Short Courses & Events / Archive

Water Resistance Therapy and Semioccluded Devices for Voice Training

Monday 13th October 2025, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)

Several voice devices to perform water resistance therapy (WRT) and some oscillatory positive expiratory pressure devices (OPEP) (e.g. Acapella Choice, Shaker Medic Plus, New Shaker) are now commonly used for both voice training and voice therapy. Moreover, there are videos in social media demonstrating how to train the voice using devices that are not necessarily supported by evidence. Social media users, especially amateur singers, usually repeat the exercises without any control, supervision, or correction made by someone who knows how to use them appropriately. The questions that motivate the present workshop are: Are these devices truly good for voice training? Are these devices the treatment by themselves? and how much evidence currently supports the use of these devices?

The present workshop will be useful: (1) to provide information about all the commonly used commercial voice devices available in the market; (2) to know if there are studies supporting their effect on voice; and (3) to know the necessary technical details to utilize them in voice training. Several videos in social media show voice exercises with some devices in which there appears to be pressed phonation, possibly a high degree of subglottic pressure, and visible and audible phonatory effort. Evidence widely supports the fact that an excessive subglottic pressure causes increased vocal folds impact stress (vocal folds collision), which in turn could possibly trigger phonotraumatic lesions. In the present workshop you will learn how to control the most relevant variables promoting a more efficient and economic voice production with WRT and OPEP exercises and how to avoid most common mistakes when using these voice tools.

🏷️ 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 Marco Guzmán

Dr. Guzman is a voice pathologist with twenty-two years of clinical and academic experience. He received his Ph.D. in Vocology from the Tampere University, Finland. 

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.

Embodied voice research: negotiating the ‘inner’ and outer’
Thursday 7th May 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
(London Time)

Embodied voice research: negotiating the ‘inner’ and outer’

Marth Munro

The central thrust of the session will be around the employment of Donald Schön’s concept of ‘reflection-in-action’ and ‘reflection-on-action’ to contextualise the potential interface between the inner and the outer in embodied voice research.

Prosody in conversation – crucial for effective communication?
Tuesday 12th May 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
(London Time)

Prosody in conversation – crucial for effective communication?

Beatrice Szczepek Reed

In this course, we will take an introductory look at what prosody is and consider its functions in natural everyday dialogue. Prosody refers to the rhythm, stress, and intonation of speech. It's the musicality of language that helps convey meaning, emotion, and emphasis in conversation!