What Every Singing Teacher Should Know About Vocal Health: Fact-finding and Myth-busting (Part 2)
Tuesday 12th March 2024, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
Singing teachers are on the frontlines of vocal health.
As vocal athletes, singers are at a higher risk for developing voice disorders. Singing teachers are in an optimal position to educate students about vocal health. Informed, evidence-based education can help prevent students from developing voice problems. However, spreading misinformation can perpetuate vocal health myths and possibly contribute to developing voice problems and/or delaying appropriate voice care.
As expert monitors of sound, singing teachers are also often the first to identify a possible voice problem in a student. Knowing the signs of a voice disorder and making appropriate referrals is another way that singing teachers can make significant contributions to vocal health.
With this role comes great responsibility: it is incumbent on the teacher to make sure the vocal health information they are passing on to their students is accurate and up-to-date, and not based merely on hearsay or opinion. Singing teachers can play a major role in dispelling common myths and misinformation about vocal health.
This workshop will cover a number of topics related to vocal health education, including:
- What the singing teacher should know about voice anatomy, physiology, and the basics of voice disorders
- Vocal hygiene
- Medical factors and the voice, including upper respiratory infections, pulmonary conditions, allergies, laryngopharyngeal reflux, long COVID, musculoskeletal injuries, temporomandibular disorder (TMD), and others
- Optimizing efficiency of the speaking voice
- Vocal pacing:
- Balancing voice rest and vocal conditioning
- When to recommend complete voice rest
- The singing teacher’s role in identification of dysphonia and making appropriate referrals to the vocal health team:
- Ending the 'blame game': abolishing the concept of 'vocal abuse'
- Working with singers who have or have had a voice injury
- Common vocal health myths and how to dispel them
Full course dates and times:
Thursday 7th March 2024 (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM UK time)
Tuesday 12th March 2024 (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM UK time)
Leda Scearce
Soprano Leda Scearce has been featured in leading roles with the National Opera Company, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Long Leaf Opera Festival, Triangle Opera...
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 5th August 2025
1:00 PM - 12:00 PM
Tuesday 12th August 2025
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Tuesday 19th August 2025
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Tuesday 26th August 2025
1:00 PM - 12:00 PM
Tuesday 2nd September 2025
1:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Tuesday 9th September 2025
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Tuesday 16th September 2025
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Tuesday 23rd September 2025
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
(London Time)
Certificate in Acting Approaches for Singing Teachers
Louisa Morgan
Are you a singing teacher looking to elevate your students’ performances? Join our very own Louisa Morgan, as she takes a deeper dive into acting approaches that singing teachers can use to integrate powerful acting techniques into singing lessons. This 8 session course is perfect for those who want to help their singers connect deeply with the story behind the song. Gain practical tools and techniques that you can immediately apply in your teaching! Come along live for an interactive experience, or watch on playback at your leisure.
Thursday 4th September 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Unpacking the Mind-Voice Connection in Occupational Voice Users!
Dr Cantor Cutiva
Join Dr. Cantor-Cutiva as she explores the Mind-Voice Connection, a holistic framework that considers how psychological traits, stress levels, and sleep quality interact with vocal health, particularly in occupational voice users. Through a multidisciplinary lens, we will examine how personality dimensions such as extraversion, neuroticism, and conscientiousness influence not only vocal behaviour but also the perception and reporting of vocal fatigue.
Tuesday 9th September 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Choral Pedagogy and the Older Singer: Strategies for Lifelong Singing!
Dr Brenda Smith
There is intrinsic value in lifelong singing. Singing with others is a noble deed that brings immeasurable satisfaction. Singing together involves teamwork and offers myriad rewards. It can enhance personal well-being, develop skill sets, and promote friendship. At any age, singing improves mental agility and calms an agitated mind. It is an activity everyone can include in daily life anywhere and at any time. Singing should have no expiration date. Lifelong singing should not be a lofty ambition, but rather a way of life. Our interactive workshop will involve choral vocal exercises (warmups and cooldowns) as well as skill building strategies for tone quality and range that are age and size appropriate for older singers.