruments work, how to take care of their voices, and what to do when something goes wrong. Singing and acting teachers are indeed on the front lines of vocal health.

Course topics include:  

  • The teacher as a model of vocal health
  • Foundations of vocal hygiene
  • Vocal pacing for actors and singers
  • Medical factors and the voice including upper respiratory infections, pulmonary conditions, allergies, laryngopharyngeal reflux, long COVID, musculoskeletal injuries, temporomandibular joint disorder, and others.
  • The singing teacher’s role in identification of dysphonia and making appropriate referrals to the vocal health team.
  • Medical voice evaluation for singers and actors
  • What singers and actors should know about medical, surgical, and behavioral treatment of voice disorders.

🏷️ Price £50 (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

Leda Scearce

Soprano Leda Scearce has been featured in leading roles with the National Opera Company, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Long Leaf Opera Festival, Triangle Opera...

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.

Learning together: group singing and choral pedagogy
Friday 12th June 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
(London Time)

Learning together: group singing and choral pedagogy

Dr David Cane

The benefits of group singing are well documented and well known. Singing together can foster a sense of social connection and community as well enhancing wellbeing and mood.  However, group singing is not only a shared cultural and artistic experience, but can also be a powerful site of learning. While many of the developments in voice pedagogy have tended to centre around the one-to-one model of teaching, this course with Dr David Cane explores the pedagogical (and potentially the political) potential of teaching and learning to sing collectively.

Introduction to Postgraduate Academic Skills - Summer Bootcamp - Join Live!
Monday 15th June 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Tuesday 16th June 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Wednesday 17th June 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 18th June 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Friday 19th June 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)

Introduction to Postgraduate Academic Skills - Summer Bootcamp - Join Live!

Debbie Winter

Hosted by our very own Director of Studies (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.

Body wisdom for vocal performers and educators: What the heart and lungs can teach us about sustainable and joyful vocal practice!
Thursday 18th June 2026
9:00 PM - 11:00 PM
(London Time)

Body wisdom for vocal performers and educators: What the heart and lungs can teach us about sustainable and joyful vocal practice!

Dr Mark Seton

Join Dr Mark Seton as he discusses his recent research with creatives (260 participants) on how many are seeking to be more empowered in their personal and professional lives, as well as more embodied and enduring in the midst of rapidly changing life and work. This foundational and interactive workshop takes us on an embodied journey into how the actual heart functions and its crucial partnership with our lungs. In this course we’ll learn from their collective wisdom how to remain healthily ‘opened’ and ‘closed’ at the same time, to breath in and breath out, allowing time for both refreshment and recovery between each beat of our hearts, and each drawing of breath.