Short Courses & Events / Archive

Tips for Effective Practice

Wednesday 29th January 2025, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)

As a vocalist dedicated to your craft, you spend valuable time practicing to improve. You want to use your practice time wisely, and this session can help you accomplish your goals! I will describe the current state of research regarding practice strategies and provide practical applications for vocalists.

 For example, your thought patterns impact your motivation to practice and the choices you make while practicing. I will describe examples of these thought patterns and self-regulatory strategies to change your mindset. We will discuss external influences on practice habits and strategies for ameliorating negative influences. I will describe differences in the practice habits of novice and expert musicians so that you can model your own practice sessions on what experts do.

One such difference between experts and novices is the use of practice strategies. We will discuss types of practice strategies and which strategies can be used to address specific musical problems. Throughout the workshop, I will draw connections to specific issues that vocalists face and how to address during practice sessions. For those who teach in either private or group settings, I will provide strategies for teaching one’s students to practice effectively. I will also set aside time for questions regarding specific issues.

🏷️ 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

Nancy Summitt

Nancy Summitt taught K-12 music for 7 years prior to obtaining her Ph.D from the University of Memphis, and has held past professorships at the University of Tennessee at Martin and DePauw University.

CPD Course Logo

Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.

Learn More

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.

Music Theory Fundamentals for Voice Pedagogues
Tuesday 5th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 12th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 19th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 26th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 2nd June 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 9th June 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)

Music Theory Fundamentals for Voice Pedagogues

Dr David Cane

Voice pedagogy has advanced significantly in the last decades in relation to knowledge of the vocal apparatus (anatomy and mechanics), acoustics, and performance psychology (to name just a few subfields) – this is a wonderful thing! Nonetheless, musicianship and the foundations of music theory are still relevant to the teaching and coaching of singers and this course aims to empower voice teachers and coaches with skills to support the fundamental musicianship development of their students.

Staging A Coup: History meets science for the coup de la glotte!
Tuesday 19th May 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Staging A Coup: History meets science for the coup de la glotte!

Kourtney Austin

Historical vocal pedagogy, voice science, voice health, and performance practice come together in this presentation from Kourtney Austin! The session addresses the historical context for teaching the onset as a fundamental skill, along with a review of a recent publication examining the acoustic effects of different types of onset, and practical studio implementation of onset training. The aforementioned publication is the first known research to objectively measure the acoustic implications of the coup de la glotte, and delineate it from the hard glottal attack.

Letting the Text Live: Reading Aloud with Expression!
Thursday 21st May 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Letting the Text Live: Reading Aloud with Expression!

Louisa Morgan

This 2-hour interactive session is designed to help you make more deliberate, expressive choices in your speaking of the written word. It will involve plenty of practical exploration and will cover tips and techniques for working with the voice to lift the text off the page. Work with me to refine nuance, precision, and expressive range. We’ll explore a variety of text samples to cover a wide range of real-world situations, so you can get a feel for the different styles and approaches. If you want your spoken text to sound purposeful, engaging, and unmistakably yours, this session will invite you to play with some tools to do just that.