Short Courses & Events / Archive

Two Part Course: Introduction to Accent Training and Accent Coaching

Wednesday 31st March 2021, 5:00 PM - Wednesday 7th April 2021 7:00 PM (London Time)

This training course is a two part course of online active workshops. You will receive four hours of live training from course leader Rockford Sansom. 

Workshop 1: Accent Training Foundations 

  • What is accent training?
  • Key Figures.
  • Foundational Concepts:
  1. Oral Posture.
  2. Key sounds.
  3. Intonation

The first part of this course will be a two-hour live workshop, introducing you to the foundations of Accent Training. Prior to the workshop, you will be able to watch a lecture going over the key concepts in Accent Training, to give you an introduction and grounding of the theory. This workshop will be active and will involve direct coaching from Rockford, to enable you to put what you learn into practice.

Workshop 2: Tools for Coaching Accents 

  • How to work with actors.
  • How to work with directors.
  • Needs for ESL (English as a Second Language) learners.

The second part of this course will be a two-hour live workshop, exploring Tools for Coaching Accents. Prior to the workshop, you will be able to watch a lecture going over the key tools used, to give you an introduction into the tools you will go on to use. You will then join this active workshop, which will involve direct coaching from Rockford to enable you to put these tools into practice.

Dr Rockford Sansom

Rockford Sansom, PhD, MFA, is a voice trainer and theatre professor. As a voice coach, he has worked with actors Off-Broadway and in regional theatres, Fortune 100 CEOs...

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.

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There are evolving expectations for vocalists, who now need to perform in a variety of styles beyond traditional classical music. In this two-part course, Page Stephens argues that voice teachers should incorporate contemporary repertoire and techniques into their lessons to help singers grow in expressivity, flexibility, and economic opportunities. The course will cover industry trends, cultural pressures, and economic benefits of contemporary music, and provide tools for integrating new music into vocal education. Interviews with professionals will highlight the strengths and weaknesses observed in the field, and strategies for teaching new music will be discussed.

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2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
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The identity politics of accent learning!

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Jenru Wang has an MFA in Voice Studies with distinction from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London - in this session, he will begin to explore the complexities accent coaches might face in their work, examining the intersection of language, identity, and cultural sensitivity. Participants will explore how to navigate challenging situations in different contexts and understand what to do—and avoid—when working with diverse clients and materials.

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Thursday 3rd July 2025
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Vocal “Decathletes” – inside the hidden world of Session Singing!

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What is a session singer? Officially it’s a freelance, short-term “singer for hire” brought in to be part of a live or recorded musical project. However, it’s more generally understood to be the “behind-the-scenes” singer who is regularly booked for paid recording work. The type of work (and pay) varies a lot. Session singing is a side of the music industry that is largely hidden from the public and isn’t easy to find out much about, even online. Join Kim Chandler as she unpicks this topic, based on 35 years of session singing!