Warming Up And Cooling Down: A Guide To Their Use And Impact On Function
Thursday 3rd November 2022, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
- There are exercises designed to facilitate a particular change in vocal function – the potential for a given exercise to work is contingent on the intention of the exercise, the instruction provided, and the singer’s understanding and implementation.
- A teacher should select vocal exercises supported by either quantifiable research or validated by anecdotal practice-based evidence – this is true whether discussing vocal warm-ups or cool-downs.
- The benefits of cool-down exercises following strenuous exercises have been well established – while voice pedagogy typically emphasizes the use of vocal warm up exercises, the efficacy of cool-down exercises has not been demonstrated.
- Traditionally, exercise science includes a great deal of research on cooling down exercises after working out the body – cool-down exercises for singers have not yet been thoroughly examined even though vocalizes (warm-ups) for the voice have long been accepted as beneficial. As a result, there remains varying opinions in the voice community as to the efficacy of cooling down after a period of strenuous singing.
This workshop will present information on strategizing a vocal warm-up and cool-down routine, how and why to choose particular exercises, the difference between a vocal warm-up and vocal exercises focused on function.
The workshop will also include research, supported in part by the 2012 Van L. Lawrence Fellowship, that examined the efficacy of cool-down exercises for the voice at the end of a heavy voice load
Dr Kari Ragan
Singer, author, and voice pedagogue Kari Ragan holds degrees from the University of Washington (DMA) and Indiana University (MM, BM). She was the recipient of the prestigious Van L. Lawrence Award (2012), the NATS Foundation Pedagogy Award (2009), and the Wicklund Singing Voice Specialist Certificate (2010), and she was selected as a Master Teacher for the NATS Intern Program in 2021.
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.
Tuesday 2nd December 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)
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Thursday 4th December 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
(R)evolutionary Voice Training: harnessing human instinct to accelerate vocal transformation!
Maddie Tarbox
Human beings and our vertebrate ancestors have been communicating via vocalization for millions of years – those sounds did not start as complex language, but as animal mimicry, acoustic cuing, and emotional primal sounds. Join Maddie Tarbox for this two hour session as she unpicks the repertoire of instinctive shortcuts that can lower cognitive load and accelerate vocal change!
Tuesday 9th December 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Low Male Voices (LMVs): Development, Technique, and Repertoire
Dr Dann Mitton
Join Dr Dann Mitton for this two hour workshop where he explores the Development, Techniques, and Repertoire favoured for Low Male Voices (LMVs). Typically labelled as 'Bass' and 'Baritone', these classifications are used in classical music, choral settings, and vocal pedagogy to help determine suitable repertoire and vocal roles. In contemporary music, the distinctions are less rigid but still useful for understanding vocal range and timbre.