"Throaty Sounds": Cross-linguistics, Health, & Pedagogy!
Thursday 6th November 2025, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
Glottal stops, vocal fry, creaky voice, and more! There are many types of “throaty sounds” that we make in spoken languages and simply in vocal expression. Many practitioners have historically expressed strong views about the health or use of throaty sounds: considering them risky or unhealthy, as well as displeasing.
Yet -- throaty sounds appear in many languages and language families worldwide! Speakers use them every day to communicate. A cross-linguistic comparison of throaty sounds in languages can yield new insights for voice and speech professionals to consider. Some beliefs about throaty sounds can be re-examined, which can affect approaches for voice training and voice care. Together we can reconsider the narrative around glottals and vocal fry, find new language to discuss the sounds, and support our students' use of speech!
This course will explore:
(1) which sounds are produced and articulated in the throat,
(2) where do we hear these sounds in various languages, and
(3) how to reconsider previous negative assumptions about the health of sounds themselves.
Dayle Towarnicky
Dayle Towarnicky (she/her) is an Assistant Professor with the FSU School of Theatre in Tallahassee, Florida, where she teaches and coaches voice, speech, and accent. Dayle researches intersections between voice and speech practice and linguistics.
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 28th September 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Tuesday 29th September 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Wednesday 30th September 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 1st October 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Friday 2nd October 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)
Certificate in Executive Voice Coaching and Communication
Louisa Morgan
This five-day course is designed for professional coaches who want to extend their practice into executive coaching, leadership communication, and professional corporate voice work.
Friday 2nd October 2026
12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)
Muscle Tension Dysphonia in the Singing Voice!
Dr Claire Thomas
Join Dr Claire Thomas for a practical 2-hour workshop for singing teachers and voice practitioners! Building upon the previous course to create a practical teacher pathway in order to recognise what is happening, reduce unnecessary effort, transfer coordination into singing, manage load and recovery and know when to refer back. Not one size fits all, but a guide to making informed choices with voice users. Based on a five-year investigative project, the course equips singing teachers with the knowledge and practical tools needed to confidently understand MTD, and support singers experiencing MTD beyond their initial therapeutic input.
Tuesday 6th October 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Inspired Not Bound: The Promise of Science-Informed Voice Pedagogy
Lynn Helding
Lynn Helding defines Science-Informed Voice Pedagogy in her upcoming book Practicing Science-Informed Voice Training as, “A type of hybrid singing voice pedagogy that unites science and art by researching current voice science, translating it, combining it with extant historic voice knowledge, and transmitting it to singers.” Join Lynn Helding as she seeks to understand human behaviour of both sides of the “Science versus Art” debate via research from the fields of cognitive science and behavioural science, focussing particularly on lessons learned due to several societal shifts.