Short Courses & Events / Archive

Vowel Modification and Authenticity in Classical Singing

Tuesday 28th January 2025, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (London Time)

This presentation and discussion is an introduction to Sound Spectrum, Amplitude, Formants, Overtones, the Overtone Series, Vowel Formants, and how they work together (Formant Tuning) to create acoustic boosts in classical singers.

It includes the most up-to-date nomenclature agreed upon by the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America in 2015 (Titze, Boseman, ed. al). It also includes nomenclature from the Bel Canto period to bring alignment of artistic training and it's scientific understanding: Chiaroscuro, The Florentine Camarata, Caccini’s Le Nuove Musiche, Appoggio, etc. Stratagies for singers like Lifted Soft Palate, Mediated Larynx, Neck alignment, Vowel Modification, Adduction of the Vocal Folds (Hyperadduction – Hypoadduction), and resonance inertia, will be introduced and discussed.

🏷️ 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

Dr John Seesholtz

Dr. John Seesholtz, baritone, is the cofounder of the Canciones project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of Latin American music throughout all stages of academia and former Director of Vocal Pedagogy at the University of Colorado.

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

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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.

The Vocal Health Challenges for Actors and Singers!
Thursday 14th May 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Friday 15th May 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

The Vocal Health Challenges for Actors and Singers!

Leda Scearce

Two part course! 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. 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!

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.